Down by the bridge.....

We had one day to go looking for birds so we drove towards Okaloosa Island which seemed the most likely place to find some.  Next to the bridge that crossed the water there is a small area you can park and walk along the water and there is a protected area on one side with dunes and a small bird area.  The Destin area is so overrun with people that finding anywhere for wildlife is hard.  These protected areas are part of Elgin Air Force Base.

 Out in the water near the bridge was a bird I wasn't sure about, but knew I hadn't seen before.  I'm pretty sure it is a Common Loon.....but they aren't common back home in Indiana :-)

 Not great photos, but I was just tickled to see it at all!

 It rides very low in the water and liked to rub its head on its back like this.

My clearest shot.

Directly across from the bay and bridge, was this small pond tucked into the dunes.

 There was quite a bit of life in this small pond.....Coots....

 ....a pair of Pied-billed Grebes, which never let me get this close to them back home!  Why are Florida birds so friendly????  Maybe they have to be due to all the people in their habitat.

 The pair of them out a bit further.

 Besides the Grebes, there were also a pair of Mallards hiding in the grass, but I didn't get good photos of them.

 Standing in the tall grasses was one Heron.  He was really tucked in out of the wind.

 In the sky, Pelicans were flying overhead, but never landed anywhere close by.  I'm not good at flying shots, so these are the best I got.

A plant growing in the sand.

It was a great place and I wish we had had more time to walk along the water looking for more birds.