Critters in Lakeland in early March

Posted on April 25, 2022 by dinajohnston

Out at Circle B Bar Reserve in early March, I was greeted by a tricolored heron and a kingfisher, both flying by.

Green herons are common along the trail but I can’t help but take more pictures of them.

I saw this great blue heron high up in a tree doing a mating dance. They look straight up and bob up and down. It looks like he, or she, was sitting on a nest already. I guess she was ready to start a family.

Here comes another one. Maybe a looking for a mate? She did not want any part of him as she screamed at him.

He flew around in a circle and still came back to land on the same tree. She chased him off so maybe that wasn’t her boyfriend.

I stopped by Lake Morton near downtown Lakeland on the way home. This male black necked swan had already started a family. I saw him walking over to the nest and his mate, a mute swan, left. He checked the eggs out and then sat on them while she went out for a walk (or to look for a snack). The black neck swan had a mate, also a black necked, for several years before she was hit by a car in early 2020. They were the only pair so now the lone male has taken a mute swan as a mate so it will be interesting to see how those babies turn out.

A blue winged teal taking a nap.

I’ve been told the gray swans here are offspring of mute swans and black swans that had paired up. There are several on the lake.

An anhinga posing for me.

The baby black swans are growing up fast. They looked so cute cuddling together.

Not an ugly duckling

Posted on June 26, 2021 by dinajohnston

The little baby swans at Lake Morton were so cute. It’s hard not to get all gushy over them. They look so fluffy.

Taken through the fence, the baby swan looked like a dream. The city of Lakeland keeps the baby swans and their parents in fenced pens until they get bigger to keep them safe.

Taking a snooze.

Black swan families

Posted on June 22, 2021 by dinajohnston

Yes, the above pictures look like similar pictures but there were two different black swan families at Lake Morton in late April. Both had triplets. One of the families had darker babies and the other family’s babies still had lighter gray heads. They were all floating around the same area near the swan pens.

Both families started to float closer together near the vegetation and a scuttle started. The parents were not happy being so close together. The darker baby family chased the lighter gray family back over to their side of the pond. I tried to get all of the action but they were to close to fit them all in and it happened so fast.

The lighter gray babies hurried over to their side and then relaxed and started to preen and take baths.

This baby looked so elegant as she started to preen and fluff her feathers.

The darker gray baby family headed out across the pond. It was fun to sit back on the grass and watch all of the swans going about their day. I’m sure it’s a tough job raising kids on this lake much less three at a time.

Lots of babies at the lake

Posted on July 21, 2020 by dinajohnston

I ran into cuteness overload at Lake Morton in mid-May with two baby swans.They were staying close to the parents. They grow up in a big fenced-in pen right on the lake so the babies have a better chance of surviving at the lake and then are let out once they are big enough to take care of themselves. Ducks, other swans, hawks, eagles, alligators and snakes are just a few of the dangers there.

Two juveniles black swans were about to be released.

Older baby wood ducks were taking a nap.

Safety in numbers. These muscovy babies were all huddled together.

Mom was watching over these babies.

“Fowl” things at Lake Morton

Posted on March 30, 2020 by dinajohnston

Beautiful wood ducks hiding under the cypress trees.

Baby black swans staying close to their parents.

White pelicans were preening and stretching.

A lone goose with a striking face and beak. There use to be a lot of geese around this lake but I only found 2 on a trip in late February.

Baby swans on a hot spring morning.

Posted on July 17, 2019 by dinajohnston

A female wood duck up above and her 4 juvenile babies hanging out on a rock.

It’s always fun to see the baby swans.

Across the street from the lake, in front of the library in Lakeland, there were still 2 swans sitting on nests. At least they had a good shady spot away from the crowds and a nice view of the lake.

Two butterflies together on the street. Where they mating? I’ve never seen this before.

Lots of babies

Posted on June 3, 2019 by dinajohnston

It’s always fun to see baby swans. Both mute swans and black swans had babies at Lake Morton in early May.

A tiny limpkin baby hiding in the reeds while mom looks for food.

Baby mallards looking for bugs.

An older baby mallard.

Pretty ducks and swans.

White pelicans were still hanging around the lake.

Pretty weeds growing along the bank of the lake.

Beautiful “ugly ducklings”

Posted on May 20, 2017 by dinajohnston

Sometimes things just work out. I was heading home after a long walk at Circle B Bar Reserve and decided to stop by Lake Morton near downtown Lakeland for a quick walk around the small lake. I was hoping to find some baby wood duck families since there have been a lot of wood duck couples hanging around the lake. I got even luckier. This was the first time I’ve seen baby swans that young swimming with the parents. The little twins were very curious pecking at everything but they stayed close to the parents. I sat down on the grass and took a ton of pictures. All of these were taken in late April with my 300mm lens and were extremely cropped.

Seven swans a swimming

Posted on June 11, 2016 by dinajohnston

They grow up so fast. Baby black swans that are teenagers at this point.

It’s nice to see more black swans around the lake.

Looks like this swan was getting restless,watching for her babies to hatch.

I took so many pictures of these little guys. They were very curious.

Most of the swans were nesting when I walked around Lake Morton in late April. Only a few babies had been born and they were already all grown up. The city has each nest roped off so people don’t get too close. The swans can be very aggressive if you come near the roped off area.

Linking to Saturday’s Critters

A little bit of cuteness.

Posted on May 23, 2015 by dinajohnston

It’s that time of the year. The moorhen babies with the big feet show up everywhere. This family with two babies that were growing up fast where hanging around the edge of the lake with white ibis, ducks and swans.

Two baby ducks that were orphans were close by. They seemed to be doing okay without any parents.

Baby mallard ducks were trying to nap under the bush.

One swan Mom was raising her babies in one of the fenced off areas. That way they are protected from predators including hawks and other mean swans.

Little critters flying around the lake.

I stopped by Lake Morton in Lakeland on my way home from another park to see if there were any baby ducks or swans. A few of both were found. Not a big baby boom going on in early May but enough to keep the cuteness going.