Sunflowers on a cloudy day

On October 13, 2025November 9, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, flowers and plants4 Comments

I made another trip to a sunflower farm at the beginning of June. Jimmy Mc’s farm is closer to home and was a quick trip. They only have a small sunflower field and a few cows. Brett came as well since he had not been to this farm before. It had rained most of the night and I wasn’t sure if we would get rained out but at least it was cool.

One of the cows came over to the fence to see if we had sunflowers to feed him but it looked like he already had plenty to choose from on the ground. Maybe he remembered me from last year when I fed him some sunflowers and came over to say hello?

Just past the sunflower field I could see turkeys running for the woods.

This was the last day of picking season and many of the flowers were getting old but I still managed to find several handfuls to take home.

Some of the little critters out in the field.

As usual I try and check the ones I take home for hitchhikers but I had so many that I barely looked. When I got home and was getting them in vases I found one that had to go outside but not before taking a quick shot. The green lynx spider is good to have in the garden since they eat a lot of moth larvae that are pests.

Playing around with my phone camera. I used stage lighting on portrait mode to take the above.

As we walked to the car I noticed the great blue heron sitting along the edge of a small pond. It looked very peaceful.

Then I noticed these guys strolling around to my side of the pond. Sandhill cranes with 2 almost grown juveniles (with the orange beaks). They were just cruising around out on the farm. Two years ago I saw them here as well so I’m wondering if it’s the same parents.

A quick video of them yelling as they walked by.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Sleeping in a barn

On January 8, 2025February 5, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation4 Comments

Brett and I spent 2 nights in a renovated barn (on the 2nd floor) near Vero Beach. We got there late in the afternoon and looked around a little before heading to the beach for dinner.

It was a little weird driving down a long dirt road after dark to get back to the farm.

The next morning I was awake early and could hear the horses down below. I got up and ran to the kitchen window and saw the above. The sun hadn’t come up yet. I quickly changed and ran out to see what was going on.

The horses were being let out of the barn. We were able to walk around the farm so I ran back upstairs and had a quick breakfast with Brett and we went out for a walk down to the main road.

We were also able to feed the animals and I had brought a bag of apples with us from our hurricane stash so the goats got a treat for breakfast.

Most of the cows were far out in the pasture but one Mom with 2 little ones came close to the fence for a drink of water.

The sun coming up through a spiderweb.

We walked out on the main dirt road and passed by a farm with a No Trespassing sign that said “Don’t even think about it”. Who would want to walk around on that cow poop filled pasture?

It was a beautiful farm. I don’t think they actually grow anything but they do board horses. They also had chickens and a few pigs.

The next morning I was up a little later. Some of the horses were already out of the barn.

A few were still in the other barn and I gave them all of the apples we had left since we were heading home soon.

We had a great time and even though we were sleeping in a barn it had all of the comforts of home.

I came for sunflowers but the cows stole the show!

On July 29, 2024July 29, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn flowers and plants8 Comments

In May I made the trip north to Jimmy Mc’s Farm to get a handful of sunflowers. All you can fit in a hand for $5 is the best deal in the area. The farm doesn’t have activities like some of the sunflower farms do but they don’t charge to get in so it’s a deal if you just want sunflowers. I got there right when they opened and walked past the big sunflower field to see the cows. When I got to the back fence the cows all started walking towards the fence. Where they coming just to say Hi? It was fun to see the calves.

They walked right up to the fence. They were hoping for a sunflower handout.

A few minutes later the farmer brought them some food and they left me, immediately taking off and heading for the food. It was time to pick some flowers.

It was a beautiful morning to be picking them. I walked up and down the aisles and struggled to choose them. They had to be perfect. No bees on them. Not popped out yet (when the center pops out it means the blooms are older and don’t have much longer). I brought 2 big handfuls to the table to check out.

The cows had moved closer to the entrance and were standing near the fence. The owner had a handful of the flowers and were letting us feed the cows with the sunflowers. When the picking season is over at the end of May he lets the cows into the field to eat the remaining flowers.

