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.

Around the yard and neighborhood in December

On March 24, 2025April 10, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

It was early December and I was seeing the eagle couple in my neighborhood pretty regularly.

My first robins showed up in mid-December. I was putting the garbage can out one morning and heard them in the trees in the yard so I ran inside and grabbed my camera. There were only 3 of them and they stayed high up in the trees. They didn’t stay long. This was the first of several visits from them this winter.

We had 2 turkeys cruising through the yard one morning.

This red bellied woodpecker was taking sunflower seeds from the feeder and sticking them in the palm tree outside the window. Was he storing them up for the winter? I wanted to tell him the squirrels would find them and eat them.

All of the usual winter birds were visiting including black and white warblers, yellow throated warblers and house finches. The downy woodpeckers are here all year round.

The hermit thrush is a special visitor. He only stopped by once this winter. There was one that came by for a month last winter. I wonder if it’s the same one. He eats bugs so he doesn’t go to the feeder but maybe he likes the bath.

By mid-December the eagles were spending a lot of time together on the utility tower that the nest is in.

A few days later I was running to the store and saw them flying near the nest so I stopped since I had my camera in the car. One of them came flying to the nest with a big stick. I’m sure the nest needed some work after the hurricanes from the fall.

I was about to leave when this juvenile little blue heron flew right in front of me. He must have been a late summer baby because he was still all white. They turn blue as they molt their feathers in the first year. I’m glad he caused me to pause because then the eagle came back with more nesting material.

It looked like he had a part of a bald cypress branch. He dropped it in the best spot athough I’m sure she’ll re-arrange it later.

My camelia bush was just starting to bloom.

Sunset across the street in mid-December.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Around the neighborhood and backyard in October

On February 22, 2025February 15, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

In late October I saw a lone eagle on the utility tower in my neighborhood. He was calling for someone. I had been seeing one around the area but this was the first time I had seen one on the tower where they nest.

A few days later both eagles were on the tower nest and they were having a conversation. What do you think they were saying???

Coming home I ran into the turkey family again. They were just hanging out on the road.

On my way to the store I stopped by the utility field in our neighborhood and saw two deer hanging out in the far corner. One of them had a big booboo on her neck.

Bluebirds were still coming to the bird bath in the backyard.

Yellow throated warblers were also coming to the bath.

The feeder was busy in October with pine warblers, Carolina wrens (who are here all year long) and house finches.

Palm warblers showed up by the tons and we have so many in the backyard. They come right onto the patio looking for bugs. They are not shy.

I saw the pileated woodpecker flying into our oak tree and ran outside with my camera to get the above. They stay high up in the trees and it’s hard to get them from the window.

Our hibiscus bush was in full bloom.

Late September in the yard

On January 11, 2025February 5, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals2 Comments

In mid-September I bought a new bird feeder. I had white millet and black sunflower seeds in it. For the first two weeks only the usual birds were around. We had a lot of rain and the feeder was full of water soaked seeds and fell apart. Some of the metal pieces broke apart and we couldn’t fix it. So, I put the old one back up. Still looking for a new one.

I noticed this lizard sitting on the patio chair was just starting to shed his skin.

A female redstart showed up and spent an few hours in and out of the bird bath. She didn’t mind when the yellow throated warbler stopped by. These were taken through the window.

The yellow throated warbler is a winter regular visitor.

The frogs were still showing up after afternoon storms and I realized they were sleeping in my cactus plant near the window.

Late in the day after a storm I looked out the window and saw this beautiful guy.

I grabbed my camera and went outside to snap these from the patio. They were on the other side of the fairway and he saw me. I was afraid they would take off but he looked at me for a second and then continued to graze with his girlfriend.

They only stayed for a few minutes and then continued down the fairway.

Late August in the backyard

On December 30, 2024January 21, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

It was late August and I still had juvenile eastern bluebirds coming to the bird bath. They were so cute and I couldn’t stop taking pictures of them. They didn’t seem very skittish and I’m sure they saw me in the window but they stayed for a while.

The yellow throated warblers had come back and I usually see them throughout winter. They don’t stay long and stop for a quick sip at the bath.

Northern parulas were plentiful but I haven’t seen any since October so they must have headed farther south for the winter.

There’s always a lot of red bellied woodpeckers coming to the feeder and bath including the juvenile in the top picture with just a touch of red on his forehead. He didn’t like that a titmouse landed on the feeder while he was there.

