Close up with manatees

On July 25, 2026July 25, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn zoo animals2 Comments

The bushes were in full bloom during my visit to Zoo Tampa at the end of March.

Unfortunately these guys were all over the railings. These are tussock moth caterpillars and they can give you a nasty sting or rash if you brush up against them. I’m assuming the zoo doesn’t want to spray chemicals all over with animals nearby but maybe they could hose down the railings in the morning? You had to watch were you leaned. They are only around for a week or two.

Fun birds in the aviary.

The flamingos were very active. I couldn’t tell if they were flirting or fighting.

They were honking pretty loud.

The baby colobus monkey was playing.

The manatees were eating right under me. There was a young one on the left.

The duck was being lazy while eating, sitting on the back of the manatee.

Here was the main reason I came this morning. The underwater viewing building had just been remodeled and reopened up after being closed for several months. I got to the zoo when it opened and headed straight for the building because I knew later in the day it would be packed. I was able to see them eating right in front of the windows.

Watching a manatee eating that yummy lettuce.

A turtle came right up to the window. I think we had a moment together.

The water and the windows were so clear. All of these manatees are rescues and are rehabilitated here and then released. Most are injuries from boat strikes or cold stunned (that make them sick) during exceptionally cold winters like the one we just had.

They now have a live webcam of the underwater viewing area and you can watch them swim around here.

Have you ever seen a duck eating lettuce from underneath? It was funny to watch her beak bobbing up and down in the water.

A foggy start to my bike ride

On July 22, 2026July 8, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

At the end of March I woke up to a foggy morning and almost didn’t go out for an early bike ride. I went out anyway and when I got to the north end of the Pinellas Trail the sun was already coming out of the fog. As soon as I got on the trail I saw a nice fogbow on one side of the trail and the sun coming up over the trees on the other side.

The sun was peeking through the trees along the horse pasture.

The fog made the spiderwebs stand out.

The sun coming up over the barn.

I could see a turkey far out in the pasture. He was strutting around but the ladies were too far away.

Is the grass really greener on the other side? Or maybe it just tastes better?

I love hearing the sound of the meadowlarks.

The grackle’s colors really stood out in the sun.

On the other side of the cow pasture I could see the 2 juvenile bald eagles. One was really flapping his wings.

Farther down the trail I saw another bald eagle. This one looked to be about a year old with those white spots, probably born here last winter.

A kildeer was sitting on eggs in the dirt. These guys nest on the ground.

Walking at my favorite spots.

On July 20, 2026July 21, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

I was out at the Dunedin marina in mid-March for an early morning walk. The city is finally fixing the pier that was damaged from the hurricanes in late 2024. They were taking the entire pier down before rebuilding it. They’ve been working on the rebuilding the sea wall along the marina for months but it seems to be slow going.

When I got out in front of the sailing center I could see dolphins far out in the water.

Watching a pelican dive for food.

A few days later I was walking along the waterfront in Safety Harbor. The fishing pier here is almost finished.

Reflections in the water.

When I first got to the waterfront I could see a crab trapper going by. The pelicans usually follow them hoping for a handout when they pull the traps up but I doubt those guys give up a single crab.

Back at the Dunedin marina a few days later and the purple martins were busy working on their nests in the nest condo.

The osprey were busy with their nest and I think they were sitting on eggs.

A warm morning walk at Chesnut Park

On July 18, 2026July 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

The welcoming committee as I drove into Chesnut Park in mid-March.

I saw many ladies this morning. This one looked like she had something wrong with her fur. Mange or maybe she was just shedding. This was the first time I had seen one look like this at this park.

Walking along the back boardwalk. The sun was trying to peek through the trees.

I noticed a least bittern right up near the edge of the lake. They are usually tough to spot but this one was sitting in front of the reeds, out in the open.

Birds out on the dock included a grackle and an anhinga.

This turtle was covered in algae. I took this with my phone since he was so close.

It was getting hot fast as the sun came up over the trees.

Sidewalk fun

On July 15, 2026July 15, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

Bright colors just after sunrise during my mid-March walk in Safety Harbor.

I usually walk along the waterfront but this morning I headed down Main Street. The sun was peeking through the old trees. The first tree is behind the library and the 2nd tree is the 350+ year old Baranoff oak tree. The tree is named after Dr. Salem Baranoff, who is known for owning the Safety Harbor Spa Hotel and a community leader. He died in 1977 at the age of 90 but his tree lives on.

The sun was coming up down Main Street this Monday morning and the reason I was walking here was because the Sidewalk Chalk Festival was the weekend before. It’s always fun to walk the street and look at all of the artwork left behind.

The above 2 were on boards instead of the sidewalk and I think that parrot was my favorite one.

Just a sample of the 40 drawings on the sidewalk. I was drawn to the Florida themes this morning.

I noticed this old building for sale. There’s a gift shop in the bottom floor. It was built in 1914 as a hotel and was one of the few buildings that survived the fire of 1917 that burned most of Safety Harbor and survived the destructive hurricane of 1921. It will be interesting to see what happens to it after it’s sold and if you’re wondering, it’s $4M!

