So many spots

On November 29, 2025November 14, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals3 Comments

At the end of August I made another late afternoon drive through at Chesnut Park, hoping to see more of those cute spots. There were a lot of deer along the back wooded line of the ball field including the guy above.

Then I saw 4 fawns playing together at the farthest end of the field. I think this was a big year for baby deer.

After a few minutes they all headed into the woods so I continued my drive through the park.

At the other end of the park I found a Mom and baby.

I sat in my car and watched them feed on a beauty berry bush.

Then I found 2 more at the far corner of the park. These two were also playing and then one crossed in front of my car.

This lady was alone and I waited for her to cross the bridge and go onto the trail before passing by as I headed home. This was a fun afternoon.

This never gets old.

On November 15, 2025October 31, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals3 Comments

I was making many trips to Chesnut Park in late August. There isn’t much else to get excited about since it’s so hot here and birds are scarce. The fawns here are such a treat to see and they grow up so fast. I stopped in late one afternoon and the park was almost deserted (way too hot and I drove through instead of walking) so the deer were out along the street through the park.

This little one was old enough now to hang out with the whole herd including a buck.

After leaving the park I drove through a nearby neighborhood and saw this couple feeding in someone’s yard. For some reason the deer sightings in my neighborhood have been very scarce and this is the first summer in 4 years I haven’t seen any babies in our neighborhood.

These two ladies were taking a break.

A hot summer walk in the park

On November 1, 2025October 31, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals1 Comment

Another early morning walk at Chesnut Park in early August to look for baby deer.

I didn’t see any out on the ball field but when I drove to the back to park my car I came across this family right in front of my parking spot.

I saw this cutie once I got on the boardwalk. I had heard people were feeding the baby raccoons earlier this summer and now it’s evident with this guy walking up to the boardwalk to see if I have a snack for him instead of scurrying away. There are signs all over the park to not feed the wildlife and people are keeping an eye out for anyone that does.

I got a quick peek at a baby that gave me a parting glance as she followed Mom deeper in the woods.

Only the usual year-round birds are here in the summer including little tufted titmouse. They also come up close to see if you have some seed for them.

The water on the lake was still and quiet.

While on the dock an osprey flew by with a half eaten fish being chased by a red shoulder hawk.

A tiny critter taking a break in the shade.

Color along the boardwalk. I think the bottom shot is poison oak.

More fawns in the park.

On October 25, 2025October 24, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals4 Comments

I was back at Chesnut Park in early August hoping to see more baby deer. This time of year there isn’t much in the parks except mosquitoes and deer flies so it’s a good reason to load up on bug spray and get out for a walk. I got there early and first stopped at the baseball field. Across the field I could see some adults including one male.

Close to the woods I saw a Mom and her baby. They were looking at something from the other direction of the woods.

Here comes another Mom and baby. They seemed to know each other and greeted each other with sniffs.

All of a sudden many adults appeared from the woods and started to feed and ignored the babies.

The babies were playing and chasing each other. It was such a treat to sit on the sidelines and watch them having fun together across the field. I had my 400mm lens and these are all cropped up.

This lopsided young guy walked right up to me and I kept backing up. I’m sure someone is feeding them which is highly discouraged and there are signs saying it is illegal to do so.

I walked over to the other side of the ball field and could see another baby near the maintenance area.

This handsome guy stopped to glance at me for a few minutes in between eating. More people were starting to show up and the deer started to make their way into the woods so I left to walk the back boardwalk.

This Bambi has a Mom

On October 11, 2025October 11, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals3 Comments

In mid-July I was up early and out at Chesnut Park hoping to see some little fawns. It’s best to get there well before 8am because the deer start disappearing into the woods when all of the walkers and joggers show up. It was 7:30 and I was not expecting to see any but as soon as I drove into the park there was a family in front of the baseball field.

I pulled into a parking spot and got out with my camera and hid behind a tree. The baby was staying close to Mom.

There were several does with the Mom and baby and they were busy feeding.

Oh! I think baby saw me. Eventually as more people showed up at the park the family heading into the woods behind the ball field. I left to walk the boardwalks.

A quick walk on the trail and I didn’t see too many birds.

On the back boardwalk I saw a young buck and a doe walking along side of the boardwalk. The buck looked at me funny and I realized they were looking for a place to duck under the boardwalk to get to the other side. I think it was right under where I was standing. I moved down and they went under and disappeared deep into the woods.

Saturday's Critters

Seeing spots

On December 28, 2024December 18, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals3 Comments

In mid-August I was leaving the house and took the long way out of the neighborhood. I had my camera in the car and was thinking I wouldn’t see much like most mornings. But this morning I got lucky and saw a baby deer with his Mom down the street. He was running, trying to keep up with Mom, and then stopped just before entering the next street over.

I pulled over and watched for a few minutes as the baby was watching the Mom.

I think Mom saw me and I was expecting her to bolt but I stayed in the car and she continued to graze.

It looked like she was cleaning up the baby’s legs.

What a cutie!

A few days later I slowed down at the same spot and there again was a baby and Mom. At first I thought it was the same one I had seen earlier but after studying the spots I realized it was a different baby. It was also a little taller. Just as I pulled over the baby started nursing.

