As the first day of spring approached, sunrise happened earlier and earlier, from 7:30 AM back in October to as early as 6:33 AM on March 12, the day before Daylight Savings Time "delayed" the Sun's arrival until 7:32 AM. Relentlessly, the sunrise will continue to creep up earlier until the first week of June, when it will occur at 6:29 AM despite the time change.
Earlier in March, we encountered fog as we walked along the gravel road into the wetlands. The sun was trying to break through:
On the wetlands, the posture and habits of this Little Blue Heron made it identifiable from a distance as it fished on the opposite shore:
I processed the above photo as an antique oil painting because I liked the way the fog gave depth to the colors and tones:
The day after the time change and before sunrise, a Great Egret posed nicely against the same background-- a bit nearer, but under similar atmospheric conditions:
Later that morning, in subdued light, a Great Egret flew in to roost on a Pond Cypress:
A second egret wanted to share the roost...
...but the occupant did not seem pleased:
The intruder moved on...
...and took a place next to an American Kestrel (Disclaimer-- I did not see the kestrel when I took this photo!):
The kestrel, probably the same one, did pose nearby in full view:
Now back-lighted in full sunlight, a Great Egret protested the presence of another white wader...
...an immature Little Blue Heron:
The two took their disagreement to another spot on the lake. The smaller heron twice "buzzed" the agitator:
The sun touched the wet prairie:
Under fair skies, butterflies and bees went about their chores, sipping nectar...
...and harvesting pollen:
Star Rush popped up in wet places:
Two Turkey Vultures watched me from the guard rail...
...dwarfing an Eastern Phoebe, a little bird on a big fence!:
A closer look at the little guy:
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Linking to Misty's CAMERA CRITTERS,
Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,
Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa).
Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James
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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beautiful 'painting' effect! loved all the egret action. and sweet fence sitters - even the vultures. :)
ReplyDeleteHello, awesome captures of the egrets. The sky shots are lovely. Beautiful post and photos. Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteOncce again a wonderful post as you brought us from dawn to the brighter light of the morning. I love the antique edit on that shot and the photgraphs of the Herons are superb.
ReplyDeleteBreathtaking images Kenneth, the early morning mist is magical and your photos of these wonderful flyers are stunning. The Star Rush is a new wildflower to me. Thank you for introducing it. So pretty!
ReplyDeleteAn awesome array of photos, KCS. The Great Egret before dawn in particular.
ReplyDelete~
These are truly exquisite photos.
ReplyDeleteIt's so much fun to come by here as you have the most amazing photos. The Egret shots were beautiful. The Sky shots are so pretty, I loved the misty fog shots and your painterly effect was wonderful. The Kestrel was neat to see as well. The buzzards and that little bird on the fencing were delightful.
ReplyDeleteJust a lot of great stuff here.
Absolutely gorgeous series, Kenneth!
ReplyDeleteAll very divinely edited photography of nature's gems ~ Kestrel is precious, and the action shots of the herons are excellent ~ Favorite is the little bird on the fence ~
ReplyDeleteHappy Weekend coming to you ~ ^_^
Always such a pleasrue to see what you post...love them all.
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures!
ReplyDeleteYours photos are really great and brilliant! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos, certainly worthwhile getting up early for, you can always catch that coffee and paper later
ReplyDeleteYour Skywatch Friday images look like paintings. Very impressive bird shots.
ReplyDeleteJM, IL
superbe !
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous set of photos! I like playing with filters on my photos too.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! But I love the first picture!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos. The fog adds an ethereal feel to them.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous collection of photos.
ReplyDeleteAwesome photos.
ReplyDelete~Have a nice weekend~
Some great photos here! I really like that first shot. The fog gives it an otherworldly feel!
ReplyDeleteHello Ken, I just wanted to stop back and say thank you for linking up and sharing this post. The birds are all beautiful. Have a happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog yesterday!So many beautiful views here. My favorites are the first landscape, the kestrel and the herons flapping their wings - stunning!
ReplyDeleteForgot whether I had introduced my new meme - this week in the post "SEASONS- Spring has Sprung" to you? thumbnail link is open Mon - Wed till 7pm, Pacific time Hope to see you there!
Beautiful shots! I especially like the birds in flight.
ReplyDeleteThose phoebes seem to occupy the posts around here too.
ReplyDeleteLove, love, LOVE the egrets with wings wide open. Such a stately bird.
Thanks for posting your link at I'd Rather B Birdin' this week.
Absolutely stunning photographs!
ReplyDeleteI so loved the Great Egret studies, simply wonderful.
Happy week ahead :)
Dawn and dusk are always the best times to be out and about - but one is easier than the other! Nice pictures.
ReplyDeleteCheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
Your early morning shots are always "to die for!" And I love all the great photos of the egrets, the kestrel, and the closeups of the flowers and bee. Wow! Your posts are always works of art!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely stunning photography, birds and scenes~
ReplyDeleteThey are absolutely stunning pictures, I made the rest of my family come over and look at them.
ReplyDeleteWhat gorgeous landscape shots!!! I love photos with the birds as part of the entire scene. It really give us a nice overview of their habitat.
ReplyDeleteOh goodness, such lovely photos. Thank you for sharing them!
ReplyDeleteHello Ken1:) Wow! Your shots of the Egrets are stunning. They are so beautiful, "dancing in the air."Love all your photos, and as usual it is a wonderful post, with so much to see and enjoy.
ReplyDeleteAwesome captures of birds and beautiful landscape shots
ReplyDeleteLove the egret action shots! Rare to see in my experience. All wonderful pictures!
ReplyDeleteGreat series beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteall gorgeous shots...but I'm drawn to the first one. I am a sucker for sky shots :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos! The fog is beautiful and I love all the birds.
ReplyDelete