More floating marshmallows in the fog

On July 8, 2026July 8, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

It was another foggy morning at the end of February when I stopped at Crescent Lake Park in downtown St. Pete to see if the white pelicans were still hanging around. There wasn’t quite as many as my trip a few weeks before but there were still a lot of them floating around the lake.

In one corner of the lake they were taking baths. It was fun to watch them splashing around and preening. It’s weird that a bird that lives in water still has to take a bath.

I noticed small groups dotted around the lake that were diving for food. White pelicans are surface feeders and herd the fish in together while dunking under to grab them. It’s almost like a ballet when they duck down together with their butts bobbing. Brown pelicans fly up and then dive down alone to catch their fish so it’s very different to watch them.

The groups were all doing different things. From bathing to feeding to napping.

Here they come! Right in front of me.

It was still foggy when I left an hour later but I could see that bright blue water tower across the lake.

Other fowl on the lake

On June 13, 2026July 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

While I was at Crescent Lake Park watching the white pelicans I couldn’t ignore the other ducks in the lake. There were a lot of lesser scaup on the lake. They are also snow birds and only spend the winter here.

This guy had a snack in his beak. I don’t know if they swallow these clams shells whole? The sun really brings out the purple in the male scaup’s head.

This cormorant kept diving for fish but he kept coming up with sticks.

Two great egrets were near the bank. One still had his green breeding feathers around his beak.

A muscovy duck showing off for me.

I thought this osprey had a fish in his talons but it looks like a some vegetation.

Blooming in the fog

On June 10, 2026July 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

It was another foggy morning in late February as I parked under this beautiful blooming tree near Crescent Lake Park. I was making a quick stop to see the white pelicans again and had to take some pictures of this before leaving.

This red silk cotton tree was on an empty lot across from the lake. They were building a new house on the lot and I was glad they didn’t cut down this tree.

After my quick stop at Crescent Lake Park I headed over to the waterfront at the St. Pete pier for a walk. There is a pier somewhere in that fog.

The sun was trying to peek through and I thought the fog would lift but it kept getting heavier as I walked past the marina and headed to the beach area.

Even though it was cold it still felt like I was walking through a shower.

I stopped to take a foggy picture of the 4 tall trees on the beach.

Big floating marshmallows in the lake

On June 6, 2026July 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

When I got to Crescent Lake Park in mid-February it looked like giant marshmallows floating around. I had been here several times this winter but only a few were there. White pelicans are one of the original snow birds. They spend a few months in central Florida before heading back to spend the summer in Canada. If they aren’t here floating in this lake near downtown St. Pete, then they are somewhere on the bay (somewhere in the neighborhood channels north of the St. Pete pier).

There was a small fleet of them floating in front of me as I sat down on a bench.

As they dispersed I started looking around the lake and realized there were hundreds of them all around the lake. Most of them were in small pods in all of the corners of the lake.

These were resting and preening on a spit of grass.

These guys were feeding in the shade along a bumper (keeps the garbage out of the pipes)

This guy had caught a big fish in his pouch and his friends started ganging up on him to steal the fish. He eventually swallowed it.

This fleet was having a squabble over something before going back to feeding.

Occasionally some would take flight. Some would fly to the other side of the lake and some went up high and headed toward the bay.

These floating marshmallows are special to this lake. They spend a short time going back and forth between the bay and here. It’s a treat to catch a lot of them on the lake and watch them feeding and going about their day. People walking their dogs or jogging stop to watch them. There were several other photographers nearby watching them as well and we all chatted about how cool they were and what they were doing. I went back the next week so more on these guys later.

Looking for some anis.

On April 25, 2026May 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

I was watching the pelicans diving for fish in late December. I got to Fort Desoto Park right at sunrise and stopped at the beach before heading to the woods to look for some birds.

Two rare birds had been hanging out here for several weeks. The above is not one of them. Starlings are common here but he looked pretty shining in the sun.

A grooved-billed ani and a smooth-billed ani were hanging out together near the bay pier wooded area. I saw them both briefly but was only able to get shots of the smooth-billed one before they both took off over the trees. They aren’t very attractive but they are cool birds anyway. Both were not new birds. The only time I saw a grooved-bill was in 2011 and there was a smooth-billed one here back in 2017.

After seeing the anis I went for a walk on the beach to look for shorebirds.

Plovers were plentiful including the black bellied plover and piping plover above. The piping plover was missing his feet and I’ve seen him several times at the park so he must be doing okay.

Looking across the lagoon, reddish egrets were feeding when a fish jumped out and made a big splash. They were both like “Where did it go?”.

As I was leaving the park I saw something black flying across the road so I pulled over and realized it was the anis in the berry bushes. The smooth-billed one was out in the open and I though he was going to eat the berries but he was just fanning himself.

This was the only shot I got of them both (one in the top left and one in the far right bottom). The grooved-billed ani seemed really shy compared to the other one. They are still at the park, several months later.

I made a quick stop at Crescent Lake Park on the way home to see if the white pelicans were there. Only a handful were hiding in the shade under the big banyan tree.

