April 24, 2022 - St. Andrew's State Park

Diana and I hadn’t visited St. Andrews State Park for several years, so we decided to go there this year while we were in Florida. The park is 85 miles west of St. George Island and it’s in Panama City Beach. She had a great time finding nifty little shells and I busied myself taking bird photos.

One of the birds I found at St. Andrews was this Bonaparte’s Gull. It has bubblegum-pink legs and a small black beak. It’s a small gull, only 13.5 inches long. The two dark streaks on its head show that this is non-breeding plumage. When it molts into breeding plumage, it will have a totally black head.

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One of the Ring-billed Gulls was very friendly, hanging around the crowd of people at the park. It was probably looking for a handout.

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The gull came close enough for me to get a full frame head portrait of it.

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Sanderlings are 8-inch shorebirds that run along the water’s edge like little windup toys. They are constantly moving, searching for something to eat.

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This Sanderling found a food item that looks transparent. I have no idea what it is.

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There were many Royal Terns at the park. This one is also in non-breeding plumage. After the tern molts into breeding plumage, it will have a totally black cap that comes down far enough to cover its eyes. Its beak will also turn to a brighter orange color.

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Here’s a Royal Tern that was flying by.

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I really like the white and gray pattern on the wings of this Royal Tern as it lands on the shore.

TernRoyallandingAndrew'sStatePark20220218