Around the yard in early March

On July 13, 2026July 13, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

Bluebirds were working on a nest in the nest box in early March like they have done the past few years but they haven’t actually nested in it. Next spring I’m going to move it much higher and to the other side of the tree.

A juvenile red shoulder hawk was sitting right outside the window.

I slowly opened the back door to get a shot with my camera and he flew off and landed on the cart path. He quickly ate what looked like a cricket and then took off again, flying so close that I cut him off.

I heard cedar waxwings in the trees in the front yard and ran inside to grab my camera. I saw some birds flying across the street (next to the pond) and when I walked over I realized they were brown-headed cowbirds. We don’t see them often here.

After snapping the cowbirds I heard the waxwings again. I turned around and saw them flying towards me.

They landed in a tree right over my head and stayed for a while. It was such a treat to see these beautiful birds right on my street. They only come through in the spring and some springs we don’t see them at all.

Things blooming in the yard in early March.

I bought a small basil plant thinking I would be cooking more but I forgot about it and it grew quickly and started blooming. I’ve heard that once they bloom the leaves become bitter so I haven’t used them. It smells good when I walked outside though.

Green lacewings are highly beneficial feeding heavily on aphids, mealybugs, thrips, and mites. I usually don’t see them until the middle of summer so this one was early.

Inside flowers from Valentine’s Day.

I was still spending quite a bit of time at the pond across the street watching the black bellied whistling ducks. It was fun to watch them all fly in at the end of the day.

Swallow tail kites had arrived.

The clouds in the back turn bright orange when the sun sets.

Yard critters in early February

On June 20, 2026July 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

We had a big freeze in early February for central Florida. We had 3 nights below 30 degrees. My bird bath was frozen solid. The first night it was just a thin layer of ice on top. By the 2nd night it was frozen. This was a first in our 24 years in Florida.

Our blushing philodendron looked like this a few days later. I covered all of my hanging plants and most of my smaller bushes but did not cover these. The one on the left is completely dead and rotten so we’ll pull that up eventually. The one on the right has come back and already had new leaves.

A few days later it started to warm up a little. A dove was taking a bath and then sitting on the leaves in the sun to warm up.

Yellow throated warblers only come through for a short time in the winter to feed on the suet.

Pine warblers, yellow throated warblers, catbirds and downy woodpeckers were fighting over space on the suet.

A hermit thrush stopped by for a quick drink several late afternoons in a row.

Bluebirds and robins were regular visitors to the bath.

The black bellied whistling ducks were still hanging out in the pond across the street in big numbers. I think that great blue heron was trying to take back his space.

Sometimes they were sleeping peacefully and sometimes they would have squabbles with ibis and amongst themselves. It’s been such a treat to have them across the street and hear them whistling as they come and go.

Visitors in in late January

On June 3, 2026July 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

There was another chance of seeing northern lights in late January in central Florida and of course I was out in the backyard. I didn’t see any northern lights but could see the stars.

One afternoon I was across the street at the pond looking for ducks and this anhinga popped up in front of me with a fish. She seemed proud of her catch and showed it off for a few minutes before throwing it in the air and swallowing it.

Across the pond, another anhinga was drying off in front of the blooming bottle brush tree.

A hawk flew over my head.

One morning I was on my way to the grocery store and down our street was a flock of Canadian geese. They migrate through the area but I don’t see them often. Luckily I had my camera in the car and pulled over to get the above. They were gone when I got back.

A few days later I went for a walk and when I got down to the other end of our street I saw sandhill cranes. I ran back and got my camera. One of them was trying to get a leaf off his beak.

As they passed by me I noticed one of them had a big scratch on his neck.

I was across the street and there wasn’t any car traffic but people are always walking their dogs here. I saw a couple coming with their dog and motioned for them to please go around me but no, they just walked along that side of the street and let the leash out so the dog could chase after the cranes. Off the cranes went. Up and over the trees and out of the neighborhood. Ugh!

In the backyard, a house finch was waiting for the bluebird to finish before he jumped in.

I don’t know what this squirrel was eating as he sat right in front of the window.

Around the neighborhood in early January

On May 18, 2026June 8, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals1 Comment

Another foggy morning in the front yard in early January.

The winter birds were coming to the suet feeder every day including pine warblers and yellow throated warblers.

Annoying blue jays are always around but I don’t see them take a bath often.

At some point I realized that black bellied whistling ducks were hanging around the pond across the street. I would hear them whistling in the morning or near the end of the day. The pond is shaped like a big square and there are houses on two sides (woods on the far back side and the front side runs along the street in front of our house). I think they must have been sleeping here. Some mornings they would take off and come back right before dark. Some days they were here most of the day. I was able to sneak over and hide behind a tree and get some shots of them.

They would spend the morning flying back and forth across the pond and chasing each other around. They would get water and hang out with the ibis. I rarely saw them swimming in the water (aren’t ducks suppose to swim?). Later in the month I counted over 30+ here and I took tons of pictures of them so more on them later.

An anhinga swimming by me wondering why I was hiding behind the tree.

I always keep my eye out for the gators. I’ve seen 2 in this pond.

A snapping turtle came up on the grass while I was watching the ducks.

Flowers blooming around the yard before the cold spell hit.

I saw the neighborhood coyote couple again. They were in the same spot where I saw them last summer. This time I had my camera in the car as I was leaving the neighborhood. It was early on a Sunday and there were no cars behind me so I was able to get some good shots of them as they crossed the street in front of me again.

They are such a handsome couple although I would not want to be walking by myself at night and come across them.

