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.

A cold foggy walk on the waterfront

On June 15, 2026July 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights1 Comment

I was out for a wet foggy walk at the Safety Harbor waterfront in late February. It had stopped raining before daylight but the boardwalk was still full of puddles.

I couldn’t see very far out in the bay and I certainly couldn’t see Tampa across the bay. It was a kind of spooky and I passed very few people, only the diehard joggers.

The grass in the park didn’t look well after the freeze but it came back by spring.

I stopped at nearby Philippe Park to walk the stairs to the top of the Indian mound.

If was foggy looking south in the bay but the sun was trying to peek out when I was leaving.

When you walk along the sea wall you can look up and see the top of the mound. This park is named after Odet Philippe, who is credited with introducing grapefruit to Florida. Grapefruit was grown in this park in the late 1800’s. The mound was built by Tocobaga Indians in the late 1500’s. There are several mounds in the area but this one is the largest one remaining.

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.

Around the neighborhood in early January

On May 18, 2026June 8, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals1 Comment

Another foggy morning in the front yard in early January.

The winter birds were coming to the suet feeder every day including pine warblers and yellow throated warblers.

Annoying blue jays are always around but I don’t see them take a bath often.

At some point I realized that black bellied whistling ducks were hanging around the pond across the street. I would hear them whistling in the morning or near the end of the day. The pond is shaped like a big square and there are houses on two sides (woods on the far back side and the front side runs along the street in front of our house). I think they must have been sleeping here. Some mornings they would take off and come back right before dark. Some days they were here most of the day. I was able to sneak over and hide behind a tree and get some shots of them.

They would spend the morning flying back and forth across the pond and chasing each other around. They would get water and hang out with the ibis. I rarely saw them swimming in the water (aren’t ducks suppose to swim?). Later in the month I counted over 30+ here and I took tons of pictures of them so more on them later.

An anhinga swimming by me wondering why I was hiding behind the tree.

I always keep my eye out for the gators. I’ve seen 2 in this pond.

A snapping turtle came up on the grass while I was watching the ducks.

Flowers blooming around the yard before the cold spell hit.

I saw the neighborhood coyote couple again. They were in the same spot where I saw them last summer. This time I had my camera in the car as I was leaving the neighborhood. It was early on a Sunday and there were no cars behind me so I was able to get some good shots of them as they crossed the street in front of me again.

They are such a handsome couple although I would not want to be walking by myself at night and come across them.

Walking through a shower

On May 6, 2026June 8, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography8 Comments

We were getting a lot of fog in the mornings in early January. I made a trip to the nearby Oldsmar pier for a quick walk. I felt like I was walking in a cold shower as I walked out on the pier.

Land looked a little blurry from the end of the pier.

The very end of the pier was still fenced off since the hurricanes took out the tip of it. I have heard that the city recently repaired it and the end is open again so I’ll have to check it out soon. Looking out over the water I couldn’t see land across the inlet.

The sun tried to peak out but then it got foggier.

Birds all lined up in the fog as I stopped at a store on the way home.

A foggy morning in the yard

On April 29, 2026May 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights6 Comments

I slept in a little late in early January and when I looked out the window I saw the fog. It was disappearing quickly so I ran out with my phone to get the above in the backyard. The sun was already up over the fairway but not quite over the trees.

Looking down the fairway, the fog was almost gone.

Then I ran out the front door and was walking over to the pond across the street when I noticed the sun coming through the fog and trees.

There was still enough fog along the water to cause a fogbow across the pond.

Early December walks

On April 6, 2026May 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

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, 2026April 10, 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.