Yard critters in early February

On June 20, 2026June 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

We had a big freeze in early February for central Florida. We had 3 nights below 30 degrees. My bird bath was frozen solid. The first night it was just a thin layer of ice on top. By the 2nd night it was frozen. This was a first in our 24 years in Florida.

Our blushing philodendron looked like this a few days later. I covered all of my hanging plants and most of my smaller bushes but did not cover these. The one on the left is completely dead and rotten so we’ll pull that up eventually. The one on the right has come back and already had new leaves.

A few days later it started to warm up a little. A dove was taking a bath and then sitting on the leaves in the sun to warm up.

Yellow throated warblers only come through for a short time in the winter to feed on the suet.

Pine warblers, yellow throated warblers, catbirds and downy woodpeckers were fighting over space on the suet.

A hermit thrush stopped by for a quick drink several late afternoons in a row.

Bluebirds and robins were regular visitors to the bath.

The black bellied whistling ducks were still hanging out in the pond across the street in big numbers. I think that great blue heron was trying to take back his space.

Sometimes they were sleeping peacefully and sometimes they would have squabbles with ibis and amongst themselves. It’s been such a treat to have them across the street and hear them whistling as they come and go.

Birds along the causeway

On June 17, 2026June 1, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

I was out for a walk on the Dunedin causeway in late February.

It was clear and cool when I first started walking but the clouds started to move in.

When I got back to my car I pulled my camera out to get some shots of the shorebirds along the rocky side of the causeway. The same ole bird where there including the sanderling and ruddy turnstones with those bright orange legs.

I noticed an oystercatcher couple a little farther down the causeway. They were spread out and were busy feeding.

They were pulling up something gunky. Shrimp? Sand fleas? Slugs?

I watched them for a while and they started making their way down the causeway.

A little blue heron was creeping along the water.

A cold foggy walk on the waterfront

On June 15, 2026June 15, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights1 Comment

I was out for a wet foggy walk at the Safety Harbor waterfront in late February. It had stopped raining before daylight but the boardwalk was still full of puddles.

I couldn’t see very far out in the bay and I certainly couldn’t see Tampa across the bay. It was a kind of spooky and I passed very few people, only the diehard joggers.

The grass in the park didn’t look well after the freeze but it came back by spring.

I stopped at nearby Philippe Park to walk the stairs to the top of the Indian mound.

If was foggy looking south in the bay but the sun was trying to peek out when I was leaving.

When you walk along the sea wall you can look up and see the top of the mound. This park is named after Odet Philippe, who is credited with introducing grapefruit to Florida. Grapefruit was grown in this park in the late 1800’s. The mound was built by Tocobaga Indians in the late 1500’s. There are several mounds in the area but this one is the largest one remaining.

Other fowl on the lake

On June 13, 2026June 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

While I was at Crescent Lake Park watching the white pelicans I couldn’t ignore the other ducks in the lake. There were a lot of lesser scaup on the lake. They are also snow birds and only spend the winter here.

This guy had a snack in his beak. I don’t know if they swallow these clams shells whole? The sun really brings out the purple in the male scaup’s head.

This cormorant kept diving for fish but he kept coming up with sticks.

Two great egrets were near the bank. One still had his green breeding feathers around his beak.

A muscovy duck showing off for me.

I thought this osprey had a fish in his talons but it looks like a some vegetation.

Blooming in the fog

On June 10, 2026May 25, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

It was another foggy morning in late February as I parked under this beautiful blooming tree near Crescent Lake Park. I was making a quick stop to see the white pelicans again and had to take some pictures of this before leaving.

This red silk cotton tree was on an empty lot across from the lake. They were building a new house on the lot and I was glad they didn’t cut down this tree.

After my quick stop at Crescent Lake Park I headed over to the waterfront at the St. Pete pier for a walk. There is a pier somewhere in that fog.

The sun was trying to peek through and I thought the fog would lift but it kept getting heavier as I walked past the marina and headed to the beach area.

Even though it was cold it still felt like I was walking through a shower.

I stopped to take a foggy picture of the 4 tall trees on the beach.

A cold morning bike ride

On June 8, 2026May 30, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

Beautiful skies hovered over dead vegetation in cow pastures in mid-February. I went for a bike ride along the northern end of the Pinellas Trail that runs through cow pastures.

This is the deadest I have seen the fields here. This was a week after our big freeze where we had 3 nights in a row below 30 degrees here in central Florida. This is the first time it’s happened in the 24 years we’ve been living here. I’m thinking most of it will come back by the end of summer.

The invasive brazilian peppertrees were full of berries. The cardinals, blue jays, robins and cedar waxwings will eat these.

