Flying up high and swimming underneath

On March 25, 2026April 10, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals5 Comments

A few days before Christmas Brett and I went for a long walk along the water at the St. Pete Pier. As we drove into the parking lot I noticed the orchid trees were still blooming (although they were past the peak). I got out of the car and saw a flock of nanday parakeets flying into the tree right in front of our car. It was another one of those “I wish I had my camera” moments. Even though the parakeets blend into the leaves they were easy to spot because they were so LOUD.

The tide is usually super low in the winter.

We passed a party going on in the street. There was a DJ and they were playing music. They were dressed so colorfully and looked like they were having fun.

The entrance to the pier was decorated for the holidays.

We saw a lot of dolphins this morning.

These guys were cast netting for mullet. It’s hard to catch mullet with a fishing pole so most people use the nets. There were several boats along the pier pulling up the fish and the ones who had just arrived had the empty boats. The “mullet run” season runs September through November but they must have still been swimming around by the thousands in late December. I’m assuming there was going to be a lot of local restaurants with smoked mullet on the menu after this morning.

The dolphins were also doing some fishing in the same spot.

Climbing up the stairs of the pier to the top level, I could see Tampa far behind the sailing class.

Looking towards St. Pete.

On our walk back to the car I could hear more parakeets screaming as they fly by me under the sun.

They flew into a nearby palm tree and hung around for a few minutes before taking off again. These parakeets are wild here but not native to Florida. They were brought here from central America and have been growing in population since the 60’s.

Sunrise with some fun birds and a boat race

On July 14, 2025August 5, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography1 Comment

Another early morning at Fort Desoto Park in mid-April. I had heard there were some fun migrating birds seen in the park the day before so I got there when the park opened.

After stopping at a few areas known for migrating birds I finally made it out to the area where the birds were being seen. One side of the beach was full of people here for a paddle boat race. Luckily the birds I was looking for would not be on the beach and would be hidden in the bushes nearby.

For once I got lucky and saw the birds I was looking for pretty quickly. There were only a few birders looking around the mangrove bushes and the golden wing warbler was right in front. This is only the 2nd time I’ve heard of one being in the area. I saw it briefly in 2023 and got blurry shots of it.

The worm eating warbler was also there and I got one quick shot of it before it went deep in the bushes. I saw one here last year and had one in my backyard a few years earlier. Both birds were not common migrating birds that we get in the area.

After seeing the worm eating warbler I took a walk farther down the beach and when I got back an hour later a crowd had formed. Everyone was looking for the golden winged warbler. It had gone much deeper in the bushes and I was glad I was able to get some shots when I first got there. It was the weekend and this park gets crowded on the trails during migration. It’s okay because it’s more eyes to see what’s out there.

I could see barn swallows sitting high up on a dead tree farther behind the mangrove bushes. It’s rare to see them sitting.

An osprey flies by with a big stick for his nearby nest.

A little parakeet morning hanky-panky going on.

There wasn’t a large variety of birds this morning. Other than the 2 notable rare birds I first saw I also got shots of a summer tanager and a prairie warbler.

By now the paddle boats were out on the water and were moving fast. I couldn’t tell if it was an official race or a practice for one. It looked like a lot of fun but also a lot of work.

The water was calm when I stopped by the east beach turnaround before leaving looking for more birds (which I didn’t find). What a beautiful morning out.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Around the yard in early March

On June 2, 2025July 10, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, flowers and plants5 Comments

Things blooming in the front yard in March.

I was taking pictures of the flowers in the front yard and saw this ibis over by the pond across the street. I walked over and realized he had a snack (frog). He flew off with it in his beak.

The great crested flycatchers were back for the summer. I heard them calling when I was taking the garbage can out early one morning and ran in and got my camera. They stayed high up in the trees.

A brown thrasher was also in the trees in the front yard.

Swallow tail kites cruise along the golf course and they don’t hang around for long. I saw this one across the fairway from the window and ran outside with my camera. He flew close and quick right over my head and then flew off over the trees and was gone.

I don’t see snakes often in the yard so I was excited to see this harmless black racer cut across the yard. The first shot was through the window and then I crept outside and was able to get a shot of his face before he slithered under the neighbor’s bushes.

The bunnies have been coming by the back yard since January. They usually come right before dark and don’t stay long.

Nanday parakeets feeding on the bottle brush tree down the street.

Sunset from the front yard and across the street.

