Florida -- Clearwater Beach

Part of our trip to Florida was two nights on Clearwater Beach at the Palm Pavilion Inn. While not the most luxurious hotel on the beach, it does have a superb location and it's more reasonable than anywhere else.

I grew up in Clearwater, so I often forget what a spectacular beach Clearwater Beach is ... that is, until I go to another highly touted beach and find it to be lacking.

Clearwater Beach is consistently rated among the best beaches in the world. And, it's no surprise: a deep expanse of pure white, soft sand; clear, relatively warm Gulf water; gentle waves; long, shallow wading areas. 

An ideal beach for sunbathing and for children

It's not an adventure beach or a snorkeling beach, but it seems to have enough fish to attract early morning anglers -- and lots of sea birds.

Sanderlings

I spent my first day at the beach walking, wading, sitting under my rented umbrella and reading. It was like heaven. Except, I was once again plagued by cigarette (and cigar) smoke -- on the beach!! The man two umbrellas down chain smoked all day long and the guy in front of me was smoking cigars. The prevailing wind just kept piling it on me. Of course, I couldn't move because I was tied to that umbrella. It's really sad to have nature ruined by insensitive people. I think smoking should not be allowed anywhere in public.

You can rent these

Still, it was a beautiful and relaxing day, as long as I didn't breathe deeply. The next morning, we got up early so I could drive Scott to a friend's house to go fishing. When I came back, I took my camera down to the beach and discovered that the bird life is far richer than I ever realized.

The best subject of the day was a gorgeous Reddish Egret that put on quite a show as it fished along the surf line. This was the first one I have ever seen standing still; I saw one fly by briefly last year in the Everglades.

Dancing Reddish Egret

This bird had all the moves ... running, flapping, jumping, diving ... I spent quite a bit of time shooting pictures and found it very difficult to choose my favorites because I liked so many.

Quite a show

A resident breeder in Central America, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, the U.S. Gulf Coast and Mexico, this bird was previously a victim of the plume trade. Classified as "threatened," there are only 1,500 to 2,000 nesting pairs of Reddish Egrets in the United States, most in Texas.

I never saw these when I was young

The sexes are similar, but there are two color morphs. The adult dark morph has a slate blue body and reddish head and neck with shaggy plumes. The adult white morph has completely white body plumage. Young birds have a brown body, head, and neck, so the one I saw on Clearwater Beach was relatively young. During mating, the males plumage stands out in a ruff on its head, neck and back (hence the Fabbio vibe).

He looks mah-ve-lous

According to Wikipedia: "The Reddish Egret is considered one of the most active herons and is often seen on the move. It stalks its prey visually in shallow water far more actively than other herons and egrets, frequently running energetically and using the shadow of its wings to reduce glare on the water once it is in position to spear a fish; the result is a fascinating dance. Due to its bold, rapacious yet graceful feeding behavior, author Pete Dunne nicknamed the reddish egret 'the Tyrannosaurus Rex of the Flats.'" Indeed!

Another treat very nearby was a pair of Double-Crested Cormorants, swimming and fishing in the shallow surf. These birds, which are found all over the U.S., have shockingly gorgeous turquoise eyes that contrast beautifully with their orange beaks.

So beautiful

As the Reddish Egret and the Cormorants fished, they got closer and closer together. The Egret was apparently not too pleased with the Cormorant, further expanding its dance moves. 

A little kerfuffle

And, then, it fluffed its feathers, clearly showing why it was prized for its plumage. I am so surprised that I never saw (or noticed) one before.

A very cool bird

Although I spent most of my time photographing the Reddish Egret, I also got some photos of a Willet, which is a very graceful sandpiper ...

Willet

... and a number of cute little Sanderlings, which love to scoot up and down the beach.

Such cuties

Of course, one of the real beauties of the beach is the Snowy Egret, this one decked out in breeding plumage. Like the Reddish Egret, it was fishing in the surf. Not as demonstrative, but certainly elegant, even soaking wet.

The yellow feet with black legs are an identifier

Also once threatened by the millinery trade, the Snowy Egret has protected status. They live in most of South America and Central America, along the Atlantic coast north to Virginia Beach, along the Gulf Coast, and along the Pacific lowlands from central California southward. 

Taking off

Snowy Egrets stalk prey in shallow water, often running or shuffling their feet, flushing prey into view, as well "dip-fishing" by flying with their feet just over the water. Snowy egrets may also stand still and wait to ambush prey.

Every time I go to the beach, I see Brown Pelicans. But, this time, I had the fortune of photographing an entire flock in flight. 

I just love my new lens!

And, no beach is complete without gulls. The Laughing Gull, easy to spot because of its distinctive black head, is the most common on Clearwater Beach.

Laughing Gull

Just as I was getting ready to pack up my gear, I noticed a small disturbance in the water. Dolphins! Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins to be precise. Often seen swimming north in the morning, these beautiful beasts cruise the shoreline, corralling and eating small fish. 

Dolphin show!

They came very, very close to the shore -- at times within ten feet. At times, they created quite a commotion as they fished -- and unintentionally shared their catch with Gulls.

Feeding

The most amazing thing about the photos that I took at Clearwater beach is that I got these -- and many, many more -- in just about two and half hours. All those years as I was going to the beach when I lived in Clearwater, I never really realized how wildlife-rich the area was. 

What a treat!

But, I felt that I had used up all of Clearwater Beach's charms, so I moved up a little further north to see what else I could find.

Trip date: April 18-26, 2016