On the trail at Circle B Bar Reserve

Posted on May 22, 2018 by dinajohnston

The squirrels were busy grooming and eating.

Plants along the trail.

Roadblock on the trail. I was almost all the way down Marsh Rabbit Run trail when I saw this. My choices were to sit and wait and see if he moves or turn around and go back. I sat down on trail for about 15 minutes when a park ranger came from the other side of the trail in a cart and spooked the gator off the trail. The park ranger said he slept there for over 2 hours the day before. I probably would have given up and turned around after half an hour if the ranger hadn’t come by. That little moorhen was not as close as it looks in the shot. He was busy preening and ignoring the gator.

Linking to Wednesday Around the World

Getting there early

Posted on March 29, 2018 by dinajohnston

I got to Circle B Bar Reserve just after the sun came up but it was hiding behind the fog. There were a few people already there but the crowds don’t usually come until closer to lunchtime. I love it when it’s so quiet. Only the birds and ducks were making noise.

The fog was really thick this particular morning in early January. It did not burn off until I was leaving.

Bald cypress trees in the middle of the lake. All of these were taken with my phone.

SkyWatch Friday

Whistlers in the fog

Posted on March 10, 2018 by dinajohnston

I realized after standing there for a while on the trail and watching the black bellied whistling ducks flying around in circles what they were doing. The groups of juveniles would take off together and fly around in a small circle and land back in the marsh near their parents. They were practicing for that flight back up north in the spring. They would all whistle together as they flew around me and landed. It was fun to watch them in the early morning fog.

Lots of activity the morning I was there in early January. I hadn’t seen that many whistlers together in the marsh in a long time. They were all very busy feeding and flying around. There were a few young ones left that still had their pin feathers in. I hope some of them stay over through the spring. I miss hearing that whistling sound when they are not here at Circle B Bar Reserve.

Cute and creepy on the trail

Posted on May 11, 2017 by dinajohnston

Lizards, snakes and alligators, Oh my! And a cute squirrel too.

The sun coming up over the trail in the “not so early” morning.

SkyWatch Friday

Fun in the fog.

Posted on February 2, 2017 by dinajohnston

On foggy mornings you can really see the spider webs. You don’t notice them when the sun is out. Everything is covered in them.

The light was bad but it was fun to walk around in the fog. At least it looked like winter even though it didn’t feel like it.

The cypress trees are starting to turn colors (it finally looks like fall here) but the little one was completely covered in webs. I’m not sure if that will kill the tree.

I was driving over to Lakeland in early January to walk at Circle B Bar Reserve. The sun was just coming up in Tampa and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The closer I got to the park, the foggier it got. I was bummed thinking the light was going to be bad for taking pictures. It was challenging to get any bright shots but it was cool to see the reserve all covered in fog. It felt like I was in a different place. The fog eventually burned off some time after 10 and the sun came out.

SkyWatch Friday