A trip down south (south Florida)

On May 10, 2018April 13, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals, flowers and plants, Vacation5 Comments

Every year in the winter Brett and I head down to the Miami area for a long weekend to visit some relatives before it gets too hot. This past February we were looking for something to do with his aunt and uncle and were going to be close to Homestead one afternoon so we stopped at the Fruit and Spice Park. We were way down south of Miami right before heading to the Keys. Lots of farmland down there. The park is a farm that grows different exotic spices and fruits that you can tour. We took a long tram ride with a guide who explained all of the different plants that are farmed there. We got to taste and smell some of them. It was a nice way to relax and spend the afternoon outdoors and I took a ton of pictures.

The above Rainbow Gum tree was very cool. As the bark peels off, it exposes different colors. It can only be grown in frost-free areas of the country.

There were lots of critters crawling around from the pretty green lizard to the big iguanas. The kids on the tram went crazy over them and we stopped and were allowed to get pretty close.

More to come on this trip down “south”.

SkyWatch Friday

In the backyard

On January 8, 2018January 9, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography10 Comments

A house sparrow on our dock. They nest in the hole on the side of the dock.

A hawk sitting on our fence.

An anhinga getting a snack on our neighbor’s dock.

A woodpecker getting a snack on our palm tree.

A blue jay giving me a funny look while sitting on our neighbor’s boat.

Things on our muhly grass.

The moon in the backyard in the morning.

Just a few things in our backyard in the past couple of weeks.

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

The usual suspects at Lettuce Lake Park

On December 13, 2017December 13, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals5 Comments

The parks are full of white eyed vireos and phoebes right now.

“Common” yellowthroats are pretty common as well.

Doves get no respect even though they have pretty pink feet.

Limpkin eating a snail.

These are actually pretty cool bees, although I wouldn’t want to disturb that nest.

Gators and lizards.

Muhly grass in bloom.

Linking to Wednesday Around the World

Getting up close with Florida critters.

On October 9, 2017October 10, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

Up close with a ruddy duck.

And black bellied whistling ducks. One was missing an eye

A pretty lady wood duck.

A very important sign. Even the night heron standing in front of it should not be fed.

“Hooo’s there?” said the burrowing owl.

Crawling critters behind glass.

Growing inside the aquarium, the beauty berry can be see in the many of the parks around Tampa. The birds and critters eat the berries.

On the wall in the aquarium, this would make cool wallpaper.

A few things from a recent trip to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. When it’s too hot to see the fishies from the beach, it’s time to head inside at the aquarium.

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Fun morning at Fort Desoto

On June 15, 2017June 15, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

“Don’t go in there” said the lizard. “I had beans for lunch.”

Even the cactus were looking crispy from lack of rain.

On the fishing pier, the pelican stole the fish from the cormorant.

Flyby on the pier.

Cormorant with an itch.

Rush hour traffic in the gulf.

It was a windy morning so the kiteboarders were out.

SkyWatch Friday

A cute baby goat!

On May 15, 2017May 16, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn zoo animals2 Comments

Some very young chickens were out running around feeding on the main path.

A peacock was showing off.

Strutting around.

Creepy but pretty lizard.

I got to pet the “not quite week old” baby goat. Me and the other kids. He was so cute and friendly. I took this with my phone and was sitting on the ground watching him play.

Fun distractions on the weekend at Horsepower for Kids.

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In the backyard

On December 15, 2016December 15, 2016 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

I caught this anhinga about to take gulp of fish down at the other end of the channel.

The above were taken back in late October. The wintering belted kingfisher made an appearance in our channel and was hanging out on my neighbor’s dock. These were all taken over the course of the weekend. and all were through the bedroom window.

Then a few weeks later, I saw a different kingfisher on our dock. The female kingfishers have a rust colored band across their chest so I knew it wasn’t the same one from late October. So, now we have both a male and female hanging around our channel this winter. The female showed up on our dock late one day and was still there right before the sun went down. All taken through the bedroom window.

Some of the plants and crittes in our yard.

A great egret cruising through the backyard.

Taken from our driveway back in November.

A few things from our yard in November.

SkyWatch Friday

Assorted critters at the Botanical Gardens

On September 19, 2016September 20, 2016 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals7 Comments

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.

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Some new things at the Botanical Gardens

On August 1, 2016August 2, 2016 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals7 Comments

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.

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Hot walk at Circle B Bar Reserve and a missed opportunity

On June 27, 2016June 28, 2016 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography10 Comments

Sandhill cranes on the ground and in the air.

A red shoulder hawk hiding in the tree. I blew this out to get the details in his feathers to show up.

A young limpkin stretching.

A baby limpkin getting feed.

A tricolored heron along the water.

A baby great blue heron still on the nest. Looking all grown up but not yet ready to fly.

Green and orange flash in the bushes.

Alligators were everywhere. They were very loud since it was the beginning of mating season. Now one of the main trails is closed for the summer since the alligators spend a lot of time on the trails raising their young.

I was taking a picture of something else when I caught the above out of the corner of my eye. I quickly turned around to snap but I had the wrong settings to get a good clear picture of him. He was gone in a few seconds. I finally see one walking across the trail in front of me and did not get a good picture. I was bummed but at least I wasn’t missing a limb.

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