A cold afternoon with some birds on the beach

On May 20, 2026May 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

While my sister was visiting in February we stopped by the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary. The sanctuary is a hospital, rescue, rehab and release facility that admits around 3500+ injured birds a year. About 46% are successfully rehabilitated. You can always see a lot of wild birds hanging around the sanctuary, hoping for a free snack.

Checking out the resident pelicans. The residents all have permanent injuries and have a home here.

Wild great egrets nest in the tall trees over the sanctuary. I could hear some babies clacking high up in the tree that I couldn’t see and some adults were still building nests.

Great blue herons also nest here and this nest had a baby (follow the yellow arrow). He was still pretty small and I could just barely make out the fuzz on his head.

This couple was still flirting.

Wild pelicans also nest high up in the trees. They might be former rehabilitated patients or babies that were born here and released.

The wild pelicans are pretty docile and will walk right up to you (hoping for a handout). I took the above with my phone.

The sanctuary is right on the beach and they have a 2 story deck with a great view. The only reason this beach was not busy was because it was cold the afternoon we were there (high of 45 degrees).

A wild black vulture was trying to hide from me on the top deck.

The sanctuary had massive damage from the hurricanes in late 2024. They are still rebuilding enclosures and trying to catch up. You can read about the damage and see pictures here.

Where wild Moms raise their kids

On May 9, 2026April 22, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals6 Comments

Moms raising their kids on the ground. A brown thrasher feeding her almost grown baby and starlings babies begging for that worm.

A tiny Mom, the ruby throated hummingbird, raising her baby in a tiny nest the size of a golf ball high up in a tree.

Moms raising babies up in trees include the pileated woodpecker and great horned owls.

These Moms raise their babies in rookeries, often high in trees or bushes over ponds with alligators to keep the babies safe from snakes and raccoons. These are roseate spoonbills, snowy egrets, great egrets and little blue herons.

Raising babies near water and often with many kids to keep up with include mute swans, limpkins, wood ducks and geese.

Skimmers and oystercatchers raise their babies on the beach.

This is one tough Mom. Since Pinellas county is so overpopulated most eagles nest in utility towers or cell towers. There are only a few out of 40+ couples that are in trees. This single parent Mom, in my neighborhood, lost her mate this winter when her babies were just starting to grow up. She raised these babies alone, getting food for them non-stop all day. She did get a boyfriend later on to keep her company. I’ll have more on this eagle soap opera later.

Big critters raising their babies in the woods.

A pretty red tree and a big alligator

On August 30, 2025September 6, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

I made another trip to the bird rookery in north Tampa in early May. The royal poinciana tree near the little park area was blooming and the wood storks were hanging out in it while taking a break from feeding the little ones.

A wood stork flew right in front of me and got a drink of water.

The baby great egrets were screaming to be fed.

A young black crowned night heron was also screaming for Mom to feed him.

A young moorhen gets a snack from Mom.

There were a lot of glossy ibis but they stayed in the far back and it’s hard to see their babies until they are flying.

A female anhinga panting in the heat.

I’ve seen tiny alligators in the pond but this was the first big one I’ve seen here. He climbed right up on the bank and plopped down for a while.

He walked around the bank and into the street, then turned around and headed back down in the pond and under the water. I had my 600mm lens with me so these are pretty far away and cropped up.

Tiny rare babies growing up on the beach

On August 16, 2025September 6, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography8 Comments

It was May 1st and I was back at Fort Desoto Park early. The sun was already up when I drove over the bridge into the park. I had a feeling the oystercatcher eggs might have hatched earlier this week so I wanted to get out on the beach early.

I had a short hike out to the oystercatcher nest but I got distracted by the spoonbills feeding in the tidal pool just off the parking lot. There were also several tricolored herons feeding.

I don’t see yellowlegs here often so I had to stop for a shot of it as well.

I made it out to the nesting area and the babies were already on the move. The area had been roped off so people wouldn’t trample through the nesting area and the parents were feeding the babies inside the roped area. There were three eggs but only two hatched. One hatched late Tuesday, one hatched Wednesday and I was there early Thursday morning.

