Heading in the other direction.

On January 30, 2020January 9, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights2 Comments

My sisters and I took the Cross Bay ferry from St. Pete to Tampa over Thanksgiving weekend one afternoon. When we got to the Tampa side we had a few minutes to walk around before heading back to St. Pete. You can take a later ferry but we took the next ferry back since we had plans later that day and well, we’ve spent a lot of time here before. I snapped the above before getting back on.

Passing back by the big boats as we were leaving.

The view from the upper deck including the selfie with my phone.

Lots of boats were following us out of the channel since it was a beautiful day. It looks like there was a sailboat class in the bottom picture. Lots of tiny white sailboats to the left of the yacht basin.

Bye bye Tampa (at least for a couple of hours).

More from MOTE Aquarium

On January 28, 2020January 28, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals, zoo animals1 Comment

It’s not often you get this close to a shark. Above are some of the bigger things under water at MOTE Aquarium in Sarasota.

The Aquarium rehabilitates and houses permanently injured turtles, manatees and dolphins. The turtle above was missing an eye.

We don’t have crocodiles in the Tampa Bay area, at least not yet. They can be found in areas much farther south including the Everglades. I’ve never seen one out in wild. They look very comical, almost like a cartoon.

Pretty flowers in the water at aquarium.

Birds and manatees at the zoo

On January 27, 2020January 28, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

A mallard was stealing food from the primates.

I love seeing the marabou storks.

A wild egret high up in a tree.

One of the resident eagles who’s missing a wing sits high up in a tree as well. He hops along the big oak tree until he can see over the exhibit.

The lorikeets were flirting.

Beautiful faces in the aviaries.

The manatees were eating close to the glass. It was fun watching them up close but it’s sad that there are so many here right now rehabilitating in the manatee hospital Most of these guys will be released once they are well enough. Many are here due to boat strikes or getting sick from the cold water or red tide.

image-in-ing: weekly photo linkup Our World Tuesday Graphic

It’s starting to look like fall in mid- December.

On January 25, 2020January 9, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photographyLeave a comment

The usual birds at Chesnut Park in mid-December.

A sleepy alligator.

Color from across the lake. It finally looks like fall as the cypress trees start to turn.

The sun peaking through along the trail. These were taken with my phone.

It’s not often I see two pileated woodpeckers on the same tree. I took this with my phone since I couldn’t fit both of them in with my 300mm lens and I couldn’t back up into the swamp.

image-in-ing: weekly photo linkup Our World Tuesday Graphic

One last look at Boston

On January 23, 2020December 30, 2019 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation2 Comments

Boston in the rear view mirror (or should I say from my window seat).

The sky from my window seat including a ring around the sun.

Almost home to Tampa. I could see south Tampa and the Davis Islands yacht basin.

Right before landing we flew over south Tampa.

SkyWatch Friday

Clearwater marina

On January 20, 2020January 20, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights5 Comments

Over Thanksgiving weekend I was being a tourist in my own town. It was easy to do since I actually had tourists with me. When my sisters were visiting we decided to take a dolphin tour out of Clearwater marina. Brett and I don’t get over to this beach area often since it’s usually busy and things like work get in the way so it was fun to walk around the marina on a cool sunny morning.

There’s a no wake zone coming out of the marina area so we went really slow until we got out into the open intercoastal water. I was snapping pictures along the way. We did finally see dolphins. More on that later.

On the way home we stopped by the Safety Harbor fishing pier and a manatee was cruising under the pier. I was able to snap the above with my phone as he went by.

Hoodies in my hood.

On January 18, 2020December 23, 2019 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography1 Comment

I ran into Blondie on my walk around the neighborhood pond.

Later I came back with my camera (really to shoot the hoodies below and she just happen to be there).

It’s not often I see hooded mergansers in my own duck pond. Usually we just have mallards and muscovy ducks. I was heading home one Saturday afternoon and saw the big white circle on his head out of the corner of my eye and turned around. Luckily I had my camera in the car and was able to hide behind a tree for a few minutes when they swam by. They are very skittish.

The tricolored heron standing near the old fountain (that’s never turned on anymore) was looking at me like I was crazy.

Crossing Tampa Bay

On January 16, 2020January 15, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights4 Comments

It’s funny that we took 3 ferry rides while we were in Boston but have never taken the ferry across Tampa bay. It’s hard to do fun tourist things when you are working and on a schedule. When my sisters came to visit we booked the ferry from St. Pete to Tampa. It’s a little less than an hour each way. It was fun hanging out and being a tourist. As we headed to Tampa we got close to the TECO electric plant. It was so nice out that there were a lot of boats on the water.

In the middle of the bay you could see Tampa.

Passing by the ports and Davis Islands yacht basin.

We were close to the big boats at the port.

Heading into the channel. I took a ton of pictures on the trip so more to come.

SkyWatch Friday

Breakfast on the trail.

On January 13, 2020December 23, 2019 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

Everyone was eating breakfast along the trail.

Some of the birds were eating the seeds from the bitter melon (or balsom pear).

A few usuals along the trail.

A scruffy looking pine warbler trying to hide in the bushes.

A snail kite across the marsh. He had been diving down getting snails to eat but he was so far away I couldn’t get a clear shot of him moving.

image-in-ing: weekly photo linkup

Our World Tuesday Graphic

Back on Alligator Alley

On January 9, 2020December 13, 2019 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

Things along the trail including a snack left behind by some bird.

A great blue heron strutting along.

Alligator Alley trail was finally opened after being closed for 2 years. When Hurricane Irma came through in 2017, part of the trail was washed out. The county finally rebuilt the trail and it was great to walk down it after all that time.