The deer where feeding at my usual parking spot.
The squirrels being their usual cute self.
The usual birds hanging around the boardwalks.
A usual big fat gator on the bank of the pond. He was well camouflaged at first.
The usual wintering belted kingfisher up in a tree.
A quiet morning at Chesnut Park.
I’m thinking this is a pine warbler. Fairly common but confusing. Looks like a lot of other female yellow birds.
A very common but pretty white-eyed vireo.
I think this is an immature pine warbler in the 2 above.
Blue headed vireos are becoming common this time of year.
This little chickadee was being too cute. He came down close to the boardwalk looking to see if I had a handout. All of the above were taken at Chesnut Park on a Saturday morning in early January. Someone had left seed on the boardwalk before I had gotten there and the birds were very active.
On the way home I stopped by another park to see if the owls were nesting again this year. She was up in the nest still on eggs, taking a nap. This couple gets a little later start than most owls in the area.
Linking to My Corner of the World.
I was standing on the edge of the lake at Chesnut Park looking around for ducks when an eagle started circling around me. It landed high in the cypress trees along the lake.
Not a great view but I could still see it through the branches. A juvenile eagle flew by and the adult eagle started screaming.
The young eagle landed in the tree right in front of me, several trees away from where the adult eagle was sitting.
A few minutes later another adult eagle landed into the tree and in a quick moment, mated. I was bummed that I couldn’t get a clear view with so many branches in the way. I would have had to go swimming in the lake to get a better view and there’s a lot of gators in that lake. A few minutes later all of the eagles took off in the other direction and I was standing there like “What just happened?” I’m not sure where they nest at this lake but I had heard over the years that it’s not in a visible location.
Lots of different birds at Chesnut Park in early January but nothing new.
Bigger birds flying overhead.
I was trying to get some shots of the deer on the baseball field, She looked at me for a second and then took off to join her friends who were heading into the woods. Oh wait, that’s why they call them “white-tailed deer”.
Someone was feeding the wildlife peanuts from their car in the parking lot at Chesnut Park recently. Several titmouse came down to the ground to get the peanuts. They were all able to get that big load up in the tree to snack on.
Squirrels were taking off with the loot as well.
One titmouse was showing off his prize up in the tree.
Linking to My Corner of the World.
I saw a hawk sitting on the pole holding up the volleyball net. A few minutes later it started to rain. I ducked under cover but he just sat there through the quick shower.
All of the usual birds were at Chesnut Park in early November, including the female common yellowthroat warbler.
Two different female American redstarts came out of hiding for a few seconds.
I think this is a female painted bunting, which is fairly rare to see at this park.
Other critters at the park including that alligator in the top picture with a huge fish hanging out of his mouth.
I spent a few minutes with another deer family in early September at Chesnut Park. I saw them crossing the street while driving into the park, then saw them again on the back trail.
Later, I caught this young buck by the swings. It was a quiet morning, otherwise they would all be hiding in the woods.
Linking to Wednesday Around the World.
Someone had been to the boardwalk before me this morning and left food for the little birds but it was the squirrels who were having a feast.
The deer were grazing along the drive when I got there.
The bunnies were feasting as well.
Looks like the cardinals were also pigging out.
There are signs that say “Do not feed the wildlife” but someone puts out seed early in the morning on the weekends. I get to the park by 8am so someone must be there right as the sun is coming up. I wouldn’t be telling on anyone even if I did see them.
Plants and critters at Chesnut Park and Possum Brand Preserve.
Not many birds around in early August. It was so hot I wasn’t getting out much for a few weeks. A 2 hour walk early on Saturday mornings was all I could handle in the heat and humidity before heading home for a nap.
I left work while it was still raining in early August hoping Chesnut Park would be empty of people due to the weather. That’s when the baby deer come out from hiding in the woods. Early on Saturday mornings when I’m usually there, the park is filled with joggers, walkers and dogs so the deer stay deep in the woods. It was still drizzling when I first got there. I quickly saw 2 hawks that were soaked.
I spotted a fawn staying close to the family.
Not sure if this was Dad or a big brother. It’s rare to see older males at the park. They usually stay farther north and come down to the park during mating season.
This little one had a sibling. Even though the rain had stopped, I stayed in the car to take these. I didn’t want to spook them. They continued to graze and I eventually headed home.