Winter visitors to the yard.

On March 16, 2024March 7, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

Pine warblers have been regular visitors to the backyard this winter. They don’t mind that the woodpeckers are on the suet feeder.

A yellow throated warbler has stopped by only a few times this winter. He doesn’t stay around long. Getting a bite and taking a dip, then he’s gone.

The backyard has been full of yellow rumped warblers.

This year round Carolina wren found a good bug right up against our sunroom door.

Squirrels being cute. It seemed too early for them to be frisky in December but I guess they are frisky all year round here.

I was pressure washing the driveway and saw this guy near our garage door. I dropped everything and went in and got my camera. I rarely see praying mantis so it was cool to have one in my yard. But I didn’t want him to get into the garage so I got a stick and moved him over to the plants.

Later I went outside to see if I could find him and he was still slowly moving around our little courtyard.

Our camelia bush started blooming in mid-December.

Winter skies across the street.

Staycation on a new beach

On March 11, 2024April 30, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation4 Comments

Brett and I had a week long staycation in mid-December. We drove 2 hours south to Manasota Key, a barrier island off Englewood (south of Venice, Florida). We rented a old condo right on the beach and spent the week just hanging out. We got down there too early to go to the condo so we took a long walk next door at Stump Pass Beach State Park. The weather was mild, around 60 degrees, and we had the park almost to ourselves.

Someone had made a shell tree.

On the beach side looking towards town. It’s weird seeing an empty beach. The shelling was pretty good and I came home with a jar full of shells.

We hiked down the beach and then back up the backside of the barrier island.

When we got to our condo we spent some time just chilling on the beach.

We were going to have an early dinner but I told Brett we couldn’t leave until sunset and I’m glad we waited. This was the only night we had one. This was the view from our condo.

As the sun went down I ran out to the beach to shoot the above with my phone.

This was taken from our living room.

We spent some time reading on the beach and went for long walks. We went on a long dolphin tour but more on that later.

One morning we drove up to Venice and walked along Caspersen Beach, know for a good place to find shark teeth. There were many people here with sifters looking along the rocks for them.

We then went to the Venice fishing pier and had lunch nearby. It was a little chilly this morning as we walked on the pier.

The last day we were there was sunny and warmer so we spent some time hanging out on the beach and walking around the area.

Sunset at 3 miles out

On December 14, 2023December 5, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

Brett had a cousin come in town for a visit and we chartered a boat with his family for a sunset cruise. It had rained most of the day and we were not sure if we would get out on the water but it stopped raining right before we left the marina. The trip took us down the intercoastal waterway before heading out for open water and we passed by the pink hotel on the beach (the Don Cesar hotel).

The clouds were starting to break up and there were more boats out on the water than I thought would be for starting out so yucky.

We were pretty far out and I kept thinking “Any minute now the sun will come out”. Brett was watching the 2 gulls fly by.

We were just starting to head back to the marina when that orange ball popped out.

Everything looked orange as we headed back through the intercoastal waterway and passed under the bridge taking us back to the marina.

When we got back the sun had just gone down and was turning the clouds orange. The moon looked almost full through the clouds. I loved the reflection on the water.

It’s turkey week on the blog

On November 23, 2023November 23, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

I’m continuing with turkey week. Only these aren’t recipes for what to cook for today’s Thanksgiving festivities. These are wild turkeys in my backyard. (Full disclosure – I am not a vegetarian. I’ll probably be eating a little turkey later today, one bought from a store). A Mom with her lone baby was feeding around in our backyard one afternoon. I went outside with my camera and was sitting in the patio chair taking these.

As I was watching baby I could see the older juvenile turkeys across the fairway. They started heading over to our side of the cart path and towards the tree island behind the building next door.

The Mom and baby started to make their way over to where the older turkeys were. I was wondering if the older turkey family would let this baby hang out with them or chase it away. I’m hoping Mom was ready to get her baby out of there but she was heading right for them.

I followed Mom and baby over to the newly formed tiny pond from the recent rain. The adults were feeding in the water, scratching around in the muck. The Mom of the juvenile turkeys was standing close by watching them feed in the water. I didn’t get too close and was taking these with my 400mm lens.

Mom and baby kept their distance. They were watching for a few minutes and then left and headed over back towards my home so I followed them back.

A few minutes later the older ones cruised by my neighbor’s yard and went around the building and left.

I eventually went around to the front yard to look for the older turkey family and saw a yellow crowned night heron and a limpkin in the lake across the street.

The sun going down through the trees.

Red clouds in the backyard later in the week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

May in the backyard

On August 14, 2023April 6, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

It was mid-May and the backyard was blooming. The hanging shrimp plant really made the backyard pop. Bees were always visiting it but one day I was out with my camera and caught the tiny moth on the underside of the petals.

The titmouse was watching the big ants inside the hummingbird feeder. He was trying to understand why he couldn’t get to them (I have since changed to a bigger hummingbird feeder and the ants don’t seem to get on the new one as much).

The juvenile titmouse were usually on the feeder but this morning I saw them bouncing around the small palm tree up against our house.

We still had northern parulas in late May.

