A new bird on a full moon

Posted on February 10, 2024 by dinajohnston

At the end of October I heard there was a new bird in town. A Wilson’s warbler had been sighted at the Largo Nature Preserve. I had never heard of this bird being anywhere in the Tampa bay area. For several days there were tons of people posting sightings of it on Ebird so I finally made it to the preserve.

I took a quick trip around the boardwalk and noticed the moon’s reflection in the water so I took a shot before it went all the way down.

I went to the spot where the Wilson’s had been sighted and saw a few birds hopping around in the brush. I noticed the above with some yellow but I realized it was a Nashville warbler which was also a great migrating bird.

I didn’t wait long for the Wilson’s to hop into sight. A new bird for me. He’s almost all yellow with a black cap on his head. He was easy to spot mixed in with the titmouse and blue gray gnatcatchers. After those few minutes of fun seeing the new bird I went for a walk around the park.

A young purple gallinule was in the pond. This was the first time I have seen one here.

It seemed late for ducks to be mating but I guess since it was still so warm that mating season is almost all year round here in central Florida.

Seeing blue with a blue jay and a blue gray gnatcatcher.

Butterflies were still around.

A cutie on the trail.

A tiny bit of fall with the red leaves coming out.

Busy month at the bird bath

Posted on January 8, 2024 by dinajohnston

We had a late baby in the backyard near the end of September. I had just gotten home and Brett says “There was a baby deer in the backyard” What??? I grabbed my camera and ran out the back door just as they were heading down the fairway. I quickly snapped the above but then I didn’t want to chase them so I headed back inside.

As we headed into early October we were just getting the usual birds in the backyard. Carolina chickadees and blue jays are always coming to the bird bath.

In the 2nd week of October I saw a catbird on the bath early in the morning. It was the first one I had seen this fall. We usually have a few hanging around the backyard in the winter.

A few minutes later I looked out the window and saw another bird on the bath with the catbird. What was that bird?????

It was a Swainson’s thrush. The first one I’ve seen in the backyard.

A little later that morning I saw 2 of them on the bath and a yellow bird was with them. What was that???

It’s a female scarlet tanager. She took a long bath.

A bluebird stopped by while she was bathing and she’s like “Why are you interrupting my bath?” The bluebird took a sip and left.

She came back the next day.

Other birds that showed up that morning was a black and white warbler (I see them often in the backyard in the winter) and a red eyed vireo.

I caught the squirrel getting a sip as well. These were all taken through the window.

A few mornings later I looked out the kitchen window and a Cooper’s hawk was on my neighbor’s garage roof.

Blooming in the front yard in October.

I took this during the peak solar eclipse back in October. I was bummed that we didn’t get to see the darkness this year. The last one we had was the summer of 2017.

A two park morning

Posted on January 1, 2024 by dinajohnston

It was mid-October and I finally found some red leaves at Chesnut Park. We had just a touch of fall here in central Florida if you look for it. Although I think this is poison oak which turns red early.

The spatterdock blooms almost all year round here.

A few of the usuals posing for me. A Carolina chickadee and a blue jay with a snack.

I caught a glimpse of a male common yellowthroat. He was hiding and didn’t want to come out and pose like the usual birds do.

I didn’t stay too long at Chesnut Park. After a quick walk I went to Folly Farms Gardens in Safety Harbor before heading home. There were lots of things blooming here.

The butterfly garden has a lot of fun artwork for the kids.

The 17 foot gnome has been finished. It looks like they used the moss from the trees for his beard and eyebrows. I can’t decide if it’s funny or creepy.

More of the same

Posted on December 11, 2023 by dinajohnston

More of the same from my walk in late September. I was heading into Chesnut Park for a quick visit and I saw a fawn walking towards the woods. I snapped the above quickly through the window before it was gone.

When I got to the area to park there were several deer hanging out in the playground. I had just parked and they started walking towards me (I was between them and some woods). They slowly walked by and headed into the woods. They were not in a hurry.

