Everyone was eating except me.

On August 27, 2018August 28, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

Typical awkward teenager, this several month old sandhill crane was so funny to watch. He was trying to be brave and walk off on his own and then go running back to mom.

It looks like this great blue heron bit off more than he could chew but he got it all down. His neck was bulging for a while.

A grackle with a snack.

This night heron was trying to hide in the reeds along the pond but it was hard not to miss those bright red eyes.

It was weird seeing this purple gallinule hanging over the trail. He was eating something on this plant.

These hawks were across the marsh. Looks like they were fighting over a snail.

Breakfast was going on during my walk at Circle B Bar Reserve in mid May.

Our World Tuesday Graphic image-in-ing: weekly photo linkup

Lots of babies at Carillon Park.

On August 4, 2018August 6, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

Two very young green herons were waiting for mom to come back with food. They were standing on the boardwalk rail. As soon as they saw mom come into the bushes they hopped back on the branches and headed deep in the bush to get fed.

A common moorhen family. There were at least 6 families along the ponds.

Young grackles and their parents were along the boardwalk.

The usual birds along the boardwalk, a blue jay, an osprey eating a fish on top of one of the office buildings and one of the many anhingas.

A walk around Carillon Park after work in early May.

Lake Mirror in downtown Lakeland

On July 9, 2018July 10, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

Grackles are common but when the sun shines on them they are very pretty.

An anhinga with something stuck on her beak.

Some of the resident ducks around the lake.

There were several families in late April.

One of the families was busy swimming around and investigating everything.

Our World Tuesday Graphic image-in-ing: weekly photo linkup

In the trees and on the ground.

On June 14, 2018June 12, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

In the trees. Grackles, great egret, black and white warblers and northern parulas.

On the ground, an ibis was eating a snack.

A beautiful morning at Lettuce Lake park.

SkyWatch Friday

A walk after work

On June 24, 2017June 15, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photographyLeave a comment

I saw this lone spoonbill at the office park lake near my work. I noticed that his eye looked a little funny and he was banded. It seemed okay, just sleepy.

Not sure what these baby mallards were trying to eat. Just like a baby, everything goes in the mouth.

A moorhen Mom with a few new babies.

Some very young grackles waiting for Mom to come back with food.

A male grackle shining in the sun.

Chesnut Park in late February.

On April 3, 2017April 4, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

Sleepy barred owl high up in a tree.

A few usuals – black and white warbler, grackle and a cardinal.

A pileated woodpecker taken right into the sun.

A great blue heron flying close over my head.

I saw this hawk eating something that looked like a really big beetle.

The water near the dock is full of these.

A few of my friends came by to say “Hi” while I was at Chesnut Park in late February.

Our World Tuesday Graphic image-in-ing

Lots of fun things in a small park.

On August 8, 2016August 9, 2016 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

I can always find green herons at this lake.

This looks like a young mallard that’s molting and getting his male feathers in.

Lots of young blue jays.

A grackle with a yummy snack.

A leucistic Eurasian collared-dove. It’s rare to see an all white Eurasian dove.

You can always hear the loud screaming of monk parakeets at this park. They nest in the water tower near the park and spend a lot of time on the grass eating. They blend in really well and unless you hear them screaming, you would never know they were in the trees in front of you.

Crescent Lake Park is a small park near downtown St. Petersburg. There’s a small lake with a sidewalk all around. There’s a ball field next door as well as a dog park and houses across the street on 2 sides of the park. On a Saturday morning, the park is full of joggers, walkers, kids playing and me, the crazy lady with the camera.

Our World Tuesday Graphic image-in-ing

Random birds and a big baby hawk

On August 17, 2015August 18, 2015 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography11 Comments

A carolina wren working on a late nest.

A young cardinal sitting on the boardwalk.

This male cardinal was deep in the bushes. Not a good picture but it was funny to see him with that caterpillar squished in his beak.

A grackle on the boardwalk.

She came over a little closer, checking to see if I had a snack to give her.

A very young cooper’s hawk. Just starting to leave the nest.

The nest was a few trees back in the woods. For the last couple of weeks, we could hear the babies screaming for food but it wasn’t until the babies started hopping around and branching closer to the boardwalk that we could see them.

A great egret flies by the boardwalk with a snack.

Besides all of the little critters and four-legged ones, there were a few birds at Chesnut Park in mid-July. Nothing unusual but it was great to the see the baby cooper’s hawk after hearing them scream for weeks and not being able to see them from the nest.

Our World Tuesday Graphic image-in-ing

Cute and cool at the lake.

On July 20, 2015July 21, 2015 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

What is it about little ducklings that are so cute???

Even hybrid mallards are cute when they are sleeping.

The wood duck is just cool, posing for me.

Another cool duck, the shelduck is not native to Florida. The city of Lakeland bought them for the downtown lake.

Even grackles eat fish.

The usual things sleeping and floating around Lake Mirror.

Our World Tuesday Graphic image-in-ing

Birds in south Florida

On June 22, 2015June 23, 2015 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

Pelicans in the mangroves.

Green herons were everywhere.

My first Wurdemann’s Heron (parents are a great blue heron and a white morph great blue heron). They are fairly rare and mostly seen in south Florida. Our sailboat captain pointed him out while we were kayaking around some mangroves about an hour south of Key West. He looks almost like the great blue heron but his head and neck are more white.