Thursday, July 2, 2015

Crops & Clips: July, 2012 Meme Mashup

This month's potpourri gathered from the archives features photos taken three years ago, in July, 2012. Actually it is a scavenger hunt, as at that time I did not seek to portray each of these memes (CRITTERS, SKY, REFLECTION, FENCE, MACRO). Let's see how far I need to go into the month to find at least one of each. If I can get them all I will have won the game seven months in a row.

CRITTERS:

We started the month at our second home in NE Illinois, where most of the birds were still busy raising their families. My first photo of the month, on July 5, 2012, featured this abundant warbler of the prairies, appropriately named Common Yellowthroat:

Common Yellowthroat 3-20120705

Two days later, along the street next to our condo I encountered two majestic raptors, a Red-tailed Hawk...

Red-tailed Hawk 5-20120707

...and an American Kestrel:

American Kestrel male 4-20120707

A cute baby Tree Swallow posed for me atop its nest box on July 10:

Tree Swallow 2-20120710

On the same day a male Indigo Bunting thrilled me with its color:

Indigo Bunting 20120710

A Dickcissel sang to us on July 17, just before we returned to our Florida home:

Dickcissel 3-20120717

Back in Florida on July 24, a beautiful eight-point White-tailed buck emerged from the side of the path into our local wetlands:

Whitetail deer buck 20120724

At the local rookery, a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron nestling crouched low, also on July 24, 2012:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron nestling 2-20120724

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

 Linking to I Heart Macro by Laura

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REFLECTION:

I caught my first reflection of the month on July 12, when a Bald Eagle carried off a duckling at nearby Nelson Lake:

Eagle carries away duckling - enhanced 20120712

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

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FENCE:

A visit from our Illinois granddaughters at the end of July saved me from the disaster of not having randomly included any fences this month's photos (July 27, 2012):

Nieta 20120727

In fairness, I also must show our younger Nieta. They were here before embarking on a Caribbean cruise to celebrate their Miami cousin's QuinceaƱera (fifteenth birthday):

Nieta with ibises 2-20120727

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

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SKIES:

I finally captured a skyscape from the back patio as clouds moved in from the ocean at sunrise, July 30, one day before the deadline I set for this game:

Sunrise HDR 20120730

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

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

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37 comments:

  1. Hello ken, another great collection of images. The birds photos are awesome. And your granddaughter are beautiful. Gorgeous sky capture. Have a great day!

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  2. always love your bird shots! beautiful skies, sweet grands. a great set!

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  3. You always have such wonderful photos...I really enjoy them. That last shot is awesome.

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  4. Beautiful creatures and a wonderful sky!

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  5. What a wonderful array of interesting things. Loved seeing them all.

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  6. Some great critter shots, and I love that dramatic sky!!

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  7. While your skies are gorgeous, your bird photos are incredibly awesome. The baby bird looks like a character in one of Disney's animated movies.

    Worth a Thousand Words

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  8. Magnificent sky shot ~ very gorgeous ~ Mother Nature at her best and yours!

    Happy Weekend,
    Happy Fourth of July to the USA
    artmusedog and carol

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  9. Well done. - Always some amazing bird shots. The Kestrel sure was pretty as was the Bunting. Loved the Buck deer, just a great shot.
    Your granddaughters looked so cute there and that last sky shot was stunning.

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  10. The baby Tree Swallow is so adorable. Lots of other great wildlife shots in this post. The Eagle reflection and the sunrise shot are really beautiful, as are your granddaughters.

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  11. A great series of shots!

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  12. HI Kenneth Now wasn't tha Tree Sparrow good to post so well for you.Looks very well fed! another briallant post with wonderful photographs. The beauty of the sunrise, your gorgeous grand daughter, the fantaastic capture of the Eagle in flight, the look on the young Herons'eye as you snap the shot, ALL these moments in your photography are brilliant.

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  13. oh my..what great photos. The winner for me has to be the sweet chubby baby swallow!!!

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  14. what a magical your bird shots...really awesome photos

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  15. Stunning photos! Love the skies and the birds, especially!

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  16. That hawk is impressive but the sky shot took my breath away.

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  17. Beautiful sunrise, the sky are well painted.

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  18. A great collection of bird photos, all of them beautifully captured. I particularly liked the eagles reflection and your sky pic. Have a wonderful weekend

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  19. Amazing capture and reflection of the bald eagle.

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  20. An amazing collection of photos! All these beautiful birds... And the sky is stunning!

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  21. Hi Ken, just stopping back to say thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Have a happy 4th of July weekend!

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  22. hard to pick a favorite but I'm going with number 1

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  23. Really beautiful photos you've got.

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  24. Beautiful. Great shots. Lovely grand! Happy Critter Day!

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  25. I love that cute baby tree swallow.

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  26. Great sky and shot,greeting from Belgium with a hot weather

    http://louisette.eklablog.com/

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  27. Some really top notch images Ken!!
    That sky just blows me away...what a beauty.

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  28. The Yellowthroat is just amazing.

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  29. Beautiful photos! I love the raptors and the buck.

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  30. KCS, I love that sunrise pic! Also your granddaughters are great.

    Such drama with the eagle and the unfortunate duckling!
    ~

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  31. Talk about getting close to the White Ibis!!!! WOW! I know they are common but that's such a cool bird to me. Not one I see often. Love your photos always. The young in the nest is great. They always look so grouchy:) You have lots of great birds around your area and I enjoy seeing them. As for the Eagle! Good job:) Nature is brutal but it's awesome to observe. Better than any movie out in the theaters right now.

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  32. wow, so many gorgeous bird images. Loved the little tree.swallow :)

    Visiting from Bird D´Pot

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  33. You are always a winner! And so are we because of your generosity! Gorgeous birds...some are more showy, but I have to say that the baby swallow is my favorite. A perfect picture and difficult to get, as I usually only ever see their little faces peeping out hopefully!

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  34. Fabulous scenery and wildlife photos all around. Nice to see the young 'uns too.

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  35. A beautiful post of all kinds of fun and I am always taken by the faces of Swallows, that baby is so precious!

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  36. It is amazing how close one can get to the waders down in FL. Up here...no way!

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