Driving along Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive

On March 8, 2021March 6, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

A green heron was all alone with his reflection.

Some of the wintering ducks at the wildlife drive include a blue winged teal couple, a female northern shoveler and a grebe.

The coots seemed to be in couples all over the drive.

A glossy ibis in the bur marigolds.

Some of the smaller birds include a flicker and many blue gray gnatcatchers.

I got out of the car and was walking around watching the ducks when this kingfisher flew right by.

Shooting right into the sun, the marsh looked like it had a layer of gold on top. Those tiny black dots were coots which were all over the place. It really looked like winter on my drive in late December with all of the leaves off the trees and bushes here. The wildlife drive is just north of Orlando and is a little hike from my house so I don’t get here often. It’s been worth the drive recently since I was trying to stay off my hip due to hip bursitis at the end of last year.

The usual stuff

On February 20, 2021February 20, 2021 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

When you are driving down the road and see an eagle sitting on a pole (and your camera is in the car) you turn around and go back and get a shot. Especially since it was such a beautiful sky. This one was sitting in a short tower behind a gas station on my way to Chesnut Park one morning.

Do we wish we could hang upside down so easily?

A yellow rumped warbler hiding in the bushes.

I’ve been seeing a purple gallinule hanging around the dock lately. This one has a snack in his beak.

This little gnatcatcher was being too cute not to take some shots.

I think this may be a juvenile northern parula. He’s got just a hint of gray on his back.

I don’t see swamp sparrows often.

This gnatcatcher was trying hard to get that bug.

This should not really be happening at the park but this young girl was beside herself when the titmouse flew onto her hand. People come early in the morning and leave seed along the boardwalk rail. It’s usually titmouse, cardinals and squirrels that are eating the seeds.

Little hummers and other things

On January 11, 2021March 4, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

My second ever rufous hummingbird sighting. This one and the one before were both at Bok Tower Gardens. Rufous hummingbirds are fairly rare around this area. This is only the 2nd time of hearing about one and I was happy to have seen it even briefly. I caught him high up on a tree taking a break. When he went to feed, he would go deep in the bushes or the other side making it impossible to get feeding shots. At one point I could barely see him feeding deep in the firebush.

Ruby throated hummingbirds are pretty common. I caught this male feeding near the carillon tower.

He buzzed off and disappeared. I stood under a pine tree for a long time waiting for him to come back. At one point I looked up and he was sitting right over my head.

Birds with yellow. The top one is an easy one, a yellow throated warbler. The 2nd I think is a red eyed vireo with a bug. The last is a a female common yellowthroat.

An ovenbird and blue gray gnatcatcher.

A usual sight, a harmless black racer crosses the sidewalk in front of me.

A bee house in the garden. Used by mason or other solitary bees, they lay their eggs in the holes.

A typical January walk

On March 9, 2020March 9, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

Heading out on the trails, something flushed a flock of ibis across the marsh.

A perfect morning in January, cold and clear.

Morning glories along the trail.

The usual birds.

Crazy face hiding in the bushes.

Right over the trail, this osprey was eating fish.

A typical morning walk at Circle B Bar Reserve.

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Breakfast on the trail.

On January 13, 2020December 23, 2019 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

Everyone was eating breakfast along the trail.

Some of the birds were eating the seeds from the bitter melon (or balsom pear).

A few usuals along the trail.

A scruffy looking pine warbler trying to hide in the bushes.

A snail kite across the marsh. He had been diving down getting snails to eat but he was so far away I couldn’t get a clear shot of him moving.

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Rainbow of birds

On May 21, 2018May 22, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography8 Comments

I finally got some shots of the painted buntings that have hanging around the nature center at Circle B Bar Reserve.

A lady painted bunting was also present.

A juvenile indigo bunting was eating on the ground.

Other usual birds were the gnatcatcher and the yellow rumped warbler.

Sandhill cranes were around, digging in the dirt for bugs.

Lots of birds flying around.

Across the lake, an eagle sits in a bald cypress tree.

Just a few pretty things at Circle B Bar Reserve in mid-March.

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Cute little birds at Circle B Bar Reserve

On April 18, 2018April 18, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn bird photographyLeave a comment

Lots of cute little birds around the nature center in mid February: palm wabler, blue gray gnatcatcher, female indigo bunting and several female painted buntings.

Of the course everyone wants the shot of the male painted bunting. We knew there was at least one there but after searching over an hour, I was about to give up when this guy above stopped for a second before taking off again. I snapped this quickly before he was gone only to get a blurry shot.

Red leaves in the winter.

Linking to Wednesday Around the World.

Tiny flying things at Lettuce Lake Park

On August 22, 2016August 23, 2016 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

Prothonotary warblers nest at this park so you can usually find a few around the boardwalk.

Creepy wasp nest.

Butterflies and a dragonfly along the boardwalk.

A very young bird. I think this is a blue gray gnatcatcher. I’ve heard they nest near the nature center here.

A titmouse being cute as usual.

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A late February walk at Circle B Bar Reserve

On April 11, 2016April 12, 2016 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

Great blue herons were all over the park. Including several sitting on nests.

A green heron was stalking something.

A sparrow hiding in the bushes.

The only black bellied whistling ducks I saw. The park use to be full of them. You could hear their whistling all over the park. I’m not sure why there are only a few now.

The robins were scrounging on the ground for bugs.

A lost royal tern. He should be at the beach.

A wood stork showing off. He was actually moving his foot around on the ground to stir up the bugs, frogs or snakes to eat.

A limpkin taking a break.

I caught a blue gray gnatcatcher being still for just a second.

A red shoulder hawk up high.

A marsh rabbit on Marsh Rabbit Run trail.

A few things I saw on my walk at Circle B Bar Reserve.

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Lots of little birds and a few big ones

On February 13, 2016February 13, 2016 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

Black and white warblers are hard to get. They stay close to the trunk in the shade.

Downy woodpeckers usually let you get pretty close.

Yellow throated warblers always stay up high. This one was hiding under a palm leaf.

I’m not sure what this one is just from this picture. Looks a little light underneath to be a palm warbler but too pale to be a pine warbler (which was reported in this area).