They were so tiny and hard to spot across the roped off area. They stayed close to the parents as one parent would take off and then come back 5-10 minutes later with food. I was taking these with my 180-600mm zoom lens and they are cropped so they were really far away.

As we waited for the parents to bring in food to the babies we got distracted by the reddish egrets coming by including the white morph one.

Skimmers flying by.

Mom had a juicy piece of food in her beak, maybe a piece of clam.

After a while the babies got tired and plopped down for a long nap so I headed out. There were a handful of photographers there and several bird stewards watching the area so people don’t get too close. The bird stewards are all volunteers and keep watch over the nest and these rare babies while they grow up making sure they are safe from the tourist crowds.

There was an osprey nest in between the beach and the parking lot so I stopped for a few minutes and caught both babies looking at Mom.

Babes in the woods

On July 12, 2025August 5, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

As soon as I walked up to this tree these 2 heads popped out. I wasn’t the first to see these juvenile pileated woodpeckers. This was a known nest and was easy to find. I didn’t get to the park until the babies were almost grown though. I had heard there were big crowds watching when they were much smaller so I waited until the frenzy wore off.

Mom came in several times to feed them.

Once the parent left to go get more food the babies would quiet down for a while until the parent came flying back in and then the screaming started back up. This was Dad flying in (only the males have a red streak across their cheek).

We were quietly waiting for a parent to fly back when we heard some banging on the ground right in front of us. Dad was banging around looking for bugs.

He was right at our feet and I took the above video with my phone.

One more feeding from Mom and I was ready to go home and eat lunch. These babies fledge a few days later.

A new owl family

On July 7, 2025August 5, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

I was thinking I had missed the baby owl season when I went for a walk at Chesnut Park in early April. There was a 2nd barred owl family and my timing was pretty good. Both babies were right on the boardwalk.

The oldest baby was so cute, looking around at everything with such curiosity.

Mom was nearby watching both babies.

The younger baby was just a little bit fuzzier than it’s older sibling and was sitting lower in another tree. I waited a short while to see if Mom would get some food and feed them but they all stayed in their spots so I headed down the boardwalk to see what else I could find.

A rabbit was chomping on the grass out in the field.

The lake looked good enough to jump in but I knew it was filled with alligators. Yes, people ski on this lake but they say the alligators stay close to the edges in the quiet spots. I wouldn’t risk it.

A few fly overs included a swallow tail kite and a great egret.

This limpkin had a yummy snack. He had pulled the meat out of an apple snail and was gulping it down in pieces.

Before leaving I stopped by the owl area again and the babies had moved farther back into the woods. I saw Mom sitting on a branch right up against the trail. Then I noticed a squirrel was on the same branch farther down and was climbing up near the owl. They were so close I took the above with my phone.

A short video of the squirrel getting closer to the owl. I couldn’t decide if the squirrel was stupid, brave or crazy. He would run up to the owl and then run down again and did this several times. Finally the squirrel jumped off the branch and ran under the boardwalk. Mom owl just sat there. She must have already eaten.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Nesting season was in full swing.

On July 5, 2025August 5, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

In early April I made the first trip of the bird nesting season to the north Tampa bird rookery. The small island in the middle of the big pond looked the same as last year. The cypress tree closest to land had fallen down and was laying on it’s side in the pond. The only remaining tree was in the far back and it was full of cormorants nesting.

The great egrets were busy flirting and showing off their breeding feathers. Even though there were a lot of babies many of them were just getting started.

I could easily see two great egret nests. One had chicks a little older than the other.

Some of the other nests had some babies screaming for Mom to feed them.

This nest had some older babies and Mom was busy feeding them. In the last shot you can see some regurgitated fish sliding down Mom’s throat and into the baby’s beak.

Wood storks staying cool in the heat of the afternoon.

A full wood stork nest with three babies. The one laying down on the left looks much younger than his siblings.

An older wood stork baby posing for the camera.

Watching the National bird grow up

On July 2, 2025August 5, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

Sunrise at the eagle’s nest in my neighborhood. I was trying to get there early every few days since the baby was the most active in the mornings.