I immediately found several female American redstarts on the boardwalk. They were not shy and came down pretty low in the trees.

Some of the usual birds, a blue jay and a blue gray gnatcatcher.

You would think it was fall by this picture but I think the maple leaves were turning red due to the extreme drought. It was still so hot in late September. They were pretty though.

A squirrel eating some yummy berries.

I ran into some more deer as I was walking the trail through the woods.

It still looked and felt like summer everywhere else in the park but the trees provided some much needed shade. Most of the trails and boardwalks here are shaded which makes it a good spot to walk when it’s sunny and hot.

Most of the small docks over the lake have roofs which also keeps the heat down.

We’re heading into the middle of December and now it’s much cooler here. Even if it warms up to 80 degrees in the late afternoon the mornings are in the 60’s and it’s so nice to be out this time of year. It’s that time of the year when people are posting pictures of snow in their yard and we are just happy to be wearing long sleeves!

Late June in the backyard

Posted on October 12, 2023 by dinajohnston

The female hummingbird was still coming to visit in late June.

It’s not often a smaller bird will come to the feeder when a woodpecker is on it. This chickadee was brave.

Blue jays are regular visitors.

This was the first time I have seen a cardinal molting. This female had lost all of the feathers on her head. She was looking scruffy.

I went outside to get shots of the above downy woodpeckers. At first I thought they were a couple but after watching them for a while I realized they were parent and young. The parent was teaching the juvenile how to dig for bugs in the trees.

I took this through the window. A juvenile red bellied woodpecker was just getting his red feathers in.

We also had a pileated woodpecker stop by.

I looked out the window and saw the above swallow tail kite circling behind our house. I grabbed my camera and ran out the back door thinking he would be gone but I managed to get a few far away shots before he got lost over the woods.

Some of the usual non-flying critters in the backyard.

More baby critter rescues

Posted on September 2, 2023 by dinajohnston

At the end of June I made a transport for Raptor Center of Tampa Bay. Injured or lost baby birds were still coming in and needed to get to a rehabber in St. Pete. This one was a small load. A baby mockingbird, a sick kestrel and 2 loud baby crows made the trip. Those crows were cawing the entire ride to St. Pete.

The 4th of July was going to be a stay at home and relax kind of day but the call came out for a much needed transport. I left Brett watching sports on the couch and headed to Brandon. Those baby opossums were so cute! She was holding the smallest “runt” of the litter, checking to make sure it was warm enough to make the trip.

Nancy from Raptor Center posted this on the Facebook page with the stories of what happened to these babies.

A week later I was at Moccasin Lake Nature Park waiting to take a baby kestrel to Apopka. The Avian Reconditioning Center in Apopka is a great place for lost baby raptors to grow up and get released. They had just received another young one so the one I was taking would get a “sibling” to grow up with. While I was waiting on the kestrel I walked around for a few minutes and checked out some of the permanently injured birds that live there. The eagle was found with a bad wing injury and is not able to be fully flighted. I was surprised to see the swallow tail kite there sitting on the perch at the front of the cage. There were 2 in the exhibit as well as a Mississippi kite (which is a rare bird around here).

The baby kestrel was ready to go and I stepped in the kitchen for a minute and got to see the meals going out to all of the injured birds. Doesn’t that look yummy (don’t look closely at the bowls if you are squeamish)? I looked away from the cart and noticed an adult kestrel sitting on the desk. I’m assuming he got his breakfast first.

This tiny baby kestrel was making the 2 hour trip to Apopka. This was my first trip to the Avian Reconditioning Center. It’s a huge place with big barn size flight cages on the property. I wish I had taken some pictures but it was so hot and they were busy so I dropped of the little one and left.

Busy morning at the eagle’s nest

Posted on April 24, 2023 by dinajohnston

It was almost the end of February and I was still struggling to see the babies. The parent was just dropping off food now and the babies were eating on their own. At this point they still had some gray fuzz on their heads.

