A 3 stop morning

On April 20, 2024April 17, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

I was on my way to Crescent Lake Park but stopped at nearby North Shore Park first to get a glimpse of the sun coming up over the bay. It was a beautiful morning in late January but also chilly and there wasn’t any birds on the beach.

I saw the white pelicans right when I got to Crescent Lake Park. Only about half of them were still there and I was thinking they would be gone before I made it back down here again. Luckily a few of them were right at the edge and I was able to see them close up.

I stopped at the Safety Harbor fishing pier on the way home. It was cloudy when I first got there and I saw the above common loon far out in the bay. A little later when the sun came back out I was hoping to get a better shot of him but I couldn’t find him again.

Brown pelicans were diving for fish and the laughing gulls were right on them when they came up with a mouthful of fish hoping to steal some of the fish.

Later when I was editing the pictures I realized one of the pelicans had a big scrape on his head. I went back out there the next morning but didn’t see him. He might have hit it on the pier if he was diving too close. I heard that happens to them at the Sunshine Skyway fishing pier.

Zooming in on Tampa across the bay.

I saw these horned grebes from far away and waited forever for them to get closer. They seemed to be heading towards the pier as they went under to get the fish. The few times I had seen them before this winter at the pier they were like little pin dots far out in the middle of the bay so I was glad they were getting closer. I haven’t seen them again since this visit.

Starting the new year off with a walk.

On April 8, 2024April 8, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn flowers and plants, Tampa bay sights4 Comments

The 2024 New Year’s Day sky at the Safety Harbor fishing pier. No sunrise this morning.

After walking around the park area for a while the clouds were starting to part and I could see blue sky.

I stopped at nearby Folly Farms for another walk before heading home. The holiday lights were still shining in the trees. It was hard to capture the lights in the daytime. Next Christmas I will try and get here at night to see the lights.

The weather was mild and there was a lot of color in the butterfly garden.

The balloon cotton-bush/balloon milkweed was full of caterpillars. It felt like spring and looked like spring but we still had our 2 coldest months to go.

The finished gnome statue had a butterfly in his hand on this trip. I was expecting at least a Santa hat on his head (he did have some lights strung around his neck though).

All taken with my phone.

🎵 “Here comes the sun” 🎵

On January 18, 2024January 8, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights4 Comments

In early October I was out for an early walk at the Safety Harbor fishing pier area. The sun was just coming up. I’m not often out this early. There’s usually a crowd when it’s not raining but this morning I was one of a few out.

I left the pier and headed for the mangrove boardwalk on the other side of the Safety Harbor Spa hotel.

The views along the walk.

As the sun was coming up higher, the clouds were starting to move in.

By the time I got back to the pier the clouds were moving out and it was going to be a perfect morning. I was glad I made the effort to get out early.

Sunny and stormy in the same morning.

On November 16, 2023November 12, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, flowers and plants7 Comments

I was out not very early one morning this summer and headed to Safety Harbor. I first stopped by the fishing pier hoping to see manatees. They were dredging the boat channel next to the pier and it must have scared away the manatees. I didn’t see any here while they were dredging.

I caught this anhinga catching some fish. Above were taken right into the sun.

Then she came around to the other side of the pier and caught what looked like a needlefish. After flipping it around a few times she swallowed it quickly.

Another sighting of a spotted eagle ray. It’s hard to get a good shot of them. They are so big and swim by really quickly, just under the surface.

I made a stop at nearby Folly Farms and was able to find a few tiny flying things in the butterfly garden. There were a lot of monarchs and bees but not much else.

Dark clouds had moved in so I went back over to the fishing pier before heading home. There was a great storm out in the bay right in front of the pier but no lightning. That rain did not make it over to my house. Ugh.

🎵 “Raindrops are falling on my head” 🎵

On October 26, 2023October 20, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights4 Comments

It was mid-July and we were expecting rain. We hadn’t had much in months so I was not holding my breath. It sure looked like rain was coming even though the sun kept peeking out so I went to the Dunedin marina to walk around and see if there were any rainbows or lightning. It started to rain so I made it back to my car.

I drove over to the Safety Harbor fishing pier where I could see pouring rain out in the bay. No rainbows or lightning though, not that I could see from the pier. But the weather had cooled off so it was nice being outside.

