Nice BIF catch shots, Paul. I grew up in Tampa and crossed the original bridge a few times going down to Sarasota. After leaving the area to join the Air Force in 1964, I didn't get back to the bridge again. I knew about the ship wreck into the bridge but you provided a lot of details about it's revision into a fishing bridge and the construction of the new Skyway. When the old 1924 Gandy bridge connecting Tampa and St Petersburg was replaced by the new one back around the late 50's, they turned the old span into a fishing bridge too. I had an uncle who used to net mackerel in the shallow waters off the causeway. I hear now that even the second bridge has been converted into a "recreation" bridge as the third bridge has taken over traffic between the cities. That original six mile span and causeway really saved a lot time traveling between Tampa and St Petersburg. My parents used to have to travel all the way up the coast to near Dunedin and Oldsmar to go around the north end of Tampa Bay and into Tampa. About a four hour trip reduced to one hour in those days. I have always liked your "historical" narratives of the pictures you show. It provides a lot of context to the presentation. Keep um comin'.

The Skyway Fishing Pier State Park is a Florida State Park located on both the north and south sides of the mouth of Tampa Bay. The original cantilevered Sunshine Skyway Bridge carried I-275 (US 19) across the lower Tampa Bay, connecting St. Petersburg, Florida to Terra Ceia. The bridge partially collapsed in 1980 due to the collision of a freighter into one of the bridge pilings. The old bridge was replaced by the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The approaches to the old bridge were left in place and converted into the longest fishing pier in the world.

Tampa, Florida
November 2021

Laughing Gull by Paul Sager, on Flickr


The most common activity on the pier is fishing. Common catches include snook, tarpon, grouper, black sea bass, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, cobia, sheepshead, red snapper and flounder. Other pier activities include kayaking, swimming, and kite surfing. Images in this post show a new activity from the pier, practicing birds in flight (BIF) photography. The early morning was nearly perfect for practice in November 2021, using a Canon EOS 5DIII, EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II, Extender 2x III and tripod with gimbal head.

Herring Gull


Egrets are herons which have white or buff plumage, and develop fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from the herons and have the same build.

Snowy Egret


The royal tern has a red-orange bill and a black cap during the breeding season, but in the winter the cap becomes patchy. The royal tern is found in Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean islands. The royal tern lives on the coast (both Atlantic and Pacific) and is only found near salt water.

Royal Tern


The laughing gull is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. Named for its laugh-like call, it is an opportunistic omnivore and scavenger. The laughing gull breeds in large colonies mostly along the Atlantic coast of North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America.

Laughing Gull


Good lighting plays an important part in successful birds in flight photography. As in any other kind of outdoor photography, the golden light of morning and evening are best. The Skyway Fishing Pier State Park offers excellent afternoon / evening light and breezes flowing inland so the birds are facing / flying into the light. I arrived on Saturday evening at the right time, but the light and wind direction where wrong. I came back the next morning on Sunday when things were much better, except that none of the brown pelicans were soaring.

Ruddy Turnstone


The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, often referred to as the Sunshine Skyway Bridge or simply the Skyway, is a cable-stayed bridge spanning the Lower Tampa Bay connecting St. Petersburg, Florida to Terra Ceia. The current Sunshine Skyway opened in 1987.

Laughing Gull


The shooting parameters are available from the host Flickr pages, just click the URL title of any linked image.

Laughing Gull