Around the yard in early March

On July 13, 2026July 13, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

Bluebirds were working on a nest in the nest box in early March like they have done the past few years but they haven’t actually nested in it. Next spring I’m going to move it much higher and to the other side of the tree.

A juvenile red shoulder hawk was sitting right outside the window.

I slowly opened the back door to get a shot with my camera and he flew off and landed on the cart path. He quickly ate what looked like a cricket and then took off again, flying so close that I cut him off.

I heard cedar waxwings in the trees in the front yard and ran inside to grab my camera. I saw some birds flying across the street (next to the pond) and when I walked over I realized they were brown-headed cowbirds. We don’t see them often here.

After snapping the cowbirds I heard the waxwings again. I turned around and saw them flying towards me.

They landed in a tree right over my head and stayed for a while. It was such a treat to see these beautiful birds right on my street. They only come through in the spring and some springs we don’t see them at all.

Things blooming in the yard in early March.

I bought a small basil plant thinking I would be cooking more but I forgot about it and it grew quickly and started blooming. I’ve heard that once they bloom the leaves become bitter so I haven’t used them. It smells good when I walked outside though.

Green lacewings are highly beneficial feeding heavily on aphids, mealybugs, thrips, and mites. I usually don’t see them until the middle of summer so this one was early.

Inside flowers from Valentine’s Day.

I was still spending quite a bit of time at the pond across the street watching the black bellied whistling ducks. It was fun to watch them all fly in at the end of the day.

Swallow tail kites had arrived.

The clouds in the back turn bright orange when the sun sets.

It’s twins!

On July 11, 2026June 28, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography8 Comments

Since I only saw one of the baby barred owls in early March I had to go back and see if I could see the twins together. I got to the park before the sun had come up over the trees (and it was a cloudy at first) and sure enough, they were both looking out of the nest. That small hole was getting crowded as the babies were getting bigger.

Mom was sleeping far back in the leaves.

After an hour the sun was finally on the nest which made the babies fall asleep.

I took the above with my phone and it was zoomed in so you can see how tiny the babies looked with the naked eye (follow the yellow arrow). The nest is across a creek and the trail in front was fenced off.

We realized that there was a squirrel nest in the bottom of the same tree. Two tiny squirrels that were almost grown kept poking their heads out.

Turkey vultures greeted me as I got back to the parking lot.

More floating marshmallows in the fog

On July 8, 2026July 8, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

It was another foggy morning at the end of February when I stopped at Crescent Lake Park in downtown St. Pete to see if the white pelicans were still hanging around. There wasn’t quite as many as my trip a few weeks before but there were still a lot of them floating around the lake.

In one corner of the lake they were taking baths. It was fun to watch them splashing around and preening. It’s weird that a bird that lives in water still has to take a bath.

I noticed small groups dotted around the lake that were diving for food. White pelicans are surface feeders and herd the fish in together while dunking under to grab them. It’s almost like a ballet when they duck down together with their butts bobbing. Brown pelicans fly up and then dive down alone to catch their fish so it’s very different to watch them.

The groups were all doing different things. From bathing to feeding to napping.

Here they come! Right in front of me.

It was still foggy when I left an hour later but I could see that bright blue water tower across the lake.

A weekend in south Florida

On July 6, 2026July 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Vacation4 Comments

In March Brett has some relatives from Canada visiting the Fort Lauderdale area so we headed to south Florida for a long weekend. We stayed in Dania Beach and while we weren’t actually on the beach we had a great view from our room. We could see the planes from the airport taking off and the cruise ships out in the port.

I caught a video of the now defunct Spirit airlines taking off.

I was up early one morning heading to breakfast and stopped at the window in the hallway to catch the sun coming up.

From the other end we could see the sunset and the guitar hotel lit up at nearby Hard Rock Hotel.

We had some time one morning before meeting everyone for lunch so we went for a walk around the hotel.

We saw a lot of myna birds. Even though they are pretty they are invasive to Florida. They are destructive, driving out native birds and damaging crops and fruit trees in the area. Their population in south Florida has exploded and we now have some in the Tampa Bay area.

A view of the sawgrass marshes as we headed home on Alligator Alley.

Almost home as we were about to cross the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

Watching the national bird growing up

On July 4, 2026June 20, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

In early February I stopped by the eagle’s nest in my neighborhood to check on the babies. I didn’t see any adults around but when I looked farther down the utility field I could see Margie (the Mom) and Mickey (the new boyfriend) sitting together.

One morning one of the adults was sitting on the other side of the nest tower yelling.

Mom flew in with food and started feeding the young ones. It looks like she was eating first and at this point I think the babies are eating on their own so one must have waiting for Mom to finish before digging into the leftovers.

When Mom flew up near the top of the tower the oldest started flapping his wings. He still had a lot of pin feathers but was getting a workout. It was so great to see them almost fully grown and flapping.