The full moon from the backyard in March.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Birds in the St. Pete parks

On May 17, 2025May 5, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

Towards the end of February I headed down to St. Pete, near downtown. I first stopped at Crescent Lake Park for a quick walk. The first thing I saw was this cute little pied grebe. I realized this one had his breeding beak on. We usually only see them in their non-breeding drab colors. This one had an all white beak with a black stripe down it which means he was ready to flirt. I heard weeks later that there were grebe babies there and I didn’t make it back down there to look for them.

There were only a few white pelicans left. Most had already left to go north for the summer.

Most of the wintering ducks were gone but this pretty lesser scaup was still there.

My next stop was at the North Shore Park waterfront for a longer walk. When I got back to my car I heard screaming from the tree in front of it and looked up and saw black capped (or nanday) parakeets. I grabbed my camera and started snapping. Isn’t three a crowd?

They were busy eating and being silly.

Some were already pairing up.

Some where huddling together in the cold (it was a little chilly this morning).

Some of the different colors of pigeons. I don’t see white ones or the red ash ones often.

Just a man walking his dog along the seawall.

A sailboat near the little bay beach.

Ducks and parakeets

On February 1, 2025January 22, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

I stopped by Crescent Lake Park near downtown St. Pete in early November looking for winter ducks. Lesser scaup and ringed neck ducks usually spend the winter in the lake but they weren’t there yet. All I got was the usual mallards. It was also too early for white pelicans that also winter here.

A turtle popped up across the lake.

It was good to see the old banyan tree was still standing after 2 hurricanes. It was missing a lot of branches from the top though. The big tree is fenced off to try and restore it and keep it safe from people climbing on it which damages the tree.

The much smaller banyan tree was snapped off.

I headed over to nearby Demen’s Landing Park for a quick walk before heading home. I could see the small private airport to the right and the St. Pete Pier to the left. That sailboat looks like it needs a new sail.

The newer pier is smaller than the old one that was torn down years ago. It only has a restaurant and a bar in it. The older one had several restaurants and stores and had a great top deck that you could walk around and see everything.

As I was walking back to my car I saw some nanday parakeets flying over. They landed in a tree near my car.

Some of them were busy gorging on seed and nuts from the tree.

This couple was busy flirting. It’s not really nesting season for them and it looks like she might have had a headache from that last picture.

A last trip to the beach for the summer.

On September 23, 2024November 14, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

It was early June and I was back out on the beach at Fort Desoto Park early in the morning. It had been 2 weeks since my last trip and I was hoping to find the baby oystercatchers again to see how much they had grown.

The first thing I spotted was a lone roseate spoonbill.

Then I found 2 of the baby oystercatchers. It took me a while to find them since they blend in so well. At first they were sleeping but then one got up and walked around.

I realized there was another area roped off near the lagoon. Closer to the water I could see both oystercatcher parents with the 3rd baby.

After a few minutes later both parents started to take a nap.

The smallest baby was wandering around while the parents slept. At this point I plopped down on the sand to take a break as well.

Eventually the parents and 3rd baby made their way back to the lagoon and joined the other 2 babies. They all walked around for a few minutes and then hunkered down for a nap again so I headed down the beach to see what else I could find.

This is a common sight along this area of the beach. Beach patrols go out and mark off turtle nests. They can usually find them by the drag of the Mom’s weight back to the water and the big hole her body makes as she lays the eggs. All of the nests are recorded and dated and they keep track of when they may hatch. Since they hatch at night and the park is closed at night the babies aren’t usually disturbed trying to get to the water.

Someone’s artwork in the sand.

I was there early enough to have the beach almost to myself. There was a few other photographers there as well.

When I was leaving I found these nanday parakeets near the parking lot.

I didn’t make it back out to the park this summer. It’s just too hot and there hasn’t been much sighted during this time. I’m hoping the white pelicans will be back in October and I’ll make the trip if I hear they are back.

More sunrise and birds

On June 20, 2024July 13, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography8 Comments

Another week in April and another trip down to Fort Desoto Park early in the morning. The beach looks deserted here but there were 20-30 people nearby looking in the bushes for birds.

When I walked out on the beach to get the sunrise picture I noticed a flock of royal terns along the water. It looked like they were pairing up. The males were bringing in fish to give to the ladies and some pairs were doing their mating dance. I didn’t see any actually mating on this morning.

The nanday parakeets were busy in their usual spot along the dead trees on the beach trail.