Another invasive plant, the toxic rosarypea vine was also popping with seeds so there was a lot of bright red along the trail.

Savannah sparrows were along the trail.

I wasn’t expecting to see pretty blue flowers on this trail on this cold morning. I don’t remember seeing this here before. It was on the other side of the fence. Native skyblue lupine blooms here in the winter.

I could barely make out two young eagle heads on the nest. Mom was sitting higher up on the left.

Wood storks along the trail.

I usually see meadowlarks near the eagle’s nest.

A horse was out in the pasture and it looked like he was eating spanish moss that he must have pulled out of the tree.

He had a tiny friend out with him.

I passed a gopher tortoise right before getting back to my car. He was out of his hole and must have been trying to stay warm in the sun.

Big floating marshmallows in the lake

On June 6, 2026May 22, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

When I got to Crescent Lake Park in mid-February it looked like giant marshmallows floating around. I had been here several times this winter but only a few were there. White pelicans are one of the original snow birds. They spend a few months in central Florida before heading back to spend the summer in Canada. If they aren’t here floating in this lake near downtown St. Pete, then they are somewhere on the bay (somewhere in the neighborhood channels north of the St. Pete pier).

There was a small fleet of them floating in front of me as I sat down on a bench.

As they dispersed I started looking around the lake and realized there were hundreds of them all around the lake. Most of them were in small pods in all of the corners of the lake.

These were resting and preening on a spit of grass.

These guys were feeding in the shade along a bumper (keeps the garbage out of the pipes)

This guy had caught a big fish in his pouch and his friends started ganging up on him to steal the fish. He eventually swallowed it.

This fleet was having a squabble over something before going back to feeding.

Occasionally some would take flight. Some would fly to the other side of the lake and some went up high and headed toward the bay.

These floating marshmallows are special to this lake. They spend a short time going back and forth between the bay and here. It’s a treat to catch a lot of them on the lake and watch them feeding and going about their day. People walking their dogs or jogging stop to watch them. There were several other photographers nearby watching them as well and we all chatted about how cool they were and what they were doing. I went back the next week so more on these guys later.

Visitors in in late January

On June 3, 2026June 3, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

There was another chance of seeing northern lights in late January in central Florida and of course I was out in the backyard. I didn’t see any northern lights but could see the stars.

One afternoon I was across the street at the pond looking for ducks and this anhinga popped up in front of me with a fish. She seemed proud of her catch and showed it off for a few minutes before throwing it in the air and swallowing it.

Across the pond, another anhinga was drying off in front of the blooming bottle brush tree.

A hawk flew over my head.

One morning I was on my way to the grocery store and down our street was a flock of Canadian geese. They migrate through the area but I don’t see them often. Luckily I had my camera in the car and pulled over to get the above. They were gone when I got back.

A few days later I went for a walk and when I got down to the other end of our street I saw sandhill cranes. I ran back and got my camera. One of them was trying to get a leaf off his beak.

As they passed by me I noticed one of them had a big scratch on his neck.

I was across the street and there wasn’t any car traffic but people are always walking their dogs here. I saw a couple coming with their dog and motioned for them to please go around me but no, they just walked along that side of the street and let the leash out so the dog could chase after the cranes. Off the cranes went. Up and over the trees and out of the neighborhood. Ugh!

In the backyard, a house finch was waiting for the bluebird to finish before he jumped in.

I don’t know what this squirrel was eating as he sat right in front of the window.

Camellias blooming in January

On June 1, 2026June 5, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn flowers and plants, Vacation2 Comments

While Brett and I were in Orlando for a long weekend to visit with friends we went for a quick walk at Mead Gardens. We had not been before and the first thing we noticed was all of the camellia bushes were blooming. There were a lot of them around the nature center.

There were so many new buds coming out.

The parking areas were pretty full and we realized there was a camellia flower show and contest going on inside. There were so many beautiful colors and patterns. How could you judge them? You would really have to have an eye for details in them. I wouldn’t be able to pick a winner. They would all be winners.

There were a few rose bushes as well.

We spent an hour walking the trails and looking for critters which were scarce. It was chilly this morning. On the trails it felt more like a park than actual gardens but it was still beautiful.

I did see several gopher tortoises along the trail. I was able to zoom in with my phone and catch the above while hiding behind a bush.

Watching floating potatoes go by

On May 30, 2026June 8, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals4 Comments

I was back out at the Manatee Viewing Center in February, a week after I had visited with my sister. I had a friend who had never been so we headed over while it was still cold and the canal had tons of manatees keeping warm from the warm water coming off the electric plant. We went straight out to the 2nd dock and there were tons of them in front of the dock. It was also busy with people for a weekday.

So many of them huddled in the warm water.