Mom Carolina wren was calling her young ones to follow her. She was sitting on our garage roof and I could see her through the kitchen window.

Her two almost grown babies were playing around in the small tree in front of our kitchen window. One came close to the window and stared at me. I can still see a little baby yellow around the beak.

I’m always looking out the back window to see if any critters are cruising by and one day I saw a turtle walking down the fairway. He eventually made it over to the pond. I could see the silhouette of a bluebird behind him.

An almost cloudless sunset. We’ve gotten a little rain since May but not much.

I was sitting at the pool reading and looked up and saw the sun halo.

The backyard in early May

On July 24, 2023April 5, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography9 Comments

My neighbor’s plumeria plant was blooming in early May. I was able to snap the above before the squirrels ate them.

The young Carolina wrens were looking for food in the bushes. Mom was still feeding them bugs. The young ones are as big as Mom but they still have a lot of yellow around their beaks.

I hadn’t been seeing many bluebirds in the backyard (I think they have been nesting). I saw this young one sitting on our feeder and then others started showing up again.

The first week in May was the last time I saw a parula. They must all be north for the summer (I don’t blame them although this year it may be just as hot up there).

By early May I was getting hummingbirds every day at the feeder. The male only showed up the first few days and now I only see females.

The squirrels were still getting frisky.

By now the only birds coming to the suet were woodpeckers and blue jays. Once this one was gone I took the basket down for the summer.

A butterfly on the lantana basket.

The sunset shining through the moss across the street.

Intruder alert

On June 19, 2023April 4, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

It was the beginning of April and I was checking on the lone eaglet in my neighborhood almost every day. At least driving by the nest to see if it was still up there. He was busy flapping every morning and I was hoping he didn’t end up falling off the nest too early like his sibling.

I stopped by right before sunset one afternoon and saw a juvenile on the other tower. At first I thought the baby had flown over but I saw him sitting on the nest so I called Louise to check if the baby that had fallen off the nest the week before had been returned to the area and she said it was still in Orlando at the eagle rehab. I think this was a juvenile from the nest on the other side of the neighborhood. He had flown by a few days before but one of the parents chased him off before he landed.

Mom flew overhead several times and landed on the other side of the nest tower. She didn’t seem to mind the new juvenile on the other tower and didn’t chase him away this time.

After a while the intruder flew over to the nest tower and landed near the nest.

Baby was yelling and flapping. I don’t think Baby wanted this intruder to come near the nest. Eventually the intruder flew off and headed back to his side of the neighborhood.

A few other birds stopping by before sunset. I could see a roseate spoonbill flying far across the utility field. There are always a lot of woodpeckers around and these two doves were keeping an eye on me.

A quick shot of the sun going down at the eagle nest.

Cruising through the neighborhood

On March 16, 2023March 15, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals6 Comments

Late one afternoon in mid-February I hopped on my bike and took a spin around the neighborhood. My first stop was the eagle’s nest to see if I could see the babies yet (No, not yet) and then was stopping at all of the ponds to see what else I could find. I came across a sandhill crane couple walking along the golf course near the road. I stopped for a few minutes and watched them as they headed for the back of the golf club.

Today was alligator day in the neighborhood. Four of the ponds I stopped at had alligators snoozing along the bank. Alligators are everywhere in central Florida, if there’s water there is an alligator in there, even if you can’t see him. They are pretty skittish and would jump in the water if I started heading down the grass (no, I would never do that though). If you live here you know to stay away from the edge and keep your pets away as well.

A black crowned night heron snoozing over one of the ponds.

It was a warm afternoon and this great blue heron was already panting from the heat.

I see this great blue heron almost everyday near the entrance to my subdivision. He’s got his pretty breeding colors on his face. I kept hoping to see a nest nearby and if there is one it’s hiding far down the creek.

Far across the utility field I could see some nanday parakeets.

The sun was going down on my way home.

Hoping for babies

On March 6, 2023March 6, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

At the end of January I was still checking on the eagle nest in the neighborhood but still had not seen any sign of a baby with the exception of both adults on the nest most of the time. They are late compared to last year and all of the other nests around the area. I saw one of the parents bringing in food so I’m thinking the baby was still too small to see from here.

I had seen one kestrel a few days earlier but on another visit there were two sitting on the bat box. Looks like a couple. Last winter I only saw one and it was a female.

A few days later I caught him in the middle of eating a bug and then she flew in. He finished his bug and then they both took off.

A dove was watching from the tree behind me.

White ibis flying across the utility field before dark.

The sun was just starting to go down at the eagle’s nest.

Happy Thanksgiving!

On November 24, 2022November 23, 2022 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

There’s something very strange about having wild turkeys sleeping in your backyard. This family has been cruising through our backyard for months now. I see them almost every day. Sometimes they walk through pretty quickly and sometimes they hang out and feed, scratching in the dirt under the big oak trees. Sometimes they take a nap, either in the trees or on the ground. I don’t know if this flock will stay together or split up. I can’t tell if any of them are males yet. They are pretty skittish and will quickly move on down the neighborhood if I go outside so all of these are taken through the window.