Foggy season has started

On March 16, 2026March 18, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

It was late November and foggy season had arrived. I love cool foggy morning walks so I headed to the Dunedin causeway. As I drove up this crow posed in front of my car. The fog wasn’t super thick but it was just enough to cast that weird winter spell.

The sun tried to peek through a few times as I walked over the bridge.

White pelicans were flying over my head. I really had wished I had my camera.

The tide was low and I could see the coral under the bridge.

The fog didn’t let up through my entire walk.

An osprey takes off after landing for a few minutes in the low tide.

A lone roseate spoonbill was feeding along the sea wall under the bridge. Even in the fog his bright pink feathers popped out.

An osprey eating a fish on the drawbridge gate. It would have been funny to see the gate start to go down while the osprey was on it but at least he got to eat his meal in peace. Not many tall boats out this morning.

A walk on Davis Islands

On February 4, 2026March 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights4 Comments

The heat was breaking by early November and Brett and I were going out often for an early lunch and then a quick walk at different places around the Tampa Bay area. One of our favorite places to walk that we had not been to in a long time was the yacht basin on Davis Islands, near downtown Tampa.

This small island got completely flooded when the hurricanes hit in late 2024 and there was still a lot of damage with people waiting to get their homes fixed. It looked like the yacht club had been redone because there were a lot of people over there and it looked like a sailing class was going on.

Standing on the seawall I could see a blue crab in the water.

We could see downtown Tampa from across the small private airport.

We stopped by the Marjorie Park yacht basin before leaving and had a short walk around the small marina. There are great views of Tampa from the back side of this marina.

A sunken boat and the heron ballet

On June 18, 2025July 10, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

I was on the Dunedin causeway for a walk in mid-March. The sun was shining and the weather was perfect for early spring. I walked both bridges this morning. I first walked the one farthest away from land and then stopped and walked the one closer to land on the way off the causeway. I usually only walk the back half of the causeway because there is less foot traffic but this morning was quiet and not a lot of people out walking.

I had not walked on the south side of this bridge in a long time, obviously since the 2 hurricanes because I noticed a sailboat sunk right up against the bumper almost under the bridge. Only the top of the mast was sticking out and it looked like it was wedged into the bumper. I could tell it had been there for a while.

A week later I was on the same bridge and the boat had just been pulled up, almost 6 months after it sank. It takes a long time for them to get all of the sunken or stranded boats out of the water. It looks like it would be headed for the junk yard.

The view from the first bridge. I can see Clearwater beach far away.

All ready to hit the water.

I noticed the great blue heron and snowy egret fishing together. The great blue heron was having more success.

All of a sudden the great blue heron started strutting around.

Then I realized there was another one walking up and they started strutting together. I’m not sure if they were flirting or staking their claim to that spot to feed. It looked like they were performing a ballet.

I stood there for about 10 minutes taking several videos of them. I kept hoping they would start mating. Eventually one of them flew off so I guess that one lost the spot (or mate? ).

Causeway birds

On April 9, 2025May 11, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

It was a beautiful cool morning in early January during my walk at the Dunedin Causeway.

After my walk I stopped at the lagoon (the end of the first bridge that’s hidden by tall mangroves). I had my camera in the car and was hoping there would be some shorebirds hiding back there. The above was taken with my phone and that boat looked farther away that it really was.

Zooming in with my camera I could see a belted kingfisher with a tiny fish on the sailboat mast.

After gulping down that first fish he made several passes in front of me before leaving without another fish.

The grumpy reddish egret was there and must have been full from his breakfast because he did not move or attempt to feed while I was there.

The white ibis were busy digging up tiny sea creatures to eat as they walked by me.

The other usual birds were there including a great egret and a great blue heron.

I stopped by a small hidden park near the causeway and noticed a marina in a cove just off the park. From this view it looked like they only had a little roof damage from the hurricanes but it’s hard to tell if the docks were damaged.

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.

Sunsetting on dolphins

On December 18, 2024January 21, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Florida animals, Vacation13 Comments

While on our “No power” road trip we booked a sunset/dolphin cruise in Vero Beach. We booked the tour through the Environmental Learning Center on the causeway and headed out at 4:30 pm with only a few other people on the boat since it was a little chilly.

We saw a few stranded boats along the way.

I was hoping thick clouds didn’t move in and hide the sun but the ones there made for an interesting sky.

We first saw a few dolphins chasing after fish and I barely caught a fish trying to get away.

We saw several more dolphins before the sun starting setting.

We ended the tour with a beautiful sunset. And, as the sun was setting I got a text from my neighbor that our electricity had just come back on after 7 days of being off. Luckily we were planning to go home the next day.

The sun was really putting on a show as we came back under the bridge and back to the dock.

Grinning ear to ear knowing we would have power when we got home the next day. We were very fortunate that we could pack up and leave and take a mini-vacation while the electricity was out back home. Some of my neighbors were able to go stay with friends in the area but since the power outage was so widespread there wasn’t many that had power the first few days.

