Early autumn random clicks

Our local Bald Eagles are spending much time at their nest and stepping up "nestoration" in preparation for the breeding season. The male of the pair (Pride) brings in the sticks and the female (Jewel) supervises and rearranges them in the ever-growing nest structure.



He places the stick under Jewel's watchful eyes:



They don't always agree on what to do with one:





Pride flies off to gather yet another:



As we walked into the Wounded Wetlands under a black sky on September 26, the Harvest Moon had waned to a crescent:



Before sunrise, an immature Tricolored Heron cast a reflection on the still surface:



Later, White Ibises overhead:



Migration routes for 118 bird species:

via GIPHY

Migrant warblers are arriving. This is a female Black-throated Blue Warbler. This species often lingers here into the winter if the berries of Lantana, Firebush, Brazilian Pepper and Trema are abundant:



The male Black-throated Blue Warbler's appearance is distinctly different:

 

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers often flock with the warblers:



A welcome, though less frequently seen migrant is the Worm-eating Warbler:





This species does not eat earthworms, but does favor dining on caterpillars ("worms" to gardeners and farmers; some have official names such as silkworms and bagworms). Their sharp eyes seem not to miss many:

:

Worm-eating Warbler eating Worm (Not quite a palindrome, but it reads the same backward and forward, and in this case, upside  down!):



American Redstart warblers are distractingly abundant as they flit actively  through the  branches, fanning and expanding the  bright wing and tail patches to flush out insects. The male has bright red patches...



...while females exhibit the same behavior and have more subdued yellow patches. First year males are similar to females, but show some orange as in this case:

 
 
Butterfly populations are starting to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma, which wiped out adults, larvae, eggs as well as the leaves and flowers which protected and fed them. Some mornings I was lucky to see even one Gulf Fritillary, here depositing her egg on a spent flower head:

:

I followed her as she oviposited on a leaf. The egg is yellow:



I went weeks without seeing the usually abundant Julia heliconians. This newly-emerged male made me want to sing:



Just after the autumnal equinox, as I stood on a path oriented east and west (which I call "Sundial Alley"), my shadow pointed out towards the Everglades, 270 degrees true west :



It is only a  "weed." This tiny composite flower measures only about 1/2 inch, or about 13 mm wide, but proves that beauty can come in  a very small package:





I looked up when I heard something in the tree just above my head. Indeed, two  Raccoons were lovey-dovey and waiting for me to depart the scene:


 

A female White-tailed Deer walked across the gravel path...



...followed by her yearling fawn:




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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Our World Tuesday by Lady Fi

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jesh

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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display

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Crops & Clips: Flashback to October, 2016

Once again I am delving through the photo archives to remember life as it was three years back, in October of 2016. Enjoying favorite memes-- Critters of all kinds (especially birds), flowers and fences, blue skies, clouds and reflections, the excitement of the changing seasons, and scenes which speak for themselves.

We enjoyed nearly a month of fair weather at our condo in NE Illinois. We missed Category 5 Hurricane Matthew, the strongest storm of the 2016 season, which devastated Haiti and killed over 600 people. It skirted the Florida coast, produced high winds and floods, then struck the Carolinas and inflected massive damage to coastal areas in the southeastern US.

On October 2, three Sandhill Cranes suddenly showed up on the lawn at the front door of our condo. I had to back up in order to fit them into the frame:





At nearby Bliss Woods Forest Preserve, the footbridge over Blackberry Creek was undergoing needed repairs:



Tennessee Warbler at Bliss Woods:



An Eastern Bluebird greeted us at Nelson Lake preserve:



A Sedge Wren did a split:



Hyperactive Golden-crowned Kinglets flitted throgh the trees:





A flock of American White Pelicans wheeled over the Lake before settling down:



A Clouded Sulphur butterfly sipped nectar from a Purple  Aster:



We enjoyed walks in the Hickory Knolls woodlands...



...where I found a monster rhino in this really spookey tree:



The Hickory Knolls woodlands end abruptly at the perimeter of a correctional facility, where autumn beauty was confined behind high fences and razor wire:



At Les Arends preserve, the Fox River branched around an island, creating a shaded side  stream:



A Great Egret reflected in the river's floodplain, reminding me of Florida:



Later in the month, sparrows, nuthatches, winter finches and more warblers arrived from northern breeding ranges. A White-throated Sparrow:



White-crowned Sparrow close up near a feeder on our daughter's deck::



Red-breasted Nuthatch seemed to defy gravity::





Male Purple Finch:



Orange-crowned Warbler:



The sumac thicket had turned red:



Back in Florida at month's end, a Great Blue Heron posed nicely:(October 31):




Cloudy morning on October 31:



= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Our World Tuesday by Lady Fi

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jesh

 Linking to Fences Around the World by Gosia

________________________________________________

Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display

________________________________________________