Shots from the yard in early November

On February 28, 2026March 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

We had the usual visitors to the yard in early November (with one new one). The cute yellow pine warblers were visiting the suet feeder. They would line up on the oak tree and the feeder stand waiting their turn.

Bluebirds were still coming through because I had the dried mealworm feeder up for the first week in November.

Yellow throated warblers are winter visitors. They eat from the suet feeder and stop for a drink from the bird bath. They like to look for bugs under the palm fronds.

A new visitor to the backyard was a yellow bellied sapsucker. He only stayed for a few minutes. I’ve seen this type of woodpecker in the parks but not often.

A pileated woodpecker also stopped by for a few minutes.

Brett yelled “There’s an eagle in the backyard”. I jumped up and grabbed my camera. He was on the other side of the fairway so I was able to sneak outside and catch him before he took off. I thought he had caught something but he didn’t have anything in his talons when he left.

A blue jay sits in front of the window. I think he was telling me the feeder was out of bird food.

Squirrels getting frisky on the patio chairs. I took this through the window.

We had heard that the Northern lights might be visible as far south as central Florida. We went out after 10pm and this is what I caught in the neighborhood. I’m not sure if they really count at as Northern lights but the sky looked different and had a little bit of color that night. People an hour north of us got some brighter pink and purple in their shots.

Visiting birds in November

On March 15, 2025March 8, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

In early November I was taking the long way out of my neighborhood and checking on the eagle’s nest. Both eagles were hanging around the nest pretty regularly but it was still too early for any action.

Pine warblers are regulars at the suet feeder in the backyard during winter.

Downy woodpeckers are usually lined up to get at the suet and only one comes at a time but sometimes they will let another smaller bird feed as well.

I had a “first time in the backyard” yellow bellied sapsucker in late November. It was hard to get a shot of him through the window but I was afraid he would get spooked if I walked outside. He didn’t stay long.

Every couple of weeks I get a pileated woodpecker come to the big oak trees in the backyard. I can usually go outside to get a shot since they stay high in the trees and aren’t shy.

House finches paid a visit in the middle of November. The males are pretty with red feathers (females are drab brown).

Tufted titmouse are usual visitors and they are not shy. I was outside taking pictures of the pileated woodpecker and they landed right in front of me and on the bird bath.

All of the usuals were here including chickadees, Carolina wrens and doves.

Squirrels being cute. He was eating a wild mushroom in the first shot.

An early morning at McGough Park

On June 3, 2024July 13, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals7 Comments

I was out early enough to see the moon still in the sky at McGough Park in Largo at the end of March.

Right when I walked out on the trail I saw a yellow bellied sapsucker. We only see these woodpeckers here in the winter so we don’t get to see them with their breeding yellow bellies.

You can always find a few pileated woodpeckers in this small park or at least hear them from across the park. One was bouncing around the trees right in front of me.

A cardinal with a snack.

I walked out on the dock that goes out to the intercoastal waterway. Looking left and then right, it was a calm morning and there wasn’t many boaters out except for a few early fishermen.

It’s always fun to see the turtles here. They have a small turtle pond and you can feed them.

A butterfly feeding in front of the turtle pond.

The park has some permanently injured raptors and an iguana. The signs were covered in those icky tussock moth caterpillars. They were everywhere.

Flying things at Bok Tower Gardens

On May 6, 2019May 7, 2019 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

Little critters in the flowers.

Nothing new but not too common with the exception of the cardinal. The others are a prairie warbler, yellow bellied sapsucker (woodpecker) and the yellow throated warbler. I was hoping to find some other birds but I was a little too early for spring migration.

The best find of the morning was the bobwhite. I never see them where I live so this was a treat. He peaked out behind the bushes for a few minutes as I was walking down the trail and then ran back after a few seconds.

I drove over to Bok Tower Gardens in central Florida early in April for a long walk.

image-in-ing: weekly photo linkup

Our World Tuesday Graphic

Squirrels do it, birds do it…..

On May 3, 2018March 29, 2018 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

I just happened to be walking down the trail when I saw 2 sandhill cranes walking around. I didn’t think anything of it until one of the cranes started spreading her wings. I thought “Oh well, they’re going to fly away.” but no, they had something else in mind. By now there are hopefully crane babies out there somewhere.

All the other birds were busy eating fish and bugs along the trails.

Great blue heron cruising by.

Busy morning for the birds in mid March at Circle B Bar Reserve.

SkyWatch Friday

Mueller State Park

On December 11, 2017December 12, 2017 By dinajohnstonIn Vacation4 Comments

We stopped at the Visitor’s Center before hitting a trail. View from the parking lot at the center above.

The Visitor’s Center above looked like what you would expect from a Colorado park.

A few of the critters at the top of a trail. I see yellow-bellied sapsuckers in Florida in the winter but this was the first one I had seen in his summer breeding colors. NOW I know why they call it a “yellow-bellied” sapsucker.

Heading down the trail, we only walked for about an hour. It was late in the afternoon and we didn’t want to drive back to Colorado Springs in the dark. There’s over 55 miles of trails here. All have stations to sign in and out when you are hiking the specific trail. It is bear country. The visitor center had a sign that one of the trails was closed for the day due to a bear on the trail that morning.

Just passing through

On May 23, 2016May 24, 2016 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

Yellow bellied sapsucker.

Lots of indigo buntings including the juvenile in the last picture. He hasn’t got all of his blue feathers in yet.

The scarlet tanager has black wings.

The summer tanager is the only all red bird in America (according to All About Birds)

Female red breasted merganser.

And a pretty cactus flower just for fun.

These were taken at Fort Desoto in early April when spring migrating birds were stopping by for a rest before heading north for the summer. There wasn’t a ton of birds but a few good ones.

Our World Tuesday Graphic image-in-ing

A beautiful view from the nest.

On April 23, 2015April 15, 2015 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

Napping on the nest.

The great horned owl mom and baby were not very active the morning I stopped by. There’s a younger baby behind the mom but I only saw a tiny bit of fuzz pop up.