Tag: monk parakeets

Snail for lunch

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

I pulled into the parking lot at Largo Nature Preserve and these guys were hanging out in the tree right over my car. If your choice in Florida is parking in the shade and risking bird poop on your car or parking in the sun, you park in the shade.

The tricolored heron was flitting around the boardwalk. I think he was trying to catch dragonflies.

I don’t see red ones often.

This guy was sleeping in the tree but woke up to scratch an itch.

I was excited to see the fuzzy baby limpkin.

Mom was feeding him apple snails.  Mom would pull the meat out of the snail with the end of her beak and give to the baby. By the time I found them it was almost noon and the sun was harsh. I didn’t stay long. It was time for me to head home for lunch as well.

My Corner of the World

Birds, Bunnies and Squirrels, Oh My!

On 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 fun things in a small park.

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

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 I can always find green herons at this lake.

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

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Lots of young blue jays.

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A grackle with a yummy snack.

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

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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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Blending in

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography16 Comments

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I couldn’t see them at first but could hear them screaming from across the lake. As I got closer I could see movement in the trees and in the grass below. You can usually find wild monk parakeets at Crescent Lake park near downtown St. Petersburg if you listen for them. They are really loud. I sat under the tree for a few minutes and watched them. They were eating bugs in the grass and flirting in the trees. This was in late June so they must have still been nesting. They nest high up in the water tower near the lake.

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