I stopped on the way out to take a shot of the windmill.

I thought I checked them out for bugs but when I got home this guy crawled out from under a petal. I ran and got my macro lens to shoot the above before taking him out to the backyard.

I gave a few to my neighbor and we still had a lot of sunflowers around the house.

I took this with my phone in portrait mode (stage light setting). I like the way the background is blacked out. My phone takes some pretty neat pictures.

Riding through the cow pastures.

On December 30, 2023December 27, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

The weather was too nice to be indoors in early October so I grabbed my camera and backpack and threw my bike in the car and headed north to ride along the cow pastures. I didn’t see a lot of cows on this morning. Most of them were on the other side of the pastures and behinds trees.

Eastern bluebirds are common along this bike trail. I caught one with a nice juicy worm.

A sandhill crane couple were heading into the pond for a drink. Or maybe to look for bugs along the grass.

The purple tievine was blooming.

Some tiny critters along the trail.

There is a big barn at the beginning of the bike trail with horses far out in a pasture. It backs up to another barn with horses. As I was heading back to my car I noticed two horses across the pasture that seemed to be having a conversation over the fence. I couldn’t tell if they were showing off to each other or flirting. The one on the other side of the fence was really showing off the teeth.

Two sandhill cranes were right up against the fence near the parking area. I stopped and took the above with my phone.

Standing out in the field

On October 9, 2023April 9, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, flowers and plants, Tampa bay sights5 Comments

I found a new sunflower farm closer to my home (still almost an hour away though). Up in Spring Hill, an hour north of Tampa, Jimmy MC’s farm has U-pick sunflowers during the spring. I headed up there on the final weekend of the season almost at the end of May. This is not a big farm with activities for little kids. This is just a farm that you can go and pick your own sunflowers. It’s free to get in and $5 for two handfuls of sunflowers. I parked near the barn and walked out to the sunflower field.

They do have a picturesque tub that you can climb in and take pictures.

It was the last weekend of their season but the field was still full of sunflowers. It was hard deciding which ones to pick. So many! I looked for new buds that weren’t drooping yet and covered in bees. I didn’t want to disturb the much needed honey bees.

I was inspecting each one that I was thinking of picking and found this green spider on the back of one. I didn’t want to take him home (last year I brought home a small creme colored spider and put him in the backyard).

They had a lot of cows next to the sunflower field and I was envious of the ones in the back going for a swim. It was a hot morning. Their pond had really shrunk from the drought. Once most of the good flowers were picked they let the cows in the field and eat the remaining sunflowers.

As I walked back to my car I saw this sandhill crane family in the grassy parking area. I had my camera in the car so I pulled it out and snapped a few shots of them feeding. Junior was almost fully grown but still getting food from his parents.

I loved seeing the windmill out in the cow pasture so I stopped and snapped the above with my phone.

A small part of my stash that I brought home.

A summer bike ride

On October 7, 2023September 28, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

It was too hot to be walking around and my foot was still bothering me so I was taking a lot of bike rides at a nearby trail this summer. I wasn’t expecting to find much but I immediately spotted 2 bunnies right off the trail. Both were cottontails but one had cute notches on his ears.

The sandhill crane family was out in the cow pasture. Mom was digging for bugs in the cow poop. I don’t think Junior cared because he ate whatever Mom dug up.

This doe looked really pregnant. There were several other deer nearby hiding in the woods.

A lone skimmer came cruising the pond along the trail. The light was not in my favor but I did manage a shot of it scooping up some fish.

I took a break and was watching the cows. An almost grown calf stopped eating and was staring at me. Probably wondering what I was doing out here.

The dark clouds were moving in so I headed back to my car.

Another bike ride past the cows

On July 13, 2023July 11, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals3 Comments

AAnother bike ride in mid-April on my favorite trail that runs through the cow pastures. The sun had just come up when I got out there.

I stopped when I saw 2 sandhill cranes walking across the pasture. As I stood there they both went under the fence and onto the trail right in front of me. I had to quickly back up to fit the first one in the shot. I was trying to keep my distance but they kept walking closer. I hope people aren’t feeding them here.

