After work walk

On December 4, 2017December 5, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

A lone sleepy spoonbill along the walking path.

Crazy parrots high up in the trees.

A pelican and anhinga getting ready for bed.

A green heron trying to grab one last bite before dark.

Not sure if these turtles had been napping all day or if they just climbed up to sleep for the night. There’s a fun little floating pad for them to sleep on.

This guy was relaxing.

Clouds rolling in before the sun going down. A quick walk before dark at the office park near my work right before the time change. No more walks after work until late March.

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Birds, Bunnies and Squirrels, Oh My!

On August 7, 2017August 8, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

There were lots of bunnies running around the Botanical Gardens.

This young moorhen ran across the sidewalk in front of me. Soon the rest of the family followed. They were heading for the tiny pond with the fountain in it.

They were cooling off under the fountain. I really wanted to jump in there with them.

The common green heron.

The squirrels were chowing down.

A few monk parakeets flew in to a tree right over my head.

An almost grown osprey was screaming the entire time I was at the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo. The nest is high up in a utility tower and the screaming echoed all over the gardens. He was probably screaming for the parents to bring him food and the parents were waiting for him to finally get off the nest and get his own food.

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Lots of the same.

On June 8, 2017May 14, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

Always a lot of vultures on the trails here.

Tons of hawks too.

Many green herons.

Soon there will be more moorhens.

The usual glossy ibis, wood stork with a stick, a snowy egret and a juvenile night heron all hanging out in the marsh.

The sky is always full of osprey.

At Circle B Bar Reserve.

SkyWatch Friday

Same Ole, Same Ole

On April 24, 2017April 25, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography11 Comments

The barred owls have been hanging out next to the parking lot for a while now.

The reserve is full of green herons. They are now a usual suspect.

Along with male anhingas showing off.

And the glossy ibis sparkling in the sun are a dime a dozen.

The cute pied grebes aren’t as skittish as they use to be.

There’s always snowy egrets in a body of water.

Now I see purple gallinules every time I walk Alligator Alley trail.

Even a great blue heron baby in the nest during spring is common here.

Seeing a bald eagle somewhere in the park is pretty common, even if its way up high half hidden in a cypress tree.

But I still love walking the trails at Circle B Bar Reserve and seeing all of the above every time I’m here. Even when it gets crowded on the weekends. I just get there a little earlier and leave before lunch when the crowd starts coming in.

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Morning walk with the usual suspects.

On March 20, 2017March 21, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

The anhingas are always along the trail striking a pose.

All of the usuals: green heron, wood stork, snowy egret and limpkin.

I’ve been seeing the purple gallinules on a regular basis in the same spot. The one with the tan face is a juvenile, not yet fully purple. Probably born last spring.

An uncommon blue headed vireo.

A few flying things on my walk at Circle B Bar Reserve in early February.

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So many birds….

On January 30, 2017January 31, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

Black bellied whistling ducks are a rare sight to see up close. Years ago they would hang out right on the trail and the trees right on the trail would be full of them. Now you can only hear them whistling off in the distance.

A great blue heron with a snack.

The marsh has been overrun with glossy ibis.

A few Wilson’s Snipes have been seen here. This one was on Alligator Alley Trail.

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It’s always fun to see the little purple clowns (gallinules).

Green herons have taken over.

Come of the birds on my recent trip to Circle B Bar Reserve.

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My version of “Quack” Friday.

On January 16, 2017April 10, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

White ibis coming in for a landing.

A great blue heron posing for me.

Since there is an abundance of green herons this year, you’ll be seeing a lot of these.

I had heard there were black bellied whistling duck babies at the reserve but I didn’t think I would actually find them. I found them but they were in a weird spot in the marsh and the family was not going to move for a while. The babies were already half grown so they were easier to see hiding in the reeds and muck.

I was not going to go shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving. It was too nice to be indoors. So instead of a “Black” Friday, I headed out for a long walk at Circle B Bar Reserve. Sunny and 70 degrees with no crowds.

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Early December walk at Lettuce Lake Park.

On January 2, 2017January 3, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

I’ve seen lots of green herons lately.

You can always find black crowned night herons near the boardwalk.

Yes, more cute gnatcatchers.

Some type of warbler with a snack

Another type of warbler with a snack.

An uncommon for Tampa blue headed vireo.

My first trip to Ding Darling.

On October 24, 2016October 25, 2016 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Vacation6 Comments

A cormorant and a green heron along the water.

A juvenile night heron filling up on fiddler crabs.

The fiddler crabs were out by the thousands since it was a low tide.

Pretty purple.

Mangroves at low tide. You can really see the oysters that have built up on the roots.

The water from the observation deck.

For years I have heard that Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge was the place to go to see birds. Half of Sanibel Island, just south of Fort Myers, is the refuge. It is on the east side of the island and runs along the water. There are lagoons and inlets all along the trail. It’s a paved driving trail over 4 miles long. We must have been there during the off season because we saw very few birds there. The winter snow birds hadn’t arrived yet, it was too early for fall migration and the summer birds had disappeared. It was still a beautiful place to visit. I walked most of the trail and Brett would drive ahead and then wait for me to catch up. It was too perfect outside to be in the car. I need to get back there in the winter.

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.

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