Critters in the yard in late July

On November 22, 2025November 6, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

I don’t like it when the crows come to the yard. They scare off the little birds and sometimes bring food they have found to soak in the bath (making it yucky). I had never noticed the blue feathers they have on their wings.

In late July we had a male ruby throated hummingbird show up for a few weeks. The females stay all summer but the males usually pass through. It’s hard to get a good shot of his red throat through the window.

Later we had a few juvenile males come through. They had just a few red spots on their throats.

The lady was sitting high up in the tree when the males came to the feeders. I took the above through the 2nd story window.

Bunny was eating our ivy one afternoon. We’re always trimming it back so we don’t mind if she has a few bites.

The black bellied whistlers made another appearance in the backyard and this time there were 3 of them.

All of the usuals paid a visit. A bluebird, a molting cardinal and a drenched blue jay.

More tiny frogs after a storm. This one was smaller than my thumb.

Around the yard in early July

On November 8, 2025October 28, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

The little hummy was still visiting the backyard in early July.

The bunny too. It’s always fun to catch him with a mouthful.

I looked out the back and saw 2 black bellied whistling ducks walking around. I’ve seen them many times on the other side of the lake across the street but this was the first time seeing them in the backyard.

They started taking a bath in the small newly formed pond that appears after a heavy storm.

One afternoon I looked out the back and saw a turkey lurking around near the bird feeder and bath. I shot this through the window. Later I didn’t see her and walked outside with my camera.

Looking around I saw her standing in between 2 trees in back of my neighbor’s. I sat down on my patio chair and watched her for a few minutes.

She plopped down and fell asleep while I was sitting there. After a while I quietly got up and went back instead. She was gone a little later after her quick nap.

A brown thrasher showed up while I was watching the turkey sleep.

Sunsets in July from the pond across the street. Note the alligator in the middle of the pond in the first shot. He’s a small one and I don’t see him often.

Around the yard in late March

On June 23, 2025July 10, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

Things blooming in the front yard in late March. The bottom one is a fire star orchid that was gifted to my neighbor from a friend who was moving. It’s a huge potted plant that is full of blooms. When she brought it home in the winter it was a pile of dead sticks. She said her friend said to trust her and wait until spring.

We had another dove couple (or it might have been the same couple from the other tree) nesting on a palm tree on the other side of our driveway. They nested much higher up and I could only get a shot of one baby when it was getting big although there were two. They grew up so fast and were gone before I could get another shot of them.

Fred spends the afternoon sleeping on the old small trellis in front of our window. He’s got distinctive ridges on his back and he never runs away when I get close to the window.

We finally got a new bird bath. The old plastic one covered in metal lasted 20 years but was falling apart in the Florida weather. The squirrels love the new one.

Birds coming to the backyard in late March included a great crested flycatcher (the first 2 shots). I think he was going to get a drink but wasn’t sure with the fountain going. Northern parulas were plentiful in the yard and I don’t know what that crow had in his beak. He might have gotten a mouthful of leaves with a caterpillar or maybe he was building a nest?

Right before dark I was going out to get the mail and I kept hearing black bellied whistling ducks calling from the pond. One day I took my camera and walked across the street and saw them sitting on the bank on the other side. For at least 2 weeks they would come in late in the day. I wondered if they were nesting nearby but I couldn’t start walking through people’s backyards looking, could I?

This is when I would hear them whistling. Right before the sun went down behind the trees across the pond.

The sun was coming up through the fog one morning as I was heading to the grocery store.

I knew the eagles in my neighborhood were sitting on eggs in the nest for a while and eventually I saw them sitting up on the edge of the tower and had been bringing in food. I was thinking maybe the babies had hatched but it would be a while before they were big enough for me to see them.

Finally, weeks later I could get a decent shot of the baby. I had seen glimpses of gray fuzz for a few weeks but now I could see the face. It looked like there was only one baby.

A week later the baby was much bigger and I could see one of the parents feeding it on the nest. I’m glad they have a baby. The Dad is a first time dad since he was only a 4th year juvenile last year when he started “dating” the Mom who had lost her mate earlier that year. You can read my post about the loss of the eagle family last March here.

Dad flies off to get more food.

One day another juvenile eagle went flying over the nest. The parent chased him away. It might have been a baby from the nest on the other side of the neighborhood. Those babies were born much earlier but it’s too far away to get pictures of that nest.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Around the yard in late September

On January 27, 2025February 5, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

It was late September and I was taking the trash bin to the end of the driveway and I heard whistling over at the pond. I ran in and grabbed by camera and went over to the pond across the street and there they were, black bellied whistling ducks. Both adults and juveniles were there (juveniles born this summer would not have pink bills yet). I snapped a bunch of pictures and then left them. They were gone later that afternoon.

A few days later I looked out the back window and saw a lone bird in the bath. At first glance I thought it was a northern parula but I decided to look closer. It was a female chestnut-sided warbler. She was really pretty with that lime green on her head but I kind of wished it was a male. They have the orange/chestnut sides. I’ve only seen him once last year at Fort Desoto and only got a blurry shot of it.

The turkeys were coming through the backyard and I caught them scratching around in the yard debris that was still piled up.

The day after Hurricane Milton came through a prairie warbler was in my tree. This is the first time I’ve had one in the yard.

A lone buck was grazing around the debris in the backyard.

Early that morning I was out front cleaning the yard and had my phone in my pocket. These 2 red shoulder hawks landed in the tree across the street and started mating.

It was a little late for nesting season so maybe they were just glad to see each other after the storm.

Right after the hawks came by a bald eagle flew high overhead.

The little froggies were still coming around and were hanging out on my Christmas cactus.

