Honeymoon Island - May 12, 2016

After photographing the red knots this morning, my mom and I walked the long stretch of beach all the way to the end.  It is a 5+ mile round trip and started to get pretty warm by the time we were done at 11:30.  The most interesting bird was also one of the most common, the dunlin.  I had never seen them in breeding plumage before and actually thought I was looking at a new and unusual species!

I got some nice close up shots of one of the many gray kingbirds,

 which I had never seen at this park before. 

Laughing gull with two semipalmated sandpipers

 reddish egret doing the fishing dance

female Magnificent Frigate in flight

least tern

 American Oystercatcher

Florida Fighting Conch the oyster catcher was eating

 (although this one got away with some help from me, there were plenty of others)

 collection of shorebirds for the day