Flowers and bugs

Posted on May 12, 2020 by dinajohnston

Color coming out in early April at the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo. Yes, the gardens were open during the big shut down. I went around 8am and there were very few people there. Most probably thought it was closed. It was nice to walk around in the quiet garden.

Watching these crazy parakeets getting sticks for their nests.

Not many birds in early April. The usual blue jays and wood duck couples. The wood ducks usually have babies here in the summer but they go into hiding and it’s hit or miss seeing them here.

Caterpillars were on the milkweed but those pesky milkweed bugs were taking over.

“Fowl” things at Lake Morton

Posted on March 30, 2020 by dinajohnston

Beautiful wood ducks hiding under the cypress trees.

Baby black swans staying close to their parents.

White pelicans were preening and stretching.

A lone goose with a striking face and beak. There use to be a lot of geese around this lake but I only found 2 on a trip in late February.

Our World Tuesday Graphic

Birds at the botanical gardens

Posted on September 28, 2019 by dinajohnston

Young brown thrashers were chasing after Mom in the bushes.

Chickadees were everywhere.

Wood ducks were hiding in the back pond.

The usual downy woodpecker.

I think this parakeet was laughing at me.

Some of the local birds at the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo.

A ducky morning at Lake Morton

Posted on May 18, 2019 by dinajohnston

One place I consistently see wood ducks is at Lake Morton. Someone put a nest box right on the edge of the lake but I haven’t been back over there since early April to see if they had babies in the box.

Moorhens and coots at the lake. Moorhens have red beaks and they live here all year long. Coots have white beaks and are only here during the winter and early spring. They go back up north for the summer but there were a few stragglers in April.

One of my favorite ducks at the lake. Some type of hybrid mallard.

Across the lake, something had spooked the ruddy ducks and caused them to start scooting across the lake.

They all started taking off and landed on the other side of the lake. They are pretty skittish and don’t come close to the edge of the lake.

Cute, fuzzy and fun at Lake Morton

Posted on April 22, 2019 by dinajohnston

It’s that fun time of the year when there are baby ducks everywhere. This one Blondie in the family was so cute. It’s amazing they grow up to look like mom.

The three stooges standing on a pipe.

Beautiful swans at Lake Morton.

It felt like spring in late March.

A wood duck couple.

image-in-ing: weekly photo linkup Our World Tuesday Graphic

Here’s to hoping for baby ladybugs!

Posted on January 14, 2019 by dinajohnston

A few fun things at the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo.

The beautiful silk floss tree that blooms in the fall. I always forget about it the rest of the year since it’s just full of green leaves. I forget about the pink flowers and am always surprised and amazed when I see this tree in late October. This was towards the end of the bloom and the ground was covered in the pink flowers.

Not many birds. A local red belled woodpecker and a wood duck couple.

The above was hanging on a tree in the woods at the gardens. Kind of creepy but also cool.

Our World Tuesday Graphic image-in-ing: weekly photo linkup

An early June trip to Chesnut Park

Posted on August 21, 2018 by dinajohnston

Visiting my “deer” friends at Chesnut Park.

The usual summer birds were there. A catbird, palm warbler, white eyed vireo and a red-winged blackbird.

A tiny gator getting some rays.

A lone muscovy hangs around the pond.

Wood ducks stay far away.

Linking to Wednesday Around the World.

Babies and an eagle

Posted on August 3, 2017 by dinajohnston

Wood duck babies are so cute. I found this little family at a hidden pond at the Largo Botanical Gardens in May.

After walking around the gardens, I headed over to Largo Nature Preserve and found this baby limpkin following Mom under the boardwalk.

I was staring at this turtle that was sitting just underneath the below.

A bald eagle was sitting on a utility tower in the park. I don’t think anyone else walking by noticed the eagle just sitting up there.

I was taking pictures of the colors of the high plants across the creek and looked down and saw these guys staring up at me like “Feed us.”

All taken back in late April.

SkyWatch Friday

Lettuce Lake Park

Posted on June 19, 2017 by dinajohnston

The usual suspects at the lake.

There wasn’t many little birds there but I did catch the above northern parula and carolina wren.

A few wood ducks floating around.

Teeny tiny critters along the boardwalk.

Just a few things from a recent walk at Lettuce Lake Park in north Tampa.

Our World Tuesday Graphic image-in-ing

Duck, Duck, Ibis

Posted on June 17, 2017 by dinajohnston

People come to this lake to feed the ducks and swans but it’s mostly the ibis that get fed. They fly in by the hundreds and attack the person holding the food.

A few random ducks.

You can always find wood ducks at this lake.

There was a pair of coscoroba swans (smaller swan with the bright pink beak) but I think there is now only 1. I think the mute swan has become friends with the coscoroba. They were hanging out together and flirting.

It’s mating and nesting season for the mute swans at Lake Morton.

Dina's Wildlife Adventures

Tag Archives: wood ducks