Early December walks

On April 6, 2026March 18, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photographyLeave a comment

Love locks on the Safety Harbor waterfront boardwalk. This trend that started in Paris has made it’s way here. The problem here is that too many locks weigh the wires down and cause them to bend and pull out of the wood so unfortunately they get cut off and thrown out periodically.

I stopped by Kapok Park in mid-December and almost missed the fall colors on the bald cypress trees. The small lake is surrounded by them and it’s pretty when the leaves change.

One of my favorite trees at this park is a large oak tree that was pulled up during a bad storm many years ago. The tree still thrives and has adapted it’s shape to grow along the ground.

I was out at the Dunedin marina on a foggy morning. Kingfishers are common here in the winter and this was my first sighting this season of one. He was hovering for a long time looking for fish to catch.

Another foggy morning I walked on the causeway. Above is the view from the top of the bridge.

An osprey was watching me.

On a sunny morning on the causeway I saw a fisherman trying to keep the birds away from his bait fish that he had just pulled up. I noticed the snowy egret (in the bottom shot) was missing a foot. He could still fly so he was getting around well.

Willets and dowitchers were feeding along the shoreline.

A herring gull with a tasty snack.

Foggy season has started

On March 16, 2026March 18, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

It was late November and foggy season had arrived. I love cool foggy morning walks so I headed to the Dunedin causeway. As I drove up this crow posed in front of my car. The fog wasn’t super thick but it was just enough to cast that weird winter spell.

The sun tried to peek through a few times as I walked over the bridge.

White pelicans were flying over my head. I really had wished I had my camera.

The tide was low and I could see the coral under the bridge.

The fog didn’t let up through my entire walk.

An osprey takes off after landing for a few minutes in the low tide.

A lone roseate spoonbill was feeding along the sea wall under the bridge. Even in the fog his bright pink feathers popped out.

An osprey eating a fish on the drawbridge gate. It would have been funny to see the gate start to go down while the osprey was on it but at least he got to eat his meal in peace. Not many tall boats out this morning.

Around the yard in late March

On June 23, 2025July 10, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

Things blooming in the front yard in late March. The bottom one is a fire star orchid that was gifted to my neighbor from a friend who was moving. It’s a huge potted plant that is full of blooms. When she brought it home in the winter it was a pile of dead sticks. She said her friend said to trust her and wait until spring.

We had another dove couple (or it might have been the same couple from the other tree) nesting on a palm tree on the other side of our driveway. They nested much higher up and I could only get a shot of one baby when it was getting big although there were two. They grew up so fast and were gone before I could get another shot of them.

Fred spends the afternoon sleeping on the old small trellis in front of our window. He’s got distinctive ridges on his back and he never runs away when I get close to the window.

We finally got a new bird bath. The old plastic one covered in metal lasted 20 years but was falling apart in the Florida weather. The squirrels love the new one.

Birds coming to the backyard in late March included a great crested flycatcher (the first 2 shots). I think he was going to get a drink but wasn’t sure with the fountain going. Northern parulas were plentiful in the yard and I don’t know what that crow had in his beak. He might have gotten a mouthful of leaves with a caterpillar or maybe he was building a nest?

Right before dark I was going out to get the mail and I kept hearing black bellied whistling ducks calling from the pond. One day I took my camera and walked across the street and saw them sitting on the bank on the other side. For at least 2 weeks they would come in late in the day. I wondered if they were nesting nearby but I couldn’t start walking through people’s backyards looking, could I?

This is when I would hear them whistling. Right before the sun went down behind the trees across the pond.

The sun was coming up through the fog one morning as I was heading to the grocery store.

I knew the eagles in my neighborhood were sitting on eggs in the nest for a while and eventually I saw them sitting up on the edge of the tower and had been bringing in food. I was thinking maybe the babies had hatched but it would be a while before they were big enough for me to see them.

Finally, weeks later I could get a decent shot of the baby. I had seen glimpses of gray fuzz for a few weeks but now I could see the face. It looked like there was only one baby.

A week later the baby was much bigger and I could see one of the parents feeding it on the nest. I’m glad they have a baby. The Dad is a first time dad since he was only a 4th year juvenile last year when he started “dating” the Mom who had lost her mate earlier that year. You can read my post about the loss of the eagle family last March here.

Dad flies off to get more food.

One day another juvenile eagle went flying over the nest. The parent chased him away. It might have been a baby from the nest on the other side of the neighborhood. Those babies were born much earlier but it’s too far away to get pictures of that nest.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Dolphins in the fog

On May 7, 2025June 6, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals7 Comments

I love foggy walks in the winter on the Dunedin causeway. In early February I thought the sun was going to break through when I started my walk.

The sun went back into hiding as I walked over to the south side of the causeway.

I was taking pictures of the dowitchers as they fed on the shoreline and I saw the dolphins coming up for air a little farther out.

Even through the fog I could see them. There wasn’t a ripple in the water.

I stood there for a while taking videos, hoping they would come even closer but they stayed pretty far out. It was low tide so they probably couldn’t get much closer to the shoreline.

The egrets were creeping along the shallow edge looking for food.

One last look at the dolphins before finishing my walk. They were heading towards the pass and out into the gulf at this point.

Walking over the bridge in the fog.

A ring billed gull taking a break.

Time to go home.

Our first walk at Robinson Preserve

On April 30, 2025May 11, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Tampa bay sights3 Comments

In early February Brett and I headed an hour south of us to the Bradenton/Palmetto area to take a walk at Robinson Preserve and have lunch afterwards in the nearby Cortez fishing area. It was cold so we got to the park a little later, around 9am. It was sunny when we first started walking the trail and got to the tall observation tower.

