A two park morning

The Florida Botanical Gardens was very quiet in late January (as it should be). It was cool out and was really looking like winter. Only a blue jay and brown thrasher made an appearance.

Heading over to nearby Largo Nature Preserve, I happen to see some drama going on with the muscovy ducks. A male intruder was trying to mate with a female who had a mate right beside her. The boyfriend tried unsuccessfully to run off the intruder. After the intruder mated and left, the female’s mate mated her as well. She was having a rough morning.

A pileated woodpecker pair were doing some damage to this utlity pole. Maybe working on a new nest? You can see the male has a red stripe on his cheek.

Lots of plants blooming at both parks.

image-in-ing: weekly photo linkup

Our World Tuesday Graphic

All ducks matter

dsc_7656 dsc_7658 dsc_7660

dsc_7737

dsc_7740

dsc_7745

dsc_7746

dsc_7751

The muscovy ducks at Crescent Lake Park near downtown St. Pete get a bad rap. Yes they are loud and messy but part of the problem is that people have been feeding them for years.  It’s fun to go for a walk at the lake and take an old bag of bread and watch the little kids get all excited, until, the ducks start attacking because they want more food. On Saturday mornings when I’m at the park, the ducks seem pretty quiet.  They may check me out for a few minutes to see if I’m going to feed them but usually leave me alone.  The geese are worse. They will attack if you get close and don’t have food for them. But hey, it’s a park where wild things live. If you don’t like the wild things, then move away from the lake or park.