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.
The view along the lake.
The marigold were still out in late November, washing the trail in yellow.
The usual herons along the trail.
A green heron sneaking around looking for food.
A house wren singing.
A coot getting friendly.
The yellow flowers always make the preserve look pretty in the fall.
The view from the blind.
I heard the eagle screaming along the trail and started running, looking up in the trees. I found him sitting there looking around. He stayed there for a few minutes looking all around and including right at me. He was sitting fairly low right along the trail. At one point he hopped down a few branches.
After a few minutes, he took off. Flying across the marsh. He flew by so close that I cut off his wings.
Later, at the other end of the reserve, I saw an eagle flying into the tree that has a nest that sits across the lake.I was wondering if it was my eagle, that I had just seen up close. I wondered if he was heading home.
Color along the boardwalk at Lettuce Lake Park.
This squirrel was chowing down on what looked like a nut from the cypress tree.
The usual birds at the feeder near the nature center.
Along the lake and in the swamp.
I caught this woodpecker eating my neighbor’s plant.
This little squirrel was eating something. Taken through the bedroom window.
A little blue heron on our fence.
A frog on the garage door.
Color in the backyard.
Sunsets in the back yard in October.
I went to visit the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo in early November to see one of my favorite trees. The huge silk floss tree was bursting with pink blooms. It’s weird to see all of these blooming pink flowers in November, even in central Florida. Even the birds like the tree.
Other flying critters.
A scarecrow was still guarding the pond.
There was a crew there putting up Christmas lights in the trees. It takes them so long to decorate the gardens that they start early.
It’s not easy getting close up shots of dolphins at the fishing pier. They pop up at random places and move so fast that they are gone before you can get your lens focused. If the light is bad and the water is dark, it’s hard to see them coming up. On a recent Saturday morning, the light was good and I could see them coming up fairly early. They were doing zoomies towards the pier since the bait fish were thick right under the pier. They were filling up on tiny appetizers.
A beautiful sunny morning, taken with my phone.
The usual birds were finding snacks.
I had stopped by the fishing pier at Fort Desoto before heading home to see if “Harry” the hybrid (great blue heron/great egret) was hanging around. He was still there in his usual spot but I got distracted by the dolphins and ended up leaving an hour later.
This female summer tanager did not mind me watching her while she feasted on a beautyberry bush. Or, maybe she didn’t see me. I was hiding in the bushes after all. She stayed for a few minutes filling up on berries and then took off.
A female indigo bunting was hiding in the bushes.
A female rose breasted grosbeak was eating something high up in the tree.
Female woodpeckers. A pileated and a downy.
Both males and females look the same for thrashers and green herons so these could be either.
I had heard he was there for a over a week before I made it down to Fort Desoto. I headed down to the park early one Saturday morning in late October thinking it would be a needle in the haystack story. As I drove into the park I saw several people with binoculars in a field near the boat ramp. After walking through ankle deep ant infested water (the field was flooded due to recent rains) I found the Vermilion Flycatcher. He was out in the open buzzing from tree to tree so it was pretty easy to spot that flash of red unless you weren’t paying attention and thought it was a cardinal. It was the first time I have heard of one being in the Tampa bay area so there were a lot of people coming through that morning looking for him. He’s a beautiful bird and totally worth enduring the over 50 ant bites.
Otherwise, there were just the usual migrating birds at the park. This female rose breasted grosbeak was very accommodating.
The white pelicans are back but they were across the lagoon. You can tell how much bigger they are than our resident brown pelicans.
Osprey have taken over the park. They are everywhere.
Shorebirds near the fishing pier.
TOTO is still hanging out at the park. He’s got a band on his legs with TOTO. I’ve been taking pictures of him for over 8 years. He’s always there with his girlfriend.
There were a few migrating birds at Chesnut Park in late October. I saw a lot of black and white warblers.
White eyed vireos hang around all winter.
A lone pine warbler was busy feeding in the moss.
A female magnolia warbler is not very common here.