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.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

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? ).

More from hanging out at the “Bar”

On June 16, 2025July 10, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

More sunrise shots (taken farther down Heron Hideout Trail) from my visit to Circle B Bar Reserve in March after a 3 year hiatus.

The twin tree was still there.

I saw several male painted buntings feeding along the trail right as the sun was coming up. They were right on the trail and were not shy.

A female northern harrier made a pass overhead.

Trail views on Marsh Rabbit Run trail.

The usual birds were there including many glossy ibis and green herons.

The common club-rush plant was everywhere in the marsh. There used to be water here and now it’s all choked up.

Down at the end of the trail sits the end of Lake Hancock.

More alligators along the trail.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Back on the trail after 3 years.

On June 9, 2025July 10, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography1 Comment

I missed this sunrise. I hadn’t been out to Circle B Bar Reserve in 3 years. It was time to go back. Not much had changed. The trails looked the same in general. One of the main trails, Alligator Alley, was closed due to damage from the hurricanes last year but there is still a lot to see out here and many other trails. The sun was just coming up when I walked out on Heron Hideout trail in mid-March.

Looking out over the marsh at the intersection of Marsh Rabbit Run and Heron Hideout. Those cypress trees in the middle are still there.

Bur marigolds were still out in some spots along the trail. Their peak bloom is in November when the marsh is covered with them.

You have to look down below when getting close to edge on the raised trail. You never know what’s lurking in the marsh below.

A great blue heron showing off his breeding wispy feathers. He had his eye on something moving in the water and wasn’t paying any attention to me.

It was a quiet morning and very few people as I made my way down Marsh Rabbit Run trail. The ponds along this trail have gotten choked up with vegetation.

The moon was still up behind a cormorant.

A roseate spoonbill flies by.

I stopped by the great horned owl nest before leaving and could only see one baby sitting up. The other baby was sleeping behind him.

I took a lot more pictures so more to come on this trip.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Limpkins were kung fu fighting.

On May 31, 2025June 6, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

I was out at Largo Nature Preserve in mid-March just as the sun was up over the trees. It was a little chilly and you could see the reflection of the trees and sun over the mist on the small lake.

Yellow crowned night herons are common along the boardwalk and they nest in the trees on the lake. This one kept getting spooked by people walking by.

A green heron with beautiful pink legs was calling out to it’s mate.

After my lap on the boardwalk I walked out on the paved trail. As I came around the corner I saw 2 limpkins on the ground. At first I thought they were hurt or were they mating? They seemed to be fighting. Maybe it was a territorial dispute. They kept poking each other in the chest with their feet. It went on for a few minutes and then someone was walking towards them from the other side and they broke up.

They fought a few more times as they broke up and walked over to the water. Then one flew off down the canal. I guess the remaining one was the winner. They both looked uninjured.

A mirror image of a snowy egret getting a snack.

A soft shell turtle coming up for air.

Was it fall or spring in central Florida? The maple tree was turning red in March.

The best place for sunrise in Tampa

On May 19, 2025June 6, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Tampa bay sights6 Comments

The Sunshine Skyway bridge was all lite up in purple before the sun came up. I was heading to Fort Desoto Park, my first time back since last June (more on my visit posted last week here).

I was at the park when it opened at 7am and headed straight to East Beach for sunrise. It was too early for spring migration and I wasn’t sure if I would see any shorebirds up at north beach since that part of the park had just opened up since the hurricanes so I didn’t rush.

I stopped at the bay fishing pier for more sunrise shots.

After my walk at north beach I stopped back by the bay pier to look for dolphins and realized the back half of the pier was closed due to damage from the hurricanes. They just rebuilt this pier last year. I think the pier was okay but a lot of the railings were missing or falling off.

The cormorants were enjoying having the end of the pier to themselves without fishermen in the way.

I missed driving down this street. It leads to the longer gulf pier.

The gulf pier was open and in good shape. It was pretty empty since it was cold and windy. There were only a few people fishing and I didn’t see any dolphins.

Watching the big boats go by.

A jellyfish on the sand.

I stopped at the East Beach turnaround before leaving and there were a few kiteboarders out in the wind. I’m sure that water was cold.

A quick video of them coming back into shore.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Finally out on my favorite beach again

On May 14, 2025June 6, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Tampa bay sights9 Comments

It felt really good to be out on this beach in mid-February. My last visit to Fort Desoto Park was in June. I didn’t make it down here in the summer and then the hurricanes hit in September and October. The park had a lot of damage and was closed for several months. They opened back up in stages and the north beach area did not open until early February. To the naked eye it looked the same but there were small changes. The park rangers sifted through the sand on the main beach areas to clear all of the debris that had washed up on the beaches here. I was out at the beach just after the sun came up (I stopped at East Beach to get sunrise shots but more on those later).

It was low tide and I walked up to the end of Outback Key.

The sun coming up over seashells.

The back side of the lagoon had a lot of big clam shells that had washed up with the tide. The shells were empty and most were covered in barnacles. Wilson’s plovers were hiding among them. It’s a good place for them to nap because people wouldn’t be walking through those shells and stepping on them.

A piping plover walks by me with his orange legs.

All of the usual birds were on the beach including great blue herons, reddish egrets and a wintering ring-billed gull.

Almost to the northern end of the key. It was going to be a long walk back.

This guy got stranded in the low tide. It was going to be a while before that boat was getting out of that spot. The shorebirds were keeping him company.

I noticed that the grassy areas at the north tip were gone and found out that they didn’t wash away. They were covered with sand. In certain areas you could see how much more sand had stuck on the beach during the storms.

Sunrise over old Florida

On April 28, 2025May 11, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Tampa bay sights3 Comments

I love coming up to Chinsegut Wildlife Area early in the morning to catch the sun coming up over the trees.

Sunrise here is what I think old Florida looks like. Lots of tall old trees and fog.

There were lots of birds behind the nature center including the female painted buntings that were in the platform feeder.

There’s a large red headed woodpecker population here but I’ve never seen them come to the feeder area until this morning. This one posed nicely for me.

Then he flew down to the suet feeder and snacked for a few minutes. This is the closest I’ve seen one and there were a lot of people standing on the deck behind the center so he wasn’t shy.

After spending an hour at the nature center feeders looking for the Scott’s oriole (see previous post), I headed out for a walk on the trails.

I made my way down to the lake which is mostly choked up on this side and there isn’t much water here. It’s all grown in and I would have to walk much farther down to the end of the preserve to find the real lake.

The sun coming up over the wild stuff growing in the water.

The sweetgum trees were finally turning to fall colors in late January.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Typical shots from winter morning walks

On April 23, 2025May 11, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights9 Comments

Shots from my morning walk at the Safety Harbor (now damaged) fishing pier in late January. I love mornings like these, cold and sunny. I think I had a light jacket on over my long sleeve t-shirt. The tide was crazy low which is usual in the winter. I was able to walk down into the exposed sand and under the pier (which disappeared during Hurricane Helene).

I made my walk along the water (from the walkway) before heading back to my car through Safety Harbor.

The tide had gotten even lower when I got back to my car. That little boat had to make sure it stayed close to the channel markers or it would get stranded on the sand.

Another walk a few days later and the sun had come up over the clouds. The tide wasn’t as low this morning.

Morning walk in Safety Harbor

On February 19, 2025March 7, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn Tampa bay sights4 Comments

The poles from the missing Safety Harbor fishing pier are still standing. The birds love them. The city says it will be at least a year or two before a new one is built. It was late in the morning when I was taking a walk so I converted this to black and white instead of back lit shadows with my camera. I’m thinking of framing this.