Some of the usual birds along the trail. A great crested flycatcher and a meadowlark. Both with distinct calls so I heard them before I saw them.

When I first got to the eagle’s nest the almost grown babies were eating and a parent was sitting up there with them. Then the parent took off.

Cruising right past me.

As I was standing there watching the eagle flying around I saw the juvenile eagle fly down to the almost dry pond just under the nest. It seemed to be trying to catch something small but I don’t think he succeeded. It might have been a lizard.

The above is not a good shot and I almost didn’t take it thinking it was a red shoulder hawk but when I got home and cropped it up I realized it was a merlin. I have not seen one of those in a long time.

I think this calf now has his own personal cattle egret to follow him around and eat his bugs. They were staring at each other for a while.

This cow had his cattle egret close by but the colors on the cattle egret’s face looks like he was ready to start nesting.

Taken with my phone on the trail, the utility tower on the right is where the eagles have their nest.

Cows and eagles

On June 24, 2023June 15, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

The usual critters on my bike ride on the Pinellas Trail north of Brooker Creek. Cows and cattle egrets. The calves were getting big by early April.

I passed the eagle’s nest that sits far away in the cow pasture. The 2 young ones were flapping away and close to flying.

I could see a gopher tortoise walking around right under the eagle’s nest. He must have a burrow nearby.

As I was pedaling back to my car I heard an eagle yelling overhead. She was sitting on a utility tower and making a lot of noise. I stopped and pulled my camera out of my backpack.

I saw another eagle flying overhead. He landed on the same utility tower. After a few seconds of yelling back and forth, the below happened.

They started mating while a crow bothered them. At this point there was a small crowd watching from below. It’s not often you see eagles mating out in the wild (although this was my 2nd time this month with the first being in my neighborhood).

They sat together for a while on the same nest. I finally headed back to my car.

Chilly bike ride

On May 4, 2023April 29, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals5 Comments

It was a little chilly in early March (meaning 60 degrees) and I decided to bundle up and go out for a bike ride on my favorite cow pasture trail. There were a few cows near the trail but the almost grown calves were far back.

This time the turkeys were fairly close to the fence. Tom was really showing off for the ladies. The ladies were ignoring him.

A kildeer was cruising along one of the ponds.

This was an interesting grasshopper. Not the usual lubber but I’m not sure what kind.

Blooming along the trail.

I found a big invasive rosary pea plant near the beginning of the trail. Most of the pods had opened up and revealed the bright red seeds. These seeds are highly toxic to humans and many domestic animals but birds can eat them without any problems. I’ve read that one seed can kill a horse or cow and this plant was right along the cow pasture with a horse barn on the other side. I’m surprised they haven’t pulled this out.

A bunch of quick stops north of me.

On April 10, 2023March 31, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

My first stop of the morning was at the water treatment plant in Tarpon Springs in late February. I knew the ducks that hang out there in the winter would be heading north before too long. The majority of the ducks were redhead ducks but you never know what you can find mixed in.

There were a handful of lesser scaup floating together away from the redheads.

Far away there were two female buffleheads.

I stopped by the eagle’s nest just north of Tarpon Springs. I pulled over and got out and quickly shot the above before hopping back in the car. There’s no parking along this road and the parking lot at the nearby park was too far away for me to walk so I didn’t stay. These twin babies were much older than the ones in my neighborhood. I didn’t see any adults in my quick stop but I’m sure they were nearby hunting for food.

Another stop was nearby Anclote Gulf Park. The fishing pier is right in the parking lot so I took a quick walk onto the pier. It was a quiet morning here but I managed to see an osprey taking a bath farther down the shore. (Notice the blurry kingfisher sitting on a log in the upper right corner of the 2 middle pictures. I was wishing I was closer to get him as well)

One more stop as I circled back towards home was the Starkey Market just north of me. I had never been before and it was fun to check out the cows next door before going in and getting some vegetables to cook for dinner that night.