Things were still quiet at the nest. The oldest was screaming for food in the mornings before Dad dropped it off. Mom snoozed on the top of the tower when she wasn’t screaming at the opsrey for flying too close.

There are a lot of loud annoying birds nearby as I sit and wait for the baby eagles to wake up. There are a ton of mockingbirds and blue jays. The blue jays were gathering sticks for a nest.

The oleander bushes had started to bloom.

When I first got to the eagle’s nest I saw this squirrel popping in and out of this hole in the utility pole. I’m sure this hole has been used by many critters to nest I. I have also seen red bellied woodpeckers in here.

I hear this screaming behind me and turn around and see this nanday parakeet looking in the hole. I think the squirrel was still down in there but I couldn’t tell for sure. The parakeet was trying to get in there but kept backing out.

Now the parakeet was on the wire and joined by his mate. I got up off my chair and turned around thinking I might spook them away but they didn’t move. They were looking at me like “Yes, we see you but we’re not leaving”.

They stayed for a while, preening and mating several times. I guess that’s why they really want to use that hole in the pole for a nest. I’ll have to check back later to see what ended up using it.

The usual visitors

Posted on December 31, 2022 by dinajohnston

Usual critters in the backyard in late October into early November. Bambi was still hanging around the backyard. Her spots were completely gone by this time.

Another visit from the usual winter visitors. A black and white warbler, bluebird, red bellied woodpecker and a house finch.

I saw this pine warbler hopping around our patio, mostly hiding under the chair.

Another visit from an immature indigo bunting. Maybe they like my backyard. It would be nice if they would come back in April when they are all blue.

Doves don’t get a lot of attention but they do have cool pink feet. And, they always pose so nicely for me.

Visitors at the feeder include a red bellied woodpecker, bluebirds, chickadees, a downy woodpecker and blue jays.

Sitting outside staring up in the trees, looking for birds. I don’t sit out here often because the birds disappear when I go outside. Only the titmouse and chickadees will come to the feeder if I’m out there. Also the mosquitoes will attack even with bug spray on so until this recent cold spell it’s been really buggy out there.

In the yard in June

Posted on July 21, 2022 by dinajohnston

We’ve had some beautiful skies in June. This was looking across the fairway before the storm hit.

Later I was peeking out the window and caught this lightning with my phone.

Sunset across the street.

These were all blooming on my neighbor’s wall. We share a courtyard.

I was coming back from the mailbox and this bunny was in our yard. I couldn’t believe he was still there when I went in and got my camera and came back out. I’ve been seeing one every couple of days. I wonder if it’s the same one. I call him Peter.

The usual visitors in the backyard. All taken through the window.

I finally got a shot of a great crested flycatcher. I’ve been hearing them calling for months but they always stay high up in the trees. One morning I was sitting outside and had my camera with me and was able to catch him.

Baby bluebird was yelling at Mom to feed him (or her). Taken through the window, they were far out on the golf course.

Squirrels being cute in the backyard.

Things in the yard in early May

Posted on July 11, 2022 by dinajohnston

Flowers blooming in the yard in early May.

We had a bad storm one night that formed a small pond on the other side of the golf course. Early the next morning I saw a turkey hanging around the newly formed pond. I grabbed my camera and ran out before the golfers came through. These were taken with my 400mm lens and are cropped up a little but she didn’t seem to mind me standing there. She just went about her preening and strutting around.

A limpkin stopped by while I was shooting the turkey.

The usual birds were coming through the backyard in early May. I’ve been seeing the brown thrashers pretty regularly now.

The baby bluebirds were old enough to cruise around the area. They nest in my neighbor’s nest boxes (several doors down, the neighbors have been living there for years so I think the birds are use to using their boxes). This young one was sitting on the feeder pole in the rain.

Another visit from an armadillo and I always take a shot of the squirrels if they are doing something cute. This time he was just sitting back and relaxing.

The full moon from the driveway.

Dina's Wildlife Adventures

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