A hot quiet walk at Roosevelt Wetlands

On September 3, 2025October 15, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

In early May I made my last trip out to the Roosevelt Wetlands for the summer. There is no shade here and not many critters during the dead of summer. I was standing near the parking area and could see across the lake to the waste plant mountain. All of a sudden tons of birds took off across the open mound. I’m not sure what scared them, mostly gulls and terns. There’s a lot of hawks in the area and I think most of the eagles are gone for the summer.

Cattails along the trail.

After staring into the reeds for a while I saw a bittern’s head pop up. He stayed hidden after he saw me.

Little critters along the trail.

A bunny hops across the trail, trying to hide fast before I pass him.

Color along the trail in the form of tickseed.

I saw a purple gallinule heading into the reeds and noticed a baby was right behind her. I was able to get a quick shot before the baby disappeared.

A female grackle posing. When I cropped this up I noticed the ladybug on the bottom right.

Standing near the waste plant, looking across the lake to the parking area. It’s a long walk back when it gets hot and the wind blows from the waste plant area.

A little blue heron flies by.

The northern harriers and winter ducks have all gone north for the summer. There was no sign of baby black necked stilts which is the highlight of late spring. Critter traffic comes to a halt through August so I took a long break from visiting.

Busy birds at Circle B Bar Reserve

On February 20, 2017February 21, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

Seen out in the marsh: black crowned night heron, pied grebe, American bittern, glossy ibis and an anhinga.

Saw the above Carolina wren hiding in a bush.

A great egret playing with his meal.

I saw this hawk on a branch right over the trail. I realized he was eating something. I think it was a praying mantis.

Lots of birds on the trails at Circle B Bar Reserve in early January.

Our World Tuesday Graphic image-in-ing

The bittern and the frog

On April 2, 2014March 26, 2014 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

Look, there’s an American bittern hiding in the reeds out in the marsh.

Right behind him was the Wilson’s snipe.

The bittern disappeared down into the reeds for a few minutes. Everyone thought he was going to nap. Then he pops up with a frog in his mouth.

Wow, that’s a big frog. All you could hear was a thousand clicks going off from everyone taking pictures.

He was trying to turn the frog around. I guess he couldn’t swallow it feet first.

Frog legs for lunch.

“Taste like chicken.”

This was the view from where I stood with my 300mm lens on the trail. All of the other shots were extremely cropped.

I wondered if it was stuck in his throat. He sat there for a few minutes with the frog legs hanging out of his beak.

Big gulp!

All done. We must have stood there for about 10 minutes waiting for him to swallow it.

It sounds like a children’s book, The Bittern and the Frog. I guess that frog wasn’t a prince. Not a happy ending for him. I was walking the trails at Circle B Bar Reserve and stopped to talk to some other photogs that were standing there watching a sora rail. A few minutes later someone spotted the bittern out in the marsh. We all stood there for a while thinking nothing was going to happen. Everyone got excited when he popped up with the frog. It’s not often we get to see bitterns in central Florida, especially one with a big frog hanging from his beak. After he swallowed the frog I continued my walk. Still more birds to find.

Typical and not so typical at Circle B Bar Reserve

On February 10, 2014February 11, 2014 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography13 Comments

Typical green heron. He was not paying attention to me.

Not so typical american bittern. They only visit in the winter and are usually really hard to find. Several other people were watching this one already.