There were two does along with a buck.

They hung around the pond for a few minutes before a landscaping truck pulled up and scared them into the woods. This was the last time I saw any babies in the neighborhood.

Almost all grown up

On November 30, 2024November 18, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals2 Comments

Early in September I made a quick drive through Chesnut Park on the way home and saw the twins again. They were getting big but still had those spots on them.

I didn’t stay long and shot the above from the car.

Mom was close by checking me out.

Later in the month Hurricane Helene came through and the park was closed for several days while the rangers removed the fallen trees off the roads. They only opened the front part of the park and I stopped in the next day. I’m sure the deer and other critters liked having the park to themselves but everyone was wondering how the wildlife faired in the storm. Right when I drove in I saw a Mom and young one playing and chasing each other. I snapped the above from the car.

Then the young one stopped in front of my car and was digging around in some debris. She was almost as big as Mom and her spots were starting to fade.

The park still had a lot of trees down and the back part was closed for for several more weeks.

Many of the big oak trees here have resurrection ferns growing on them. The fern goes dormant and brown when it hasn’t rained for several days but then after a storm and lots of rain it comes back to life and turns green. You don’t really notice it when it’s dormant because it blends into the trunk and branches but when it turns green it’s pretty in the trees. I noticed all of the green since we had so much rain during the hurricane. It almost made the woods look like an enchanted forest.

“Oh deer, don’t come any closer”

On November 16, 2024December 30, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals2 Comments

This lady was already molting at the end of July. They shed their fur twice a year, in spring and fall. Maybe she was just shedding from spring? I took this through the back window.

A little blue heron came walking by the back window.

I wasn’t getting a lot of birds in the backyard in late July. Mostly the usuals including blue jays (above), cardinals, titmouse and chickadees. With all of the rain we had been getting they weren’t coming to bath as much but this blue jay couldn’t pass up a good clean bath.

Fungus growing on fallen branches and in the hanging baskets. They dry up pretty fast once the sun comes out for the afternoon.

I took the above with my phone through the back door. It had just stopped pouring and the squirrel had found the few sunflower seeds that had fallen out when I brought the bird feeder in before the storm.

I kept my camera in the car hoping I would see some baby deer as I was going in and out of the neighborhood. One morning I saw a young buck on the way out and quickly pulled over and snapped the above.

The next morning I was leaving much earlier and took the long way out of the neighborhood. I saw a fawn and Mom heading into the woods. I was able to catch them leaving and the baby stopped for a few seconds and looked back at me. I wonder if the people in the nearby homes feed them.

A few days later I stopped at the utility field on my way out and saw the above. I wasn’t in a hurry and parked the car and got out. I was across the street and trying to hide behind a big bottlebrush tree but they knew I was there. I don’t often see the males in the neighborhood and it was cool to see two big racks together 😉.

They spent a few minutes feeding along the sidewalk on their side of the street.

All of a sudden this guy crosses the street and starts walking right towards me. I walked back to my car in the grass and away from them. I was not going to test his friendly manner and let him get any closer.

He walked around the tree I had been standing behind and looked at me as if to say “This is my tree.”. I took these from behind my car. They both eventually headed towards the nearby woods.

Summer sky in the front yard.

Twins on a hot morning.

On November 9, 2024November 9, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals5 Comments

I had a lot of fawn sightings this summer. In late August I spent the morning at nearby Chesnut Park. I wasn’t planning to walk around with my camera since it was so hot but I had it in my car. When I first drove in I saw the above crossing the street and pulled over and got out for a minute as this Mom and her baby went by.

Then I drove around to park to start my walk and there were twins! I pulled over before the parking lot since they were grazing right along the parking spots.

Trying to get the good leaves from up high.

The twins started to head into a small clearing in the woods and I was able to get the shots above through the trees. After a few minutes they started to make their way into the deeper woods so I left to start my walk.

Cool trees along the boardwalk.

It was quiet along the lake. Not even a whiff of a breeze.

A tiny alligator next to the dock. You can see the oil slick next to him. There are lots of boats on this lake.

Walking back to my car in the shade.

As I was walking back next to the lake a few deer came running in front of me, heading to the woods.

A walk in the park

On October 28, 2024December 6, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals2 Comments

I was out for a walk at Chesnut Park in mid-August with just my phone. It was too hot to be lugging my heavy camera around and I didn’t think I would see too many birds and the baby deer were being elusive. I did have my camera in the car just in case though.

This lady was feeding along the back boardwalk.

The swampy areas were full of water due to the recent summer rains.

It was a beautiful day.

Virginia creeper growing on a dead stump.

Even though there are big flashing signs when you enter the park to “NOT feed the wildlife” I still see where people have left bird seed. They leave it for the birds but the squirrels eat most of it. Due to all of the feedings the squirrels here are very aggressive and will jump on you to see if you have food so there is a big campaign to stop it.

Trying to stay in the shade as I walk around the lake to get back to my car.

As I was leaving the park I saw a baby deer up ahead. I pulled over and grabbed my camera and took these from the car. I didn’t want to spook them into the woods.