Fred Howard Park - April 19, 2015

I did actually manage to get photos of all the birds I saw today, but they were all pretty poor image quality, so I made a collage instead of showing each one.

There were also some windsurfers out in the water.  For this photo, I combined three shots of the same guy for a sporty/action image.

Sweet Tomatoes, Palm Harbor - April 19, 2015

This area must have once been a thriving natural habitat.  Last year around this time I also saw several interesting birds at this restaurant on US19.  Today there was a black-necked stilt in the retention pond there.  I have only seen stilts a few times at a few other locations: Circle B, Brooksville Water Treatment Plant, and in Dade City.  Very strange!

Fort DeSoto - April 19, 2015

At the park again this weekend.  At this point I've pretty much given up on the migrants being here this year.  Take a look at a comparison with this weekend last year.  I did find some nice-looking birds at North Beach though.

weird little teeth on this common merganser 

 reddish egret

whimbrel (first time seen at this park, second time ever)

group of dowitchers, marbled godwits, and willets (tricolored heron below)

willet (above), dowitcher, marbled godwit (below) 

black bellied plover and Wilson's plover

semipalmated plover (above), blackpoll warbler (best migrant of the day), and mottled duck

 great-horned owlets and brown-headed cowbird

Replay Museum - April 18, 2015

This place was really neat.  You can play a wide variety of old pinball and arcade games.  Would have never expected it in downtown Tarpon Springs.

Fort DeSoto - April 18, 2015

Again, virtually no migrants this weekend compared to the same weekend last year.  There was a white-morph reddish egret along with some red knots, which I have never seen before, at the north beach sanctuary.

ibis flock

reddish egret in flight with white morph

immature indigo bunting and baby great horned owls in nest (mother owl nearby)

 nandy parrots

morning glory vine

Butterflies at Ft DeSoto - April 11, 2015

There were a lot of pretty butterflies here today too.  Here are some of the best.

Migration Ft DeSoto - April 11, 2015

Where are the birds?  I learned a good lesson today about birding: just because the birds were here last year, does not mean they will be here this year.  The winds and weather determine which part of the gulf coast the migrants end up stopping in on their journey north.  I guess this was not our year!  Still was plenty to see as always, including a nest of great horned owlets.

fish crow 

 prairie warbler

prairie warbler

 black & white warbler

nandy parrot

Backyard Garden - April 10, 2015

What a beautiful example of how a backyard garden should look.  I am not sure how my friend has the time or energy to do this, but it is wonderful, and wonderfully fun to photograph!