Winter birds and the moon

On December 26, 2024December 16, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

I could still see the moon when I was at Chesnut Park in late October early in the morning. Only the front part of the park was open due to the hurricanes we recently had.

It was quiet but I managed to find a few interesting birds (although nothing new). Catbirds are very common in the winter but the white eyed vireo and the male common yellowthroat are a little bit harder to find.

The grackle was singing in the sun, showing off his beautiful feathers.

The park is full of squirrels sometimes being cute.

Two weeks later the rest of the park opened and I was happy to be walking on the back boardwalk again. The trees looked a little barer and apart from the tons of fallen logs in the swamp the park looked the same. The water levels in the park were still high but it stays high coming off the rainy summer anyway.

I could still see the partial moon high over the lake.

The views around the lake were a lot clearer with the storms moving out a lot of the bushes and reeds that had grown up high along the edges.

Almost all grown up

On November 30, 2024November 18, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals2 Comments

Early in September I made a quick drive through Chesnut Park on the way home and saw the twins again. They were getting big but still had those spots on them.

I didn’t stay long and shot the above from the car.

Mom was close by checking me out.

Later in the month Hurricane Helene came through and the park was closed for several days while the rangers removed the fallen trees off the roads. They only opened the front part of the park and I stopped in the next day. I’m sure the deer and other critters liked having the park to themselves but everyone was wondering how the wildlife faired in the storm. Right when I drove in I saw a Mom and young one playing and chasing each other. I snapped the above from the car.

Then the young one stopped in front of my car and was digging around in some debris. She was almost as big as Mom and her spots were starting to fade.

The park still had a lot of trees down and the back part was closed for for several more weeks.

Many of the big oak trees here have resurrection ferns growing on them. The fern goes dormant and brown when it hasn’t rained for several days but then after a storm and lots of rain it comes back to life and turns green. You don’t really notice it when it’s dormant because it blends into the trunk and branches but when it turns green it’s pretty in the trees. I noticed all of the green since we had so much rain during the hurricane. It almost made the woods look like an enchanted forest.

Twins on a hot morning.

On November 9, 2024November 9, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals5 Comments

I had a lot of fawn sightings this summer. In late August I spent the morning at nearby Chesnut Park. I wasn’t planning to walk around with my camera since it was so hot but I had it in my car. When I first drove in I saw the above crossing the street and pulled over and got out for a minute as this Mom and her baby went by.

Then I drove around to park to start my walk and there were twins! I pulled over before the parking lot since they were grazing right along the parking spots.

Trying to get the good leaves from up high.

The twins started to head into a small clearing in the woods and I was able to get the shots above through the trees. After a few minutes they started to make their way into the deeper woods so I left to start my walk.

Cool trees along the boardwalk.

It was quiet along the lake. Not even a whiff of a breeze.

A tiny alligator next to the dock. You can see the oil slick next to him. There are lots of boats on this lake.

Walking back to my car in the shade.

As I was walking back next to the lake a few deer came running in front of me, heading to the woods.

A walk in the park

On October 28, 2024December 6, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals2 Comments

I was out for a walk at Chesnut Park in mid-August with just my phone. It was too hot to be lugging my heavy camera around and I didn’t think I would see too many birds and the baby deer were being elusive. I did have my camera in the car just in case though.

This lady was feeding along the back boardwalk.

The swampy areas were full of water due to the recent summer rains.

It was a beautiful day.

Virginia creeper growing on a dead stump.

Even though there are big flashing signs when you enter the park to “NOT feed the wildlife” I still see where people have left bird seed. They leave it for the birds but the squirrels eat most of it. Due to all of the feedings the squirrels here are very aggressive and will jump on you to see if you have food so there is a big campaign to stop it.

Trying to stay in the shade as I walk around the lake to get back to my car.

As I was leaving the park I saw a baby deer up ahead. I pulled over and grabbed my camera and took these from the car. I didn’t want to spook them into the woods.

It was a family. They fed for a while but kept an eye on me. Eventually people were walking by with dogs and the deer headed into the woods.

So many young ones in the spring.

On July 27, 2024September 1, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

I found juvenile northern parulas on the boardwalk at Chesnut Park at the end of April. These two were awkwardly bouncing around in the bushes and Mom was nearby trying to get them to follow her. It looked like she was trying to teach them to feed themselves.