The lone baby was sitting in the nest waiting for a parent to bring food. Mom was sitting up in the same tower and she was probably wondering where Dad was with the squirrel or fish.

A few days later I was able to see him flapping his wings in place, building up his strength for that first big flight.

A few days later he was getting some air and made it over to the edge of the railing. It makes me nervous to see them first flying up to the edge. It would be easy for him to flap too hard and end up on the ground and not be able to get back up on the tower. That happened 2 years ago with one of the babies. Luckily some early morning dog walkers saw it and let me know it was on the ground. You can read more about the rescue in that post here.

This was taken with my phone and you can see how high up the towers are. The nest is in the right tower (on the top left side). That baby looks like a pin dot without binoculars or a long camera lens. I was using my 400mm lens for the up-close shots.

Scrambled eggs for breakfast

On June 28, 2025June 13, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

The birds were enjoying the peace at the damaged pier in Safety Harbor in early April. I started my walk out here and then looped around by Main Street and back past the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa.

I couldn’t decide if it was going to be sunny or cloudy. It looked clear but looking towards Tampa I could see a haze hanging low near the skyline.

When I was almost back to my car I saw the above. A baby house sparrow sticking his head out of the front of the hotel overhang. I hurried back to my car to get my camera.

When I got back I noticed several adults had some yellow stuff in their beaks. I realized it was eggs. The outdoor breakfast restaurant was just off to the side and someone had left some eggs on a plate and the server had not come back to get the plates.

They were feeding the babies scrambled eggs. There were two families underneath the overhang and this one was more visible.

There were two on the left side and they were waiting for Dad to bring back more eggs.

Both parents were busy hauling eggs to the babies before the plate was taken away. What an easy meal.

One last shot before heading home.

Around the yard in late March

On June 23, 2025July 10, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

Things blooming in the front yard in late March. The bottom one is a fire star orchid that was gifted to my neighbor from a friend who was moving. It’s a huge potted plant that is full of blooms. When she brought it home in the winter it was a pile of dead sticks. She said her friend said to trust her and wait until spring.

We had another dove couple (or it might have been the same couple from the other tree) nesting on a palm tree on the other side of our driveway. They nested much higher up and I could only get a shot of one baby when it was getting big although there were two. They grew up so fast and were gone before I could get another shot of them.

Fred spends the afternoon sleeping on the old small trellis in front of our window. He’s got distinctive ridges on his back and he never runs away when I get close to the window.

We finally got a new bird bath. The old plastic one covered in metal lasted 20 years but was falling apart in the Florida weather. The squirrels love the new one.

Birds coming to the backyard in late March included a great crested flycatcher (the first 2 shots). I think he was going to get a drink but wasn’t sure with the fountain going. Northern parulas were plentiful in the yard and I don’t know what that crow had in his beak. He might have gotten a mouthful of leaves with a caterpillar or maybe he was building a nest?

Right before dark I was going out to get the mail and I kept hearing black bellied whistling ducks calling from the pond. One day I took my camera and walked across the street and saw them sitting on the bank on the other side. For at least 2 weeks they would come in late in the day. I wondered if they were nesting nearby but I couldn’t start walking through people’s backyards looking, could I?

This is when I would hear them whistling. Right before the sun went down behind the trees across the pond.

The sun was coming up through the fog one morning as I was heading to the grocery store.

I knew the eagles in my neighborhood were sitting on eggs in the nest for a while and eventually I saw them sitting up on the edge of the tower and had been bringing in food. I was thinking maybe the babies had hatched but it would be a while before they were big enough for me to see them.

Finally, weeks later I could get a decent shot of the baby. I had seen glimpses of gray fuzz for a few weeks but now I could see the face. It looked like there was only one baby.

A week later the baby was much bigger and I could see one of the parents feeding it on the nest. I’m glad they have a baby. The Dad is a first time dad since he was only a 4th year juvenile last year when he started “dating” the Mom who had lost her mate earlier that year. You can read my post about the loss of the eagle family last March here.

Dad flies off to get more food.

One day another juvenile eagle went flying over the nest. The parent chased him away. It might have been a baby from the nest on the other side of the neighborhood. Those babies were born much earlier but it’s too far away to get pictures of that nest.