The only winter ducks that had showed up so far were a few lesser scaup. I checked back here weeks later and there were tons of white pelicans so more on those later.

Birds in the St. Pete parks

On May 17, 2025May 5, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

Towards the end of February I headed down to St. Pete, near downtown. I first stopped at Crescent Lake Park for a quick walk. The first thing I saw was this cute little pied grebe. I realized this one had his breeding beak on. We usually only see them in their non-breeding drab colors. This one had an all white beak with a black stripe down it which means he was ready to flirt. I heard weeks later that there were grebe babies there and I didn’t make it back down there to look for them.

There were only a few white pelicans left. Most had already left to go north for the summer.

Most of the wintering ducks were gone but this pretty lesser scaup was still there.

My next stop was at the North Shore Park waterfront for a longer walk. When I got back to my car I heard screaming from the tree in front of it and looked up and saw black capped (or nanday) parakeets. I grabbed my camera and started snapping. Isn’t three a crowd?

They were busy eating and being silly.

Some were already pairing up.

Some where huddling together in the cold (it was a little chilly this morning).

Some of the different colors of pigeons. I don’t see white ones or the red ash ones often.

Just a man walking his dog along the seawall.

A sailboat near the little bay beach.

White pelican close ups

On April 19, 2025May 11, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

I made it back to Crescent Lake Park near downtown St. Pete in mid-January. I remembered to bring my camera with me this time because I was pretty sure the white pelicans were still there. They wouldn’t stay much longer if the weather warmed up.

A handful were swimming around in the middle of the lake.

A lot of them were still hanging out under the big banyan tree at one corner of the lake where the pipes come out. I’m assuming because of the shade from the tree (although it was cloudy the morning I was there) and the fact that the tree area is fenced off to keep people off the damaged old historic tree so there wouldn’t be any people letting their dogs get close to the bank.

A cormorant flies by.

Eventually most of the pelicans made their way out to the middle of the lake.

A ring-neck duck came close to the edge.

A ring billed gull was also close.

Two male grackles were having a conversation on the ball field sign. They might have been fighting over a lady or both showing off for one.

A busy morning walking in St. Pete.

On March 17, 2025March 7, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

Near the end of December I headed down to St. Pete to look for white pelicans that spend the winter at Crescent Lake Park. I hadn’t heard that they were back yet so I didn’t take my big camera. I just brought my phone to take a walk around the lake.

Of course they were there (and my camera was not so these are all with my phone). Many of them were hanging out along the bank and were pretty close to the sidewalk.

There were also a lot of them swimming around the lake in small flocks.

A short video of them swimming to the bank. At first I thought there was going to be a territorial fight but they all got along. I did make it back here a few weeks later with my camera so more on the white pelicans later.

After my walk around the lake I headed over to nearby North Shore Park to visit some of my favorite trees along the beach (this is on the bay). The tall palm tree on the far right in the 1st picture lost it’s top in the hurricanes.

It was a super low tide which is normal for late December. The low tides in the winter are crazy here.

The tiny pier building looked so far away from here.

The rare great tailed grackle is still hanging around the park here. I first saw him in 2023 so he must like it here. People still come from all over to see him. He should be living on the western part of the country.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Ducks and parakeets

On February 1, 2025January 22, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

I stopped by Crescent Lake Park near downtown St. Pete in early November looking for winter ducks. Lesser scaup and ringed neck ducks usually spend the winter in the lake but they weren’t there yet. All I got was the usual mallards. It was also too early for white pelicans that also winter here.

A turtle popped up across the lake.

It was good to see the old banyan tree was still standing after 2 hurricanes. It was missing a lot of branches from the top though. The big tree is fenced off to try and restore it and keep it safe from people climbing on it which damages the tree.

The much smaller banyan tree was snapped off.

I headed over to nearby Demen’s Landing Park for a quick walk before heading home. I could see the small private airport to the right and the St. Pete Pier to the left. That sailboat looks like it needs a new sail.

The newer pier is smaller than the old one that was torn down years ago. It only has a restaurant and a bar in it. The older one had several restaurants and stores and had a great top deck that you could walk around and see everything.

As I was walking back to my car I saw some nanday parakeets flying over. They landed in a tree near my car.

Some of them were busy gorging on seed and nuts from the tree.

This couple was busy flirting. It’s not really nesting season for them and it looks like she might have had a headache from that last picture.

A quick walk around Crescent Lake Park

On May 25, 2024May 17, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

Tiny butterflies and a big one at Crescent Lake Park in late March.

A pied grebe in the middle of the lake. This one had his breeding stripe on his beak already but I didn’t think they nested here.

Green herons were everywhere.

Just a few of the many turtles around the lake.

Mama muscovy with a baby. I’m sure she started with many more than the one.

A pretty mallard sits in the vegetation.

European starlings don’t get any respect around here but they are pretty when the sun hits them just right.

The old banyan trees are looking a little rough The one on the left is turning brown. It might be from the lack of rain. Hopefully it will come back when the summer rains hit.