Rescue transports in late April

On July 6, 2024June 29, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

In mid-April I got a call to transport some little birds to Owl’s Nest Sanctuary from the Raptor Center of Tampa Bay. These little guys were headed to someone who specializes in smaller birds so the juvenile downy woodpecker and a baby grackle got the ride.

While I was there dropping of the birds I got to go inside and see some of the baby screech owls that were growing up here. These were all orphans that had fallen out of nests and couldn’t be renested. Sometimes the nest gets destroyed in storms, sometimes people find the baby owl and dropped it off at a vet and don’t leave where they found it so the nest can’t be relocated.

Chris was moving the new baby grackle to it’s new home.

There were a lot of volunteers busy in the kitchen chopping up food for the intakes to eat during the week. It’s takes a lot of volunteers to keep these rehab centers going.

A few days later I got a call that a baby vulture had been found and the nest couldn’t be relocated. This was the first time I’ve had a baby vulture in my car. He was so cute with that brown fuzz. Nancy took this of me dropping him off wearing my old crazy bird tshirt.

The next week an ibis was found caught between 2 fences with a torn wing. I drove him from the Raptor Center to the Seabird Seabird Sanctuary on the beach.

They have a lot of exhibits with permanently injured birds. I always like to take a few minutes and walk around and check them out before heading home. I was having a moment with this white pelican who was sitting close to the fence. Most of these birds are missing a wing or eye.

I wasn’t really in a hurry to get home. I mean, look at that view. They have a deck that looks over the beach.

This was the welcoming committee when I walked in. Lots of wild birds hang out here thinking they might be able to get a handout.

The first week in May brought a lot of baby birds. I drove these little ones from the Raptor Center to Mary in south St. Pete. She rehabs baby birds. The older bird in the top shot is a baby crow. The other one is a red bellied woodpecker, maybe 2 days old. I think it’s the tiniest bird I have transported.

The one with the big mouth is a baby mockingbird and the last is a baby dove.

Sand Key Park

On August 15, 2019July 16, 2019 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

Least terns were just starting to mate on the beach at Sand Key Park in late June.

A crazed looking juvenile mockingbird was also on the beach.

On osprey was guarding the jetti with his fish.

A small storm was moving in across the beach. The tourist pirate ship started to head out into the gulf but then turned around and came back into the bay. That trip must have gotten cut short. It started to sprinkle as I walked back down the beach to my car but then the sun came out just as fast.

I think it was going to end up being a perfect day after the morning storms moved through. I had stopped by the park to see if the least terns were nesting yet. They were there but none of them were sitting on eggs yet. People were starting to come out to the beach once the sun came out. It was time for me to go home and have lunch.

SkyWatch Friday

Birds at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens

On October 22, 2018October 23, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

This young Carolina wren was hopping all over the place.

Usual birds: a sparrow, robin and baby mockingbird.

A rare bird for me, one that I don’t see in my area of Florida is the American Goldfinch. There were several in the back of the gardens eating the flowers.