Pelicans, wood ducks and swans (Oh my!).

On January 16, 2021January 8, 2021 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

Lake Morton in Lakeland is a good spot to find white pelicans in the winter besides Fort Desoto. There are a lot fewer at Lake Morton but you can usually get closer. They hang out on the brick retaining walls around the lake. Most of the time they are sleeping when I’m there but on a recent trip they were moving around a little. I think two of them were fighting over space on the floating pole.

A coot swimming by.

Wood ducks were napping up in the cypress trees and some were swimming around the lake.

There’s always turtles sitting on the cypress knees.

The city of Lakeland were selling swans in late October. When I was there they were in holding pens on the lake. I felt bad that they were leaving their home but there have been banner crops of babies over the last few years and the lake is over-run with swans. Swans were getting hit by cars and fighting with each other. Hopefully they’ll go to homes that have more room for them. If I had a small pond on my property I would buy a pair. The money goes back into the fund to feed the swans at this lake.

A quick walk around Lake Morton

On October 17, 2020October 17, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

I found some very young mute swans preening at Lake Morton at the end of July. These young adults were born early this year and were acting like they own the place.

Juvenile male wood ducks. Just starting to get their male colors in.

I also found some female wood ducks.

This cute little limpkin family stole my heart. Both babies were staying close to Mom.

A wood duck convention

On July 16, 2020July 6, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

I stopped by Lake Morton in Lakeland on the way home from Circle B Bar Reserve in mid-May. I usually see one or two wood duck couples there but on this trip they were all around the lake. Sleeping in the grass, hanging out on the swan fences, chasing each other. They must have been gathering for a baby making convention. I have not made it back over to the lake since then so I’m not sure it there were a lot of babies but I would hope so..

All of the usual suspects were there.

Feeding the fowl is encouraged at the lake although bread is extremely discouraged. They have feeders that are filled with pellets that you can buy a handful for a quarter. This lady was feeding them cracked corn.

Clouds were rolling in and it was time to go home for lunch.

SkyWatch Friday

Flowers and bugs

On May 12, 2020May 12, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, flowers and plants2 Comments

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

On March 30, 2020March 30, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

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

Cute, fuzzy and fun at Lake Morton

On April 22, 2019April 22, 2019 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

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!

On January 14, 2019January 15, 2019 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

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

Babies and an eagle

On August 3, 2017August 3, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

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

On June 19, 2017June 20, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

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

On June 17, 2017May 16, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn bird photographyLeave a comment

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.