Ruby throated hummingbirds continued to show up through September.

My neighbor’s bleeding heart vine was exploding and growing near the hummingbird feeder. I saw a hummer hovering over it several times but I couldn’t get a shot of it.

Squirrels continued to take a break on the nest box. They must get a cool breeze up there.

I had heard my neighborhood eagles were back in town and I finally saw one high up on a tower just outside our neighborhood as the sun was coming up. He could have been any eagle just passing by though.

A few days later I saw both eagles on the cell tower inside our neighborhood. Marjorie and Major, the original couple, had been nesting here since 2015. As far back as 2008, Major nested here with another female and she died in 2015 from rat poison. This past January Major died from rat poison and Marjorie found a new boyfriend. A 4 year old male that still had some brown in his head courted her and they spent the spring together. They are both back this year and he doesn’t have any brown left (eagles don’t usually breed until they are at least 5 years old). I’m praying for a successful season but with all of the rat poison in the area it’s going to be tough.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

Early February in the backyard

On March 12, 2023March 12, 2023 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

The blooms in my hanging Christmas cactus started to disappear and I finally realized why. They are also eating my marigolds. Ugh. I know I created this problem myself with the haven for squirrels in the backyard. We have tons of them. We don’t have dogs and they love the bird bath and hang around for fallen bird seed so they also eat the flowers.

Usual visitors to the backyard in early February include palm warblers, pine warblers, chickadees, titmouse, woodpeckers and a yellow throated warbler.

This lone robin has been in the backyard for weeks now. Then one day we got some rain and he had friends show up. They were picking out bugs in the water soaked grass. The next day his friends were gone and he was still there.

I was sitting in the backyard with my camera when this short tailed hawk made a quick fly over. I only got this blurry shot before he flew over the trees but it was cool to see him while I was in the backyard.

Critters in the yard in January

On March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals2 Comments

Brett was in the car, backing out of the driveway on the way to work when he called me. He says “There’s deer in the front yard”. He was afraid if he got out of the car and came back in to tell me they would leave. I went flying out of the house with my camera to see them cruising through our yard and around to the back. This will never get old.

One morning I was walking by the back window and saw a hawk sitting on the bird feeder. Ugh, well that’s not going to get me any songbirds. Again, I grabbed my camera and headed out the door. He didn’t even flinch as I walked up to the feeder. I finally waved my arms at him and he flew over to a nearby tree. I think he was trying to catch some lizards.

A few of the visitors to the birdbath in January. The yellow throated warbler has been hanging out for a while now. He will probably head north soon for the summer.

This looks like a new visitor. I’m not sure what this is. It’s a juvenile. It’s got the beak of bunting or a goldfinch. Or, maybe it’s a house finch? The yellow around the head is throwing me off.

Right before dark as I was closing the curtians I saw this dove sitting on the bird bath every night for a week. It was a chilly week so I was wondering if he wanted to come in to warm up? One night I could see the moon coming through the trees so I ran out and shot the above.

I added sunflower seeds to the feeder and finally got a bluebird on it. My neighbor has a feeder full of sunflower seeds (and one with mealworms) and he always has a lot of bluebirds.

I’m always amused at the antics of the many squirrels in the backyard. I think this one was taking a nap in the sun except he was upside down. He stayed there for a while.

Baby bluebirds

On November 17, 2020March 2, 2024 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

I was lucky to catch these two juvenile bluebirds hanging around the playground area at Chesnut Park in early September. I know they nest there every year but I never see bluebirds at this park. They were flying around from the tree to the ground. They’re really pretty with those bright blue feathers.

Chickadees are usual birds at this park. Yellow throated warblers are as well during migration season but the pine warbler on the bottom is a little more rare to see.

After a quiet morning at Chesnut Park I stopped by Philippe Park on the way home. The park was busy with dog walkers and joggers and lots of families hanging out but I found a quiet spot along the water and hung out for a while.

It’s starting to look like fall in mid- December.

On January 25, 2020January 9, 2020 By dinajohnstonIn bird photographyLeave a comment

The usual birds at Chesnut Park in mid-December.

A sleepy alligator.

Color from across the lake. It finally looks like fall as the cypress trees start to turn.

The sun peaking through along the trail. These were taken with my phone.

It’s not often I see two pileated woodpeckers on the same tree. I took this with my phone since I couldn’t fit both of them in with my 300mm lens and I couldn’t back up into the swamp.

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