The usual suspects at the lake.
There wasn’t many little birds there but I did catch the above northern parula and carolina wren.
A few wood ducks floating around.
Teeny tiny critters along the boardwalk.
Just a few things from a recent walk at Lettuce Lake Park in north Tampa.
There were Kermits in all of the fountains at the Gardens. You have to sneak up on them or they will jump in the water and hide if they see you. I took the above with my 300mm lens so I was pretty far away.
Even at the end of October, there were a lot of flowers still blooming and lots of tiny critters flying around.
It was very quiet at the Gardens early in the morning. I could hear the hummingbirds go whizzing by and several times was able to catch them resting.
I saw this little guy across the bushes and was hoping he was a rufous hummingbird. When I got home and cropped it and lightened it up I realized it was a male ruby throated hummingbird which are fairly common this time of year. The rufous would have more orange than green in his feathers. I’ve seen them there but I can’t get a shot of them.
A mockingbird was watching me while I was waiting for the hummingbirds to fly back into the bushes.
More pictures from my late October visit to Bok Tower Gardens in central Florida.
It was very quiet on my walk around the Botanical Gardens in Largo in late August. I did manage to find a few fun critters hanging around in the heat.
Linking to Paying Ready Attention
Prothonotary warblers nest at this park so you can usually find a few around the boardwalk.
Creepy wasp nest.
Butterflies and a dragonfly along the boardwalk.
A very young bird. I think this is a blue gray gnatcatcher. I’ve heard they nest near the nature center here.
A titmouse being cute as usual.
I think these are both a 5 stripe skink. This is the first time I’ve been able to get a shot of one. The top one is a juvenile and the bottom is an adult male.
Tiny critters in the butterfly garden.
My first hummingbird moth sighting. He was tiny and fast. He buzzed in for a few seconds next to a butterfly I was taking a picture of and then he was gone over the bushes. I looked for him for a long time with no luck. At least I got the blurry shots above. These guys are really cool.
Soft shell turtle near the pond.
Turtle on the lily pad.
Juvenile osprey that grew up in a nest on the utility pole. All three were born this past winter and were just starting to fly around.
Not many birds at the gardens in late June. Just the above.
The Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo has become one of my favorite spots to work on my butterfly and flower shots. The volunteers there have done an amazing job with the butterfly garden in front of the activities building. After walking around the gardens, I stopped by the butterfly garden thinking I would stay a few minutes and then head home since it was so hot. I sat down on a bench and the butterflies were all over the place. I finally headed home two hours later.
I still haven’t seen any news on this great blue heron nest. A while ago there was a great blue heron always sitting on the nest for weeks. Then it was abandoned. Weeks later when I was there, I saw this great blue heron looking around. So are they trying again? They’ve had babies in this nest for several years now.
I found the limpkin family again on this trip but they were further away from the trail. The babies were growing up so fast. They now look like the parent, only smaller.
Northern Parulas were all along the trail but they stayed high up in the trees.
A green heron prowling around in the muck.
A glossy ibis doing the same thing.
The dragonflies were out.
A few crawling critters were out on the trail.
Just a few things I saw on my walk in mid-March at Circle B Bar Reserve.
Little critters up close.
Beautiful glossy ibis with the sun shining on his breeding feathers.
A grackle staring at something in the water.
Woody in the woods.
A common yellowthroat warbler hiding in the bushes. Most of the warblers are gone now and are up north for the summer.
Moth or butterfly?
Dragonfly on a stick shot.
Cattails were everywhere. My dad loved cattails. I think they look like poop on a stick.
The gators were growling.
“Don’t give me that innocent look.” I said to the gator.
It’s June 1st. It’s going to be a long hot summer. It’s been hot since early April. These were taken in early May and it was stifling hot already at Circle B Bar Reserve. It’s time to hit the coast for the summer breezes and let the gators nap in peace for a few months.
It’s that time of the year. The moorhen babies with the big feet show up everywhere. This family with two babies that were growing up fast where hanging around the edge of the lake with white ibis, ducks and swans.
Two baby ducks that were orphans were close by. They seemed to be doing okay without any parents.
Baby mallard ducks were trying to nap under the bush.
One swan Mom was raising her babies in one of the fenced off areas. That way they are protected from predators including hawks and other mean swans.
Little critters flying around the lake.
I stopped by Lake Morton in Lakeland on my way home from another park to see if there were any baby ducks or swans. A few of both were found. Not a big baby boom going on in early May but enough to keep the cuteness going.
