Flowers blooming at the end of February. Spring was already here.
There were a lot of inchworms at the botanical gardens as well so they seem to have invaded the Tampa Bay area. I don’t ever remember seeing so many at one time.
I found this chickadee gathering nest material.
New metal sculptures made from recycled materials. The fish was my favorite.
The usual birds at Chesnut Park in mid-December.
A sleepy alligator.
Color from across the lake. It finally looks like fall as the cypress trees start to turn.
The sun peaking through along the trail. These were taken with my phone.
It’s not often I see two pileated woodpeckers on the same tree. I took this with my phone since I couldn’t fit both of them in with my 300mm lens and I couldn’t back up into the swamp.
Color along the boardwalk at Lettuce Lake Park.
This squirrel was chowing down on what looked like a nut from the cypress tree.
The usual birds at the feeder near the nature center.
Along the lake and in the swamp.
Young brown thrashers were chasing after Mom in the bushes.
Chickadees were everywhere.
Wood ducks were hiding in the back pond.
The usual downy woodpecker.
I think this parakeet was laughing at me.
Some of the local birds at the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo.
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.
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”.
Little critters at Lettuce Lake Park in late October.
Little birdies.
A quiet morning at Lettuce Lake Park in October.
Linking to My Corner of the World.
Chickadees were the most common bird in my sister’s backyard. There were several on the feeders the weekend I was visiting along with a few cardinals.
I saw one brown thrasher. I was sitting on the back porch and saw him land in the tree right in front of me.
Many other birds passed through while I was there. Brown headed cowbird (I don’t see these near my home in Tampa), carolina wrens, towhees and titmouse. I think the titmouse was working on a nest.
I don’t know what this. Might be a juvenile house sparrow.
I think these are all chipping sparrows. They were all over the yard.
My sister Debbie lives north of Birmingham on a small mountain in Odenville. It’s quiet there and they have woods that back up to their yard. Her and her husband have put in a lot of work making the backyard into a mini botanical gardens with beautiful bushes, flowers and trees. They have 2 fish ponds and several bird feeders which attracts a lot of birds. We spent the afternoon sitting outside chatting while I took pictures of the birds passing through. I was glad I brought my 300mm lens along so I could just sit there and take the pictures.
Carolina wrens were singing all over the park.
My favorite little titmouses.
Chickadee checking me out.
A juvenile little blue heron looking for gators!
There was one close by.
Fall in the summer.
Someone had been feeding the squirrels right before I got there.
Northern parula.
Titmouse are fun. Including the juvenile one in the bottom 2 pictures. Screaming for Mom to bring food.
This year I’ve seen a lot of chickadees around. They’ve been very accommodating.
I thought there was going to be a fight over the feeder. The chickadee left and came back after the cardinal left. The nature center at Lettuce Lake park has several bird feeders up this year. The one above was hanging in a tree near the trail.
Lots of squirrels trying to get to the feeder.
Plants around the boardwalk. I think the first one is Queen Anne’s lace.
A walk around Lettuce Lake Park in June.
Linking to Wednesday Around the World.