There’s a new statue in the park at the fishing pier.

I headed over to the Oldsmar pier, much closer to home and I could still see the rain out in the bay. We got a quick shower at home but not nearly as much as we needed. The ponds in my neighborhood were still almost empty at this point.

Floating potatoes on my walk

On October 14, 2023October 7, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals2 Comments

I went for a walk in Safety Harbor and stopped by the fishing pier before heading home. I immediately spotted a manatee swimming away from the pier. She had some interesting boat strike marks on her back. I was thinking she was heading for the boat channel so I thought this would be the only sighting.

A grackle with a snack that he stole from the garbage can is a regular sight here.

Pelicans were flying around. It looked like they were having a discussion over who got the best spot on the sign. After snapping the above I looked down and saw the below.

The manatee had come back around and got right under the pier. It had some friends as well. There were 4 swimming around this particular morning. The first 3 were taken with my phone. They do look like floating potatoes from up on the pier.

They eventually started swimming away from the pier but not before one of them slapped the water with his tail.

One of them stopped and started floating on his back. I don’t see this often.

Two spotted eagle rays came close to the pier.

Not that early in the morning

On June 8, 2023May 29, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights4 Comments

I wasn’t up and out of the house that early in the morning. But, early enough to catch the sun before it got too high in the sky. The Safety Harbor fishing pier is one of the best spots to see a sunrise in Pinellas County. There is usually a crowd but this weekday morning wasn’t too busy.

I lingered for a while on the pier watching the sun go up.

As I was leaving and driving down Main Street I realized that they had recently held the sidewalk chalk festival. I stopped and snapped a few shots before heading out.

I stopped at the Oldsmar pier before home and they were getting ready for the weekend carnival at the park. It was late March so I was assuming this was a spring break carnival. I walked out on the pier and could see the workers finishing the set up.

I turned around on the pier and saw my favorite crab trap guy out in the water. This time he was close to the pier and I could see him emptying the traps more clearly this time. I’m hoping one of these days I’ll get to meet him. I think he saw me taking his picture and he was probably thinking “What is she doing? I have a permit for these traps.” But I really just think it’s cool to be out in a small boat with tons of pelicans following him.

Out on the fishing pier

On June 1, 2023April 4, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

I spent a morning at the Safety Harbor fishing pier in late March. It was sunny when I first got there and I could just barely make out this kiteboarder cruising across upper Tampa bay. Tampa was just a shadow in the distance.

A sailboat anchored near the marina.

A cormorant guards the “no wake zone” sign.

Here’s the reason for the No wake and then Slow wake as you leave the marina. Manatees hang out here all year round.

It was low tide and the ibis were picking off tiny crabs.

A snowy egret feeding near the pier.

By the time I was about to leave the sky was dark and it looked like it was going to rain. I headed for my car not wanting to be out on the pier if lightning started but the sky said “Just kidding”. We are in a severe 25 year record drought right now. We are hoping the summer rains start soon.

A spring morning out

On May 15, 2023April 4, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals8 Comments

The water around the Safety Harbor fishing pier was really low the morning I was there in mid-March. There were a lot of shorebirds far out on a tiny spit. A few black bellied plovers, red knots and dowitchers were mixed in with tons of willets, gulls and terns.

Heading around the edge of some mangroves I could just make out 3 Canadian geese.

Several manatees were coming up for air.

A red-winged blackbird posing on the mangroves.

I stopped by Folly Farms on the way home. Lots of little critters there.

I rarely see butterflies mating.

Walking through a shower

On February 2, 2023January 27, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights3 Comments

I love these foggy winter mornings. It’s quiet and most people stay in when it’s like this. Right after Christmas I went out for a walk at the nearby Oldsmar pier. It was so damp that if felt like I was walking through a cool shower.

I then headed over to the Dunedin marina for a quick walk. The fog was almost gone but dark clouds had moved in and it started to drizzle.

I stopped at the Safety Harbor fishing pier on the way home (a slightly long detour) and the sun was trying to peek through.

I have been to the fishing pier at Safety Harbor a million times but I had never been in the hotel next door. I pass it as I’m doing my walk but I never stop in. I had heard their Christmas decorations in the lobby were pretty so I decided to check it out. It’s a fairly small lobby but still had a lot of history in it. One of these days I might have to eat at the restaurant here.