Chesnut Park in early January

On February 17, 2020January 31, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

All the usual birds.

There were several small alligators hanging out close to the dock. I didn’t see any big ones but I’m sure the mom was close by.

This deer was right off the boardwalk and I snapped this with my phone.

After walking around Chesnut Park in early January, I stopped by a small park along the water on the way home to see if there were any wintering ducks in the bay. No ducks to be found but this gull had found a piece of a fish in the low tide and was snacking. It was weird that there were several live conch shells on the dead fish.

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Snow in central Florida?

On February 15, 2020February 10, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photographyLeave a comment

Oh wait, I left out the part about the snow being a goose. My first snow goose sighting happened in early January on a golf course near work. I read that this is only the 3rd recorded sighting of them in Pinellas county ever so they are pretty rare around here. I had heard that they were there a few days before I could get over there. I put my camera in the car and left for work way before sunrise (a fairly common thing anyway) and stopped by the golf course before work. They had been sighted on a small pond right next to a side road and there they were. They were pretty far away across the pond but I was able to snap the above before heading to work. After work I stopped again and they were gone. They could have been some where else on the course but it was almost dark. I have recently read on Ebird that some were sighted at Myakka River State Park so I’m wondering if those are my geese.

Cold and windy at Honeymoon Island

On February 10, 2020February 11, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

A lone ring billed gull braving the wind on the beach.

A few things on the beach including a large sea sponge in the first shot. The horseshoe crab and starfish were still alive and the tide was coming in fast so they would be gone soon.

A few people were out trying to surf but there really wasn’t any big waves. For a while I watched them sit on their boards. This guy tried once but didn’t stay up long. There just wasn’t enough wind in the gulf.

I came out to Honeymoon Island to walk on the nature trail in the woods but stopped by the beach before leaving. It was drizzling on and off so there were very few people there except for the ones bobbing up and down on their surfboards. Even on a cold windy day it was fun to be out on the beach.

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A Christmas snake

On February 4, 2020February 4, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography8 Comments

Waiting for Brett’s family to come over on Christmas day, I looked out the glass sliding door and saw what I thought was a snake in the muhly grass up against the screened-in porch. My phone was close by so I ran out and snapped the above. It was just a small harmless black racer. They are good to have around because they eat any rats (our neighborhood gets fruit rats due to all of the citrus trees). Since he looked like he wasn’t going anywhere I ran inside and got my camera.

A few closeups taken with my 300mm lens.

Taken through the screen.He eventually left that morning.

A few of the plants around the yard. The bottom one is growing in my neighbor’s yard. Not sure what type of fruit that is. I think it’s a papaya.

As I’m taking pictures of the snake, an osprey cruises by.

The wolf moon in January, taken in my driveway when I got home from work.

Along the trail.

On February 3, 2020February 18, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

Color on the trail.

Crawling critters including that tiny alligator right on the trail.

Small birds along the trail. A green heron, a house wren making a face at me and then chirping and a blue headed vireo.

Having a snack.

A perfect start to a day at Circle B Bar Reserve.

A spoony in my neighborhood

On February 1, 2020January 27, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography1 Comment

Recently I was talking a walk around my neighborhood late one afternoon and saw the above spoonbill in my neighborhood pond. I think this is the first time I’ve seen one here. I snapped the above with my phone.

The next day I threw my camera in the car and sure enough, he was still there so I stopped and took a few more pictures. These were taken with my 300mm lens. He stayed for about a week before leaving for good.

The usual ducks were there. My favorite mallard couple.

In late December there was a spotted sandpiper on my neighbor’s seawall. He spent the afternoon picking bugs out of the grass.

A mallard in our backyard.

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.

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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.

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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.