Blooms and birds in the yard

On August 26, 2026August 25, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

It was late March and this was the first time the philodendrons have bloomed in the backyard in the almost 5 years we have lived here.

So many other plants were also blooming.

Little critters in the yard. We only had a few of those tussock moth caterpillars this year. A few years back the backyard was covered in them and I was hosing off our patio every day. Those tiny things pack a big sting or rash.

Great crested flycatchers were showing up. They nest in the area during the summer months.

I found a yellow-rumped warbler in his breeding colors. We usually only see them in their drab cream during the winter months.

A titmouse and a catbird were eating caterpillars.

A young pine warbler.

At the end of March a ruby throated hummingbird showed up. I had just put out the feeders a few days before and didn’t expect to see one so fast.

A brown thrasher was singing for his mate.

The black bellied whistling ducks were still hanging out across the street in large numbers.

The sky late in the day after some storms passed through.

Zooming in on the full moon on April Fool’s Day.

Close up with manatees

On July 25, 2026August 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn zoo animals3 Comments

The bushes were in full bloom during my visit to Zoo Tampa at the end of March.

Unfortunately these guys were all over the railings. These are tussock moth caterpillars and they can give you a nasty sting or rash if you brush up against them. I’m assuming the zoo doesn’t want to spray chemicals all over with animals nearby but maybe they could hose down the railings in the morning? You had to watch were you leaned. They are only around for a week or two.

Fun birds in the aviary.

The flamingos were very active. I couldn’t tell if they were flirting or fighting.

They were honking pretty loud.

The baby colobus monkey was playing.

The manatees were eating right under me. There was a young one on the left.

The duck was being lazy while eating, sitting on the back of the manatee.

Here was the main reason I came this morning. The underwater viewing building had just been remodeled and reopened up after being closed for several months. I got to the zoo when it opened and headed straight for the building because I knew later in the day it would be packed. I was able to see them eating right in front of the windows.

Watching a manatee eating that yummy lettuce.

A turtle came right up to the window. I think we had a moment together.

The water and the windows were so clear. All of these manatees are rescues and are rehabilitated here and then released. Most are injuries from boat strikes or cold stunned (that make them sick) during exceptionally cold winters like the one we just had.

They now have a live webcam of the underwater viewing area and you can watch them swim around here.

Have you ever seen a duck eating lettuce from underneath? It was funny to watch her beak bobbing up and down in the water.

Spring in the backyard

On May 22, 2023April 4, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

I haven’t seen blue-gray gnatcatchers in the backyard in a long time. This was early April. I was sitting outside enjoying the cool weather and this one came down close and was singing away.

I was pretty excited to see indigo buntings in the backyard. Brett and I were watching tv one Sunday afternoon and I look over and see one on the bird bath. I was able to sneak over to the window and snap the first shot before he flew off. Then I went outside and was able to get the 2nd shot of one up in the tree before they both took off.

The lone turkey has still been visiting and taking naps in the backyard. I wonder if she was scoping out places to nest.

I could see a hawk on the other side of the fairway.

The lizards were showing off for the ladies.

I realized that our wall outside had a lot of these caterpillars. They are tussock moth caterpillars. They are known to eat your plants but we didn’t really notice any damage to the few we had in the back.

One morning I saw one of the caterpillars spinning what looked like a web over his body and I ran out and took the 1st picture. Later that day it was completely covered. I counted 16 of these on the back wall.

A few weeks later I saw a few of these on the windows. I don’t think a lot of the cocoons hatched though.

The gardenia bush was full in early April and I couldn’t stop taking pictures of them. I just wish the pictures captured the smell.

All kinds of critters.

On May 2, 2022April 22, 2022 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals3 Comments

Tussock moth caterpillars are fairly common in late March but I’ve never seen this many at one place. I usually only see one or two. At the Florida Botanical Gardens the boardwalk was full of them. I tried to keep my distance as I was taking pictures of them. While they are pretty and cool looking, they can leave a nasty rash if you brush up against them. I kept checking to make sure one hadn’t fallen on my backpack.

They turn into these coccoons before turning into a moth. The leaves on the palm trees around the boardwalk were full of these as well.

White peacock butterflies are very common but I think they are pretty.

After leaving the botanical gardens I headed to nearby McGough Nature Park to look for migrating birds. I first stopped at the turtle pond and saw two turtles climbing a tree. They got about half way up before heading back down.

I also watched this raccoon climb up a tree and then head back down.

The bottle brush trees near the entrance were in full bloom. I stopped to snap this butterfly and then heard the faint sound of hummingbirds whizzing by.

There were 4 hummingbirds feeding on the two trees. They were only feeding on the back side that hangs over the lake so it was a challenge to get them feeding. They would rest high up on the front and then go back to feed.

After standing there for an hour I only got the above two shots of them feeding. It was very frustrating to watch them fly to the back of the trees and disappear.

They have several resident injured birds that live on the property, all taken care of by volunteers. This barred owl was watching his person talking to him. He seemed to understand every word she was saying. They were sitting outside in front of the turtle pond.

It was still a little early for migrating birds so I didn’t find any of them.