Butterflies and turtles.

On May 10, 2021March 7, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

You can usually find butterflies here in central Florida all year but in early March the gardens were full of them at the Florida Botanical Gardens. Lots of colors fluttering by.

It was a quiet birding morning. The highlights were a pileated woodpecker across the pond and a cute grebe not acting skittish.

This guy ignored me while he ate his breakfast.

After a walk around the gardens I stopped at the nearby McGough Park to visit the turtles. I thought the ones above were kissing but I think it’s just the angle.

Turtles were everywhere. On the grass and climbing on the rocks.

A shot of the turtle pond with my phone.

On the trail in early November

On February 1, 2021March 5, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

The yellow flowers were out in full force in early November at Circle B Bar Reserve.

Usual birds along the trail. That anhinga has something stuck on his beak. Hopefully he was able to scrap it off. He would be really hard to catch since his is flying and was on a stump in a lake full of alligators.

An eagle flew over my head along the trail.

Later I saw a young eagle sitting on a tree far off the trail close to the lake.

This one was close to the trail. Probably waiting for foot traffic to stop so he could cross.

A tree next to the lake was full of cormorants.

Scenes from the trail on this beautiful morning.

Parks close to home

On June 22, 2020June 9, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

A quick early walk at Chesnut Park in early May. The park started to get crowded pretty quickly so I left and headed out to another park close by.

Possum Branch Preserve was void of people but not many birds there either. At least it was a nice walk outside.

A few birds there included a juvenile night heron and a red bellied woodpecker.

I caught this common snapping turtle cruising down the back trail. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a snapper out in the wild. This one was pretty small.

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A typical January walk

On March 9, 2020March 9, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

Heading out on the trails, something flushed a flock of ibis across the marsh.

A perfect morning in January, cold and clear.

Morning glories along the trail.

The usual birds.

Crazy face hiding in the bushes.

Right over the trail, this osprey was eating fish.

A typical morning walk at Circle B Bar Reserve.

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The ladies were out at the Botanical Gardens

On December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography1 Comment

This female summer tanager did not mind me watching her while she feasted on a beautyberry bush. Or, maybe she didn’t see me. I was hiding in the bushes after all. She stayed for a few minutes filling up on berries and then took off.

A female indigo bunting was hiding in the bushes.

A female rose breasted grosbeak was eating something high up in the tree.

Female woodpeckers. A pileated and a downy.

Both males and females look the same for thrashers and green herons so these could be either.

The usual suspects at Chesnut Park.

On February 25, 2019February 26, 2019 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

Lots of different birds at Chesnut Park in early January but nothing new.

Bigger birds flying overhead.

I was trying to get some shots of the deer on the baseball field, She looked at me for a second and then took off to join her friends who were heading into the woods. Oh wait, that’s why they call them “white-tailed deer”.

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A beautiful red head

On June 5, 2018October 5, 2019 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

I heard this pileated woodpecker banging on the fallen log long before I saw him. He was right on the ground next to the parking lot at Chesnut Park. I sat down on the ground and watched him for a while. A few people passed by and he just glanced up and then kept on banging.That red stripe below the beak indicates that he’s a guy. He stayed busy for about 15 minutes. I finally got up and left him still going at it. He didn’t seem to be eating bugs under the bark. Later I stopped by there on my way out of the park and he was gone.

[Linking to Wednesday Around the World.

Lots of the same at Chesnut Park

On February 12, 2018February 13, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

Lots of deer in early January.

Lots of squirrels but that bottom looks a little rough.

Lots of little birds but nothing new.

Red shoulder hawks hiding along the trails.

Eagles flying far away across the lake. Both an adult and a juvenile.

Found these two ducks at a quiet end of a pond. I’m thinking they are pets that got dumped here. Someone left food in a small plastic container. I just hope they know enough to stay away from the gators.

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The punk bird

On August 5, 2017June 19, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

I recently stopped by Chesnut Park for a quick walk after work. It was very quiet at the park. Not many people there. I found this pileated woodpecker hanging around one of the parking lots. He was bouncing around from tree to tree and stopped and posed for me a few times. I just sat on the ground and watched him for a while. Eventually another woodpecker came calling over head and he took off. I think these guys deserve the “Coolest bird” category with their punk mohawk.