Cloudy and sunny morning walks

On July 8, 2024July 13, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

I was out for a long walk in early May on the Dunedin causeway. There was a chance of rain but we had been dry for so long I didn’t think it would really rain. The south side of the causeway is sand and beach. The above is the north side, all rocks so you don’t really want to get in the water from this side. I like to walk on this side because there is less traffic. The tide was low and you can see the seaweed piled up on the rocks.

Far away you can see Tarpon Springs.

After walking on the causeway I headed over for a quick walk at the nearby marina. It still looked like it would rain which was nice because it kept it cooler.

I took a break on the floating dock to hang out with some pelicans. They are not shy here mostly because they are looking for a handout.

The sailboat that was stuck on the rocks was still there. It was in bad shape.

A few days later I was back on the causeway and this morning it was sunny and hot. The drought was in full force and we just wanted it to be cloudy so it wouldn’t be so hot.

Another walk around the marina and I saw a few of the usual birds besides pelicans. Great egrets and anhingas are always hanging out on the docked boats but I also saw something I had not seen here before. There were 2 northern rough-winged swallows (bottom shot). I only got a quick shot of one before it took off across the marina. I was wishing I had my camera with me and had to shoot with my phone.

Lots of stuff at the marina

On June 24, 2024July 13, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

It was early April and I was out for a morning walk at the Dunedin marina. It was quiet and the water was as smooth as glass. Smooth enough for me to notice that manatee coming up for air in the middle of the channel.

Some of the ladies from the sailing club had their little boats out but there was zero wind. I guess they were going to wait and see if it picked up later.

A recent storm had caused a bigger sailboat to get stranded on the rocks. The anchor must have come loose. This is a common sight after a big storm.

The purple martins were working on their nests. I took the above with my phone but I was glad I had put my camera in the car. I walked back to the car and headed back to the front of the marina to get some closer shots.

There were several house finches hopping around on the fence on the side of the marina. The male was really pretty, posing for me.

The purple martins were busy bringing in sticks and bugs but I couldn’t tell if they were actually feeding any babies in the martin house or just themselves.

A better shot of the manatee with my camera but he was heading out of the marina. You can see all of the barnacles on his back and face.

I noticed the pigeons on the top of the tall condo building next to the marina. One had landed on the slant and just slid down. He couldn’t seem to figure out how to land on the flat part. Or maybe he was sliding down for fun?

A morning out on water

On May 6, 2024June 4, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals, Tampa bay sights2 Comments

My sister and I were out at Sand Key beach early in the morning to look for shells since we had a 10am dolphin tour booked nearby. We didn’t find a lot of shells at this beach compared to Honeymoon Island but I did find some interesting clam shells. The 1st one looks like it had the insides coming out. I couldn’t tell if it was alive but the tide was coming in and would wash it back out. The next two are front and back of another shell I picked up. It had a lot of things living on it. The barnacles were still alive so I tossed it back in the water.

At the Clearwater marina, waiting for our boat tour to leave.

We went by the new Clearwater Sound. It’s an outdoor music venue that sits next to the big public library.

A view of the intercoastal waterway.

A view from the small spoil island we stopped at.

An empty urchin that Debbie found on the little beach. This came home with us.

Heading back into the marina. We saw lots of dolphins and I realized I didn’t take any pictures of them. I just had my phone with me and stayed in the back so everyone else could see the dolphins up close. It’s fun seeing the reactions when the kids see them.

Lunch was at an open air restaurant at the marina. Above is the view from our table.

We walked around a bit and saw some of the early half day fishing boats coming in after lunch. You can buy fresh fish right off the boat if they have a big catch. The pelicans hang around hoping for a hand out.

If you are ever in the Clearwater area I highly recommend taking the Encounters With Dolphins tour out of Clearwater Beach. We have taken several and always had a great time.

A wildlife boat tour

On March 18, 2024April 30, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals, Vacation2 Comments

While Brett and I were on our staycation on Manasota Key we took a boat ride/dolphin tour one morning. The boat wasn’t full since it was a little chilly so it was nice to have room to move around. We went down the intercoastal and out to Stump Pass to get out in the open water.

We passed several boats that were still stranded from Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Idalia. Ian (in 2022) did a lot of damage in the area. They still hadn’t fully recovered and Idalia came by (in 2023).

We passed an adult and a juvenile bald eagle that were sitting on a spit in the middle of the water. Looks like Junior followed Dad down to see how to get a drink of water (or catch a fish?). A little farther down we passed the nest. One adult was sitting in the tree. Thinking this is Mom.

As we made our way out of Stump Pass we could see dolphins swimming around nearby and lots of pelicans diving for fish.

This one had a big fish in his pouch.

We saw so many dolphins. Some were swimming right up against the boat and I couldn’t fit them all in and some were far out. It was a fun morning just floating around watching them come up for air.

On our way back we saw a handful of white pelicans napping on a spit.

We went in a few channels and this was a common sight. Many of the docks were still waiting to be fixed. The cormorants were taking advantage of the dock pilings not being used. Eighteen months after Hurricane Ian hit there were still a lot of roofs still covered and a lot of construction going on. One of the restaurants we ate at on the water had just recently opened back up after being closed for over a year. The waitress said everything in the restaurant was brand new.