A foggy morning in the yard

On April 29, 2026May 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights6 Comments

I slept in a little late in early January and when I looked out the window I saw the fog. It was disappearing quickly so I ran out with my phone to get the above in the backyard. The sun was already up over the fairway but not quite over the trees.

Looking down the fairway, the fog was almost gone.

Then I ran out the front door and was walking over to the pond across the street when I noticed the sun coming through the fog and trees.

There was still enough fog along the water to cause a fogbow across the pond.

Around the yard in December

On April 15, 2026May 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography8 Comments

The squirrels were getting frisky in the backyard in mid-December. Don’t they know it’s not mating season? Actually early December is the start of their winter mating season so I may be seeing some tiny ones soon. Just what we need, more squirrels digging up the backyard.

It was good to see that the neighborhood turkeys survived Thanksgiving as they cruised through our backyard. There is almost no turkey hunting in Pinellas county due to the density and urban nature of the area and there are no public hunting areas so these turkeys are generally safe in our neighborhood with the exception of being hit by a car.

A juvenile little blue heron looking for a snack (lizard) along the sidewalk to our front door.

I hate it when the grackles come to the feeder (which isn’t often) but they are pretty.

Black bellied whistling ducks in the rain. I was standing outside with a big golf umbrella watching them as they found a little puddle to drink from.

I was adding some red lights to the back along the roof when this guy fell down. I’m glad he didn’t land on me because neighbors from many streets over would have heard me scream. I know they are out there but he caught me by surprise.

Blooming in the front yard in December.

Brett and I took the long way around the neighborhood after dinner out to see some lights. We saw a lot of deer out feeding.

This is not a great video since it took Brett a while to stop and I was filming from the moving car but the coyote couple passed by us on the sidewalk. The green eyes glowing belongs to the black coyote that almost blends in. It was really cool to see them in the dark but they kept moving fast.

Critters and blooms in late November

On April 4, 2026May 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

By mid-November the wintering birds were paying regular visits to the feeders including the pine warbler (top shot) and the palm warbler (bottom shot).

A Tufted titmouse with a snack.

Bluebirds were still coming for the dried worms and the birdbath.

Squirrels being cute in the backyard. I think that first one was eating a mushroom.

Thanksgiving weekend I put up some red lights along with the bistro lights in the backyard and a house finch was checking them out. He posed for me while I took the above through the window.

The leopard plants that we planted in the back in early July were blooming. These were the last of the blooms. The squirrels ate most of them.

The camelia bush in the front was covered with blooms.

A few poinsettia plants near the front door.

The Christmas cactus was already blooming.

Shots from the yard in early November

On February 28, 2026March 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

We had the usual visitors to the yard in early November (with one new one). The cute yellow pine warblers were visiting the suet feeder. They would line up on the oak tree and the feeder stand waiting their turn.

Bluebirds were still coming through because I had the dried mealworm feeder up for the first week in November.

Yellow throated warblers are winter visitors. They eat from the suet feeder and stop for a drink from the bird bath. They like to look for bugs under the palm fronds.

A new visitor to the backyard was a yellow bellied sapsucker. He only stayed for a few minutes. I’ve seen this type of woodpecker in the parks but not often.

A pileated woodpecker also stopped by for a few minutes.

Brett yelled “There’s an eagle in the backyard”. I jumped up and grabbed my camera. He was on the other side of the fairway so I was able to sneak outside and catch him before he took off. I thought he had caught something but he didn’t have anything in his talons when he left.

A blue jay sits in front of the window. I think he was telling me the feeder was out of bird food.

Squirrels getting frisky on the patio chairs. I took this through the window.

We had heard that the Northern lights might be visible as far south as central Florida. We went out after 10pm and this is what I caught in the neighborhood. I’m not sure if they really count at as Northern lights but the sky looked different and had a little bit of color that night. People an hour north of us got some brighter pink and purple in their shots.

Cute critters and a rainbow

On February 16, 2026March 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

In mid-October we were still getting some late day summer type storms. Right before sunset the storm left and I could see part of the rainbow from the back window so I grabbed my phone and went out the back to catch the above.

I had recently put out a suet block and the downy woodpeckers started showing up non-stop to feed.

A catbird getting a drink from the bird bath.

A house finch was waiting his turn for the feeder or the bath.

We got lots of pine warblers that come in during fall migration and hang around until early spring.

It’s funny to watch the squirrels actually playing in the backyard. They think the philodendron plants are their own playground.

My first time seeing a mole cricket and it was on the driveway.

An almost perfect snake skin that a black racer had molted on our trellis. If I collect these than maybe someday I can make snakeskin boots!?!?

Fred was still hanging around the window and had caught a wasp to eat. I almost thought he was showing it to me before he ate it.

The eagle couple in our neighborhood was adding nest material to the nest.

Dark skies from the backyard before sunset near the end of October.

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) at Image-In-Ing.

Neighborhood critters in late September

On February 7, 2026March 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

The summer rains were continuing through September. We had a constant small puddle in between our yard and the golf course. The ibis spent a lot of time taking baths in the puddles. One afternoon I slipped outside to get some shots of them that were not through the window.

The doves preferred to take their baths in the bird bath.

Another bluebird shot with a worm in his beak.

Migrating house finches were passing through and stopping by the feeder.

I was coming into the neighborhood one morning and saw a black bellied whistling duck family in the pond at the entrance. I luckily had my camera in the car and pulled over to catch the babies napping.

I sat in my car for a while watching and after a few minutes they got up and waddled over closer to the water. I thought they were going in for a swim but they took another break. This was the last time I saw them until recently and now they are all grown up.

Summer storms moving through the area. I walked out on the golf course across the street to get that last shot. The sun was just peeking out and turned the sky pink.