In the spring I planted a handful of sunflower seeds in a sunny spot and had tons of big sunflowers bloom. Late in the summer I planted some more hoping they would bloom for fall. This is the only one that bloomed. It survived the storm with only one petal missing.

The yard was covered with not yet ripe acorns.

Driving along the neighborhood we could see a lot of trees down. Some had pulled up sidewalks with it. Luckily none around us hit any houses or cars.

One morning I was coming back into the neighborhood from the grocery store and saw the turkeys up ahead. I pulled out my camera to get a shot but they had already started running so I started videoing them as I drove by. They were moving pretty fast. I’m not sure why they started running but they all of a sudden stopped.

The view across the street after the storm.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

A ride through the neighborhood

On September 14, 2024September 14, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography1 Comment

At the end of May I took a spin on my bike around the neighborhood. I had been seeing the swallow tail kites flying high around the golf course and as soon as I took off one came cruising over my head.

Down the street I found a pair of black bellied whistling ducks in the pond. Last year there were babies in the area so I was hoping that would happen again this summer.

There were 2 turkeys in the utility field.

I stopped at another pond and found a bunch of mallards. An alligator was sun bathing a little farther down.

I never noticed this carrotwood tree before. Maybe I hadn’t seen it blooming. I stopped because I had seen a woodpecker fly into it but when I stopped and got off my bike the woodpecker took off. I wonder if they eat the fruit. Of course it’s not native to Florida and is considered invasive. It was probably planted many years ago when the golf course was put in.

Another turkey farther down the road. This one was not skittish. I got off my bike and took the above with my phone.

Deer feeding along the cart path.

This was the last time I saw an eagle in the neighborhood. They usually leave some time in May (most of the ones in the area are now showing up for the winter season),

Spoonies and whistlers and eagles, Oh My!

On January 6, 2024December 26, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

As I was driving down my street on the way to the grocery store early one morning I saw something interesting in one of ponds near my house. A roseate spoonbill was in the pond. I slowed down and realized there was also some black bellied whistling ducks right on the bank of the pond. I was so glad I had left my camera in the car from the day before. I pulled over and got out but stayed next to the car. The groceries were going to have to wait.

The whistlers were juveniles, almost fully grown. Their beaks were not fully pink yet. I wondered if these were the babies I had seen earlier this summer farther down the street. I hadn’t seen them again since that day when they were tiny babies.

I then noticed there were more spoonbills with a few ibis thrown in.

They were all hanging out together. There was only one adult whistler with the bright pink beak. I counted 9 young ones.

I’ve never seen this many spoonbills together in the neighborhood. Usually 2-3 at the most. After snapping a ton of pictures I finally made my way to the store.

A few days later I was leaving to run errands and I saw the eagle couple from the back of the neighborhood.

I drove around to the front of the neighborhood and the other eagle couple were sitting on their nest tower. It was great to see them together and on the nest. I think they are on eggs now so if all goes well there will be babies soon.

Too early for fall migration

On November 12, 2022October 25, 2022 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

It was mid-September and I headed out for a quick walk around Roosevelt Wetlands. I didn’t expect to find too much since fall migration was still just a trickle but anything is possible this time of year. The wetlands was packed with dragonflies.

A female red-winged blackbird isn’t very exciting but she posed so nicely for me that I had to take a shot.

The same with this female anhinga, sitting high up in a tree.

I was starting to see palm warblers. That’s a sure sign winter is coming.

I was surprised to see black bellied whistling ducks here. There was an adult with three juveniles. I wonder if they grew up here or just stopped over on their way somewhere else.

“Make room for me” said the great egret to the moorhens. They scooted out of his way.

It was a quiet morning and the only sign of fall was the single palm warlber. It was still a little early for migration though.

The same ole things

On February 1, 2022January 29, 2022 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals1 Comment

The welcoming committee at the entrance to Circle B Bar Reserve wasn’t doing a very good job. They were too busy stuffing their faces. Pigs.

It was a generally quiet morning for birds in late December. A sparrow, a downy woodpecker (making that landing), an anhinga posing and the usual black bellied whistling ducks.

Across the lake anhingas were hanging out in a bald cypress tree. The tree was losing it’s leaves for the winter, although this one looks like it’s been broken off at the top.

Far across the marsh I could see a northern harrier and an eagle. After standing there on the trail for an hour hoping either would get closer, I finally gave up and headed home for lunch.

Foggy and yellow

On January 10, 2022March 16, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

I love going to Circle B Bar Reserve early in the morning when it’s foggy (as long as it burns off quickly). It makes the reserve look different than other days. You can see all of the spider webs across the marsh and it makes you realize just how many spiders there are out there.

Black bellied whistling ducks flying out across the marsh.

The bur marigolds were blooming in mid-November and the marsh was a blanket of yellow.

A few of the little critters flying around.

It was a quiet day for birds, except for some of the usuals including purple gallinules and swamp sparrows.

Early November walk

On December 28, 2021December 23, 2021 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography1 Comment

It was a beautiful morning for a walk at Circle B Bar Reserve in early November.

A pretty mushroom on the trail. I rarely see them with color.

Critters on branches include a black bellied whistling duck, a tricolored heron and an anhinga that looks like she’s going through a full moult.

The whistlers have been regulars along the trail during the winter.

I thought this juvenile night heron was sleeping but he popped his head up after a few seconds. That pattern on his wings is very cool and goes well with his bright orange eyes.

Far across the lake I could see both eagles sitting high up in a cypress tree.

I saw the crowd as I was walking down the trail and realized they were watching a tiny alligator cross the trail. He looked so tiny compared to the big ones along the trail. It was almost comical to watch him cross.