A mom and baby Great horned owl in the Tampa area this morning. #birds

A barred owl I saw this morning. It was so focused on something on the ground it did not lift its head up the entire time I was watching it. #birds

A baby sand hill crane learning how to hunt for grubs. #birds

I saw a lot of red winged blackbirds this morning. #birds

A brown thrasher I spotted this morning. #birds

A red bellied woodpecker I spotted today. #birds

I’ve never seen a hooded merganser until today, and it was in a neighborhood pond. It’s such a great feeling spotting a new species close to home. #birds

A wood stork touching down on a chilly Tampa morning. #birds

An osprey on the lookout in its nest. #birds

A roseate spoonbill I spotted yesterday. #birds

An Eastern Phoebe enjoying a mild Tampa morning today. #birds

I’ve recently spotted both types of parakeets that live in the Tampa Bay area. Nanday parakeets (left) can be found in large groups near some beaches in Pinellas County; the monk parakeet (right) I spotted was making a huge nest of sticks in a suburban electrical substation. #birds

A green heron in hunting mode today in Tampa, Florida. #birds

A loggerhead shrike in Pinellas County, Florida today. #birds

A green heron in Tampa, Florida this morning. #birds

A red bellied woodpecker in Tampa, Florida this morning. #birds

A great egret and wood stork enjoying a beautiful Saturday morning in Tampa. #birds

A juvenile little blue heron on lookout above the waterline Tampa Bay Area. #birds

A rare moment of rest for a blue grey gnatcatcher, a tiny hyperactive bird I spotted yesterday in Tampa. #birds

An American bittern I spotted yesterday, hunting along the edge of a waterway near Tampa, Florida. #birds

A yellow crowned night heron I spotted in Tampa Bay today. #birds

A limpkin landing on a branch in Tampa Bay today. #birds

A palm warbler I spotted today in Tampa, Florida. #birds

A double crested cormorant I saw this morning in Tampa. #birds

A pair of limpkins in Tampa, Florida, this morning. #birds

A ruby throated hummingbird stopped on a branch right in front of me in my backyard today. #birds

A Carolina chickadee in my backyard. #birds

A ruby throated hummingbird visiting a Soap Aloe bloom in my yard. #birds

A backyard turtle doing some yoga and enjoying the sunshine.

A cardinal at Chestnut Park in Pinellas County, Florida, yesterday. #birds

A red shouldered hawk at Chestnut Park in Pinellas County, Florida, today. #birds

A ruby throated hummingbird perched on a tree in my backyard last night. It was watching a Carolina wren sing from a few branches away. #birds

A swallow tailed kite at the top of a cypress tree this morning in the Tampa Bay area. #birds

A juvenile little blue heron I spotted this morning near Tampa Bay, Florida. #birds

A juvenile black crowned night heron I spotted this morning near Tampa Bay, Florida. #birds

A red bellied woodpecker in Tampa, Florida, this morning. #birds

A black and white warbler I spotted at Circle B bar reserve in Lakeland, Florida. #birds

A cormorant drying its wings at Circle B bar reserve in Lakeland, Florida. #birds

A raccoon at Chestnut Park in Pinellas County, Florida, today.

A barred owl napping at Chestnut Park in Pinellas County, Florida, this morning. #birds

An anhinga drying off on a sunny morning this past weekend. #birds

Prothonotary warbler at Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, Florida today. #birds

A great horned owlet in the crook of a moss covered live oak tree at Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, Florida. #birds

A black crowned night heron. Picture taken at Everglades NP. #birds

The swallow-tailed kites have begun to arrive in Tampa Bay after wintering in South America. This one grabbed a lizard and shared it with its mate who was perched in a tree. Yesterday was the first time I’ve ever seen one in a tree- these raptors spend most of their time in the air. #birds

A mockingbird in my Tampa neighborhood the late afternoon sunlight. #birds

A pine warbler I spotted at Chestnut park in Palm Harbor, Florida last weekend. #birds

I’ve seen a lot of beautiful “cardinals in snow pictures” on Bluesky this season. Some of their relatives prefer the 50-60 degree mornings of the Tampa Bay Area these days. 😂. But they are year-round birds here, so they have to endure six months of serious heat and humidity. 🥵 #birds

A black and white warbler I spotted at Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, Florida. #birds

An anhinga perching with its webbed feet at Chestnut Park in Palm Harbor, Florida. #birds