After being heavily damaged by hurricanes Helene and Milton last fall, Fort DeSoto State Park was closed for an extended period and didn’t fully reopen until late February. This past weekend, I braved a trip on I-4 to visit the park with a friend, and I was happy to see many of the birds have returned – including migrating warblers.
The ranger’s home at the park has been abandoned, and the area around it and its overgrown yard has become a great spot for birds. We saw Cape May, Black-and-White, Prairie and Common Yellowthroat warblers plus some other birds close by.
Near the home was a rock fountain that had attracted birds looking for a drink of fresh water or to cool off. It too had been impacted by the hurricane and wasn’t repaired until recently. It did its job of attracting birds on a hot Sunday afternoon.
More on my Fort DeSoto trip to come, but here are the warblers and friends I photographed.
Prairie Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Prairie Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Black-and-white Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Black-and-white Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Black-and-white Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Female Common Yellowthroat warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Female Common Yellowthroat warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Male Cape May Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Male Cape May Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Cape May Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Female Cape May Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Male Cape May Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Male Cape May Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Male Cape May Warbler, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Male Northern Cardinal, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.Osprey, Fort DeSoto State Park, April 2025.
With the temperature in the 70s, I was able to hike five miles across the Wetlands and photograph lots and lots of birds, including familiar ones and some new faces too.