I also found several female common yellowthroats.

More females. These were blackpoll warblers.

A yellow throated warbler was feeding in the moss.

More juveniles. These are either yellow rumped warblers or yellow throated warblers. I never realized how many warblers nested here. There were lots of young ones learning to fly and eat.

This guy was just too cute to pass up.

A tufted titmouse has a yummy caterpillar.

Another female, the redstart was also along the boardwalk.

Black and white warblers are common here.

A pileated woodpecker landed close by and pecked a few times before leaving.

I only saw one deer this morning.

The cypress trees look like they are dying because they are covered in moss.

Things in the woods

On July 25, 2024September 1, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography9 Comments

A usual sight at any park in central Florida. I was at Chesnut Park for a walk at the very end of April and saw the above. They are in every pond here.

This great blue heron was taking one for the team! He was having breakfast with a baby alligator only the baby was the meal. I saw the heron through the bushes along the edge of the lake. Great blue herons will eat anything including snakes, rats, rabbits and baby birds or ducks.

An osprey flies by as I’m walking near the lake.

I was walking the back boardwalk and saw the people before the owl. There were several photographers already there watching this barred owl in the swamp. The owl sat on this dead snag for a while before flying down to a lower stump near the water.

He sat here for a few minutes before hopping in the water. We were standing far away down the boardwalk not saying a word but when the owl jumped in the water we all looked over the rail.

The owl was watching us watch him take a bath. Still no one said anything but we were looking at each other like “Wow, we are watching a wild owl take a bath.” He spent about 5 minutes in the water and then hopped up to a nearby branch.

He stayed here for a while before flying off farther into the woods. All of the above were taken with my 400mm lens and cropped up.

Before leaving I walked out on the dock over the big lake hoping to see wood ducks or purple gallinules but I struck out. Then as I was leaving a swallow tail kite came cruising close to the dock. He made 2 passes and on the 2nd one it looked like he had some leaves in his talon. Maybe he grabbed a bug off a tree and got some leaves as well.

It was a beautiful morning to be out in the woods.

A two park morning

On June 8, 2024June 5, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

I hadn’t been to Chesnut Park in north Pinellas county in at least 3 months (even though it’s 10 minutes from my house). I usually see a lot of the same things in my neighborhood so I haven’t been going as much as I used to. I haven’t seen any barred owls in my neighborhood and I heard there was a pair very visible on the boardwalk at the park so I headed over early one morning. I didn’t have to look hard to find it. There was a line of people trying to get pictures of it with their phones since it was sitting so close to the boardwalk. I snapped a few shots with my camera and left. The above are cropped up.

There are purple gallinules that hang around near the dock over the big lake but most of the time they are far away. On this morning there was one feeding on spatterdock right in front of the dock. He was putting on quite a show.

Wood ducks are usually here as well but I didn’t see any around the dock until I saw the above flying across the lake.

I made a stop at the bathroom and ran into some deer.

I made a quick stop at nearby Possum Branch Preserve before going home. It was really quiet here. I could smell the pink/purple weeds all around the preserve that had just started blooming. It has many names: sweetscent, camphorweed, sourbush or saltmarsh fleabane. We just call it the smelly pink weeds.

It was void of birds with the exception of a few usuals including the great blue heron and common grackle (which is really pretty when the sun hits his feathers).

There was a big one napping along the bank of the small pond. I gave him plenty of space so this is super cropped up. But, if you are not paying attention you could be surprised walking around that corner. I had seen him from the other side of the pond so I knew his was there.

Fall was finally here.

On March 14, 2024March 4, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, flowers and plants4 Comments

We know it’s winter in central Florida when the coots show up at our ponds. It looked like they were eating the grass they pulled up from the bottom of the pond.

I was up on the observation tower at Chesnut Park when I saw this osprey in the trees across the boat canal. The spanish moss has taken over these trees.

The spatterdock was blooming under the boardwalk.

The trees around the lake were finally turning colors in late December.

The bald cypress trees and red maples were finally showing off. We do get a fall here in the Tampa Bay area, just not until some time in December. This year it was really late.

The view from the top of the tower.

A two park morning

On January 1, 2024April 15, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, flowers and plants5 Comments

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

On December 11, 2023April 13, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

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!