There wasn’t a lot of migrating birds this morning but I did manage to find a few. An indigo bunting was resting in the mangroves.

Prairie warblers were plentiful this migration.

A male orchard oriole high up in the tree.

We saw this plant with red fruit on it along one of the wooded trails. I don’t remember seeing it before. I think it’s an elliptica yellowwood. Not a Florida native plant but it was pretty. The park has been killing or pulling out all of the non-native plants in the park but they must have missed this one.

I stopped by the East Beach turnaround to look for shorebirds. It was quiet here as the sun was high up at this point.

A cargo ship goes by.

It was windy by the time I was taking my walk on the fishing pier before leaving.

A morning walk at Fort Desoto Park

On May 20, 2024June 4, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

It was too early for Spring migration in mid-March but I wanted to take a walk out on the beach at Fort Desoto. I went straight out to the north beach area. I stopped half way and took the above. The first is looking back towards the parking lot and the second is looking north to the tip where I was headed.

There wasn’t a lot of shorebirds on the beach but I did see a few snowy plovers. These little shorebirds are state designated “Threatened”. This is the only place I’ve seen them and not very often although I’ve heard there are some on the beaches in Sarasota.

This little piping plover was across the lagoon and I didn’t notice his missing feet until I was editing the pictures and cropped this up.

Oystercatchers flying by.

After walking the beach I headed over to the east beach trail for a quick walk. No little birds but the nanday parakeets were acting their usual crazy selves. This couple kept getting interrupted but finally had a little alone time.

An osprey takes off and flies right by me.

I always stop at the long gulf pier before leaving and this time there were dolphins swimming close to the pier.

You can really see the scars on the above’s back and fin.

There were 2 female red breasted mergansers taking a bath right at the beginning of the pier. Not sure if it’s really a bath since they spend most of their time in water but they seemed to be cleaning up after a feeding.

A cold winter morning in St. Pete.

On March 25, 2024April 30, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

European starlings get no respect here. They are treated like annoying pigeons. They are an invasive species here in the United States but they are pretty when the sun hits them just right. I found this one alone at Crescent Lake Park in St. Pete. I stopped for a quick walk and to see if the white pelicans were still there.

This wood stork was feeding right in front of me. I did find the white pelicans and took a ton of shots of them feeding but more on them later.

After a walk around the lake I drove 10 minutes over to the North Shore Park on the bay. As soon as I got out of my car I heard the monk parakeets feeding on the ground in the parking lot.

There were very few birds on the little beach in front of the park.

The tide was really low and this guy was having the best time chasing after a big stick.

A grackle was calling for his girlfriend.

It looks like it was a quiet morning from this point of view but behind me there were tons of people walking, jogging and biking on the wide sidewalk that runs along the park. It was a cold morning so there wasn’t anyone out on the beach.

My favorite 5 tall palm trees on the beach at the park. The sky was clearing up.

The parking lot has several orchid trees that were in full bloom. I was getting in my car when I heard a big flock of nanday parakeets fly into the one right next to my car. I got out and shot the above before they all took off again.

A productive bike ride in the neighborhood

On December 9, 2023December 9, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

I was heading out of my street on my bike one morning when I saw a black bellied whistling duck sitting on the side of the lake across the street from our home. This was the first time I’ve seen one in our neighborhood.

I pedaled around to the big open utility field and stopped to take some shots of the above deer. I don’t see bucks often so I had to stop and get a shot of him even if it was across the field.

Yes, more turkey shots. I was cruising around and saw some turkeys up on a roof. They must have had a pretty good view from up there. Eventually they started coming down and pecking around in the grass.

I ran into some nanday parakeets that were feeding on someone’s feeder.

My 2nd neighborhood fawn sighting. This Mom only had 1 baby. They crossed the street and went behind someone’s house that backed up to some woods.

I was waiting at a stop sign for traffic to move (but really just taking a rest) and heard a black bellied whistling duck. I looked over and there were 2 sitting under a tree near the main road into the neighborhood. I started snapping some shots and realized they had babies with them. There was a pond nearby but they were not that close to it.

They headed down into the ditch and made their way towards the pond. Of course they went to the pond that had houses around them so I lost sight of them. I didn’t want to walk into someone’s backyard (as tempting as that was). These were taken across the street and heavily cropped. Those babies stayed close to Mom. A third whistler showed up as they were heading to the pond. I wonder if it was the same one that was in the lake across from our house. I didn’t see it there again.