On the top floor we could see all around the area. It’s a large preserve that sits on the bay and the back area facing Sarasota was pretty dried up. In the summer most of the area in the bottom shot would be under water and swampy.

Fiddler crabs covered the little beach area at the bottom of the tower. It was funny to watch them running around chasing each other. They are usually shy and run to their holes when people are around but these did not scatter when I walked up. They are really pretty when the sun hits them, showing off the pink and purple.

We followed the trail around the small lagoon and by the time we got on the other side the sea fog had started to come in.

We made our way out to the beach and the fog kept getting thicker. The Sunshine Skyway bridge was out there somewhere.

The birds were pretty scarce and we only saw a few ibis and snowy egrets feeding out in the fog. We had a long walk back to our car and were starving so it was off to lunch.

Sunrise over old Florida

On April 28, 2025May 11, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Tampa bay sights3 Comments

I love coming up to Chinsegut Wildlife Area early in the morning to catch the sun coming up over the trees.

Sunrise here is what I think old Florida looks like. Lots of tall old trees and fog.

There were lots of birds behind the nature center including the female painted buntings that were in the platform feeder.

There’s a large red headed woodpecker population here but I’ve never seen them come to the feeder area until this morning. This one posed nicely for me.

Then he flew down to the suet feeder and snacked for a few minutes. This is the closest I’ve seen one and there were a lot of people standing on the deck behind the center so he wasn’t shy.

After spending an hour at the nature center feeders looking for the Scott’s oriole (see previous post), I headed out for a walk on the trails.

I made my way down to the lake which is mostly choked up on this side and there isn’t much water here. It’s all grown in and I would have to walk much farther down to the end of the preserve to find the real lake.

The sun coming up over the wild stuff growing in the water.

The sweetgum trees were finally turning to fall colors in late January.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

A cool foggy walk on the waterfront.

On April 14, 2025May 11, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sightsLeave a comment

The mild winters in central Florida almost make up for enduring the heat for 9-10 months. It was cold (50 degrees) when Brett and I went out for long walk down on the St. Pete downtown waterfront in mid-January. We parked at the far end of North Shore Park and walked our way around to the St. Pete Pier. It was cloudy when we first got there.

The sun was trying to come out as we made our way around by the municipal marina.

A view of the historic airplane statue from the other side. It’s a replica of the first commercial air flight from St. Pete to Tampa.

Making our way to the end of the long pier. The small building houses a coffee shop, a restaurant and a bar at the top.

Shots from the end of the pier looking towards downtown. First left, then right.

We took a break and sat on the stairs at the split in the walkway.

As we got back around to the mainland I noticed the sea fog rolling in.

I could barely see the pier through the fog.

As we made our way around Vinoy Park and back to North Shore Park it was not as foggy. What a weird morning. Although it was cool it was still sticky. That stranded boat on the small beach was still there from the hurricanes. We stopped at one more park before heading to a big late breakfast but more on that park later.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Foggy walks

On March 12, 2025March 14, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights14 Comments

In mid-December I was out for a walk at the Safety Harbor waterfront. The sun was trying to come out but it never did fully appear. My first stop is always the remains of what’s left of the fishing pier. I miss walking out on the pier and seeing the manatees but they are going to rebuild so one day…

The birds love having the pier to themselves.

Later in my walk I could see a dolphin far out in the water (top left corner of the water).

The sun was still trying to break through.

Sites on Main Street include the 300+ year old Baranoff tree (bottom picture), named after the original owner of the Safety Harbor Spa Hotel. Everyone was glad the tree survived the 2 hurricanes.

A few days later I went out for a foggy walk on the Dunedin causeway. The tide was low and you could see the different colors of the seaweed that was left on the sand.

The sun was trying to break through here as well.

Foggy season was starting

On February 10, 2025March 7, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Tampa bay sights4 Comments

I woke up early one morning on Thanksgiving weekend and it was super foggy outside. I got ready and headed out for a walk hoping to get some fog shots. It was a slow drive through the fog but when I got to the Dunedin marina there was hardly any fog.

The sun had broken through and I could just see a little fog across the water over towards Clearwater beach.

I was driving home after my walk and 10 minutes later I hit the fog again so I stopped at the Oldsmar pier. I could barely see the end of the pier.

The fog on land was starting to lift but it still looked creepy with the crows flying towards me.

White ibis were busy feeding in the grass along the water.

The sun was starting to peak through and the tide was far out. I love foggy mornings in the winter. It makes it feel like winter here. I like going for walks in the fog but driving around on a busy street in heavy fog is not fun.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Stop and smell the flowers

On April 27, 2023April 2, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography9 Comments

I got up early for the almost 2 hour drive to Bok Tower Gardens in central Florida in early March. The weather called for sunny and warm but halfway there the fog started. The closer I got to the gardens, the foggier it got. I was a little bummed but I figured it would lift sometime in the morning. It was still foggy when I started my drive into the gardens.

You pay at the gate and then drive for 5 minutes up to the where the gardens start. Part of that drive is through orange groves. I had my windows rolled down so I could smell the orange blossoms. The smell was strong and I pulled over for a few minutes and snapped the above with my phone. Nothing screams “central Florida” more than ripe oranges and orange blossoms together on the tree.

There’s always a lot blooming here, even in the winter.

You can see the spider webs in the fog.

I’m not sure what this pink tree was but it was almost past it’s peak.

The sun was just starting to peek out after I had been there for an hour.

The azalea bushes were still blooming with the color popping in the fog.

This was a fun trip and it was great to be out and about (even though I was riding a rented scooter). The fog eventually lifted but it kept things nice and cool.