Crops & Clips: Flashback to March, 2015 (#795)

Once again I am peering through the retrospectroscope, back three years to March, 2015. I will search my photo archives for images which depict favorite memes-- critters of all kinds (especially birds), reflections, fences, clouds, and scenes which speak for themselves.

Rain threatened early on the morning of March 1 as we hurried back home from a shortened walk in the local Wounded Wetlands.



At the lake, there is an ancient three-foot high cypress stump which I call the "Enchanted Island." It provides a useful gauge of the depth of the water. At full capacity it is entirely submerged, and in a normal dry season it sits out of the water on the mudflats.

This time of year the water should begin rising, but not nearly this high, meaning our lake will not likely attract many shorebirds. Let's see if this prediction holds true.

A Red-winged Blackbird reflected on the "Enchanted Island," March 1, 2015:



A Green Anole displayed his dewlap on March 2:



Two female White-tailed Deer appeared at the edge of the wet prairie:



A White-winged Dove gathered nesting material in our front yard:



Yellow-crowned Night-Heron male performed a courtship display:



Early in the month, the new female Bald Eagle (Jewel) watched, her mate (Pride) hard at work on the nest, flying in with sticks...



...and arranging them. Jewel did not join him, remaining on her roost next to the nest to the right:

:

On March 12, Pride was still working on the nest but Jewel finally flew down with him. They performed a sort of recognition ritual...



...and then Jewel started helping out:



During the next few days the pair spent some time together on the nest, but Jewel never settled down. She is on the left in these photos (March 16):



They seemed to have a cozy relationship, but it was far too late for the eagles to start raising a family:



Indeed, Jewel never appeared "broody," and never settled down in the nest. We wondered whether she deposited one or more eggs in the nest but lacked the instinct to incubate them. Indeed, Pride was often seen sitting deep in the nest over the next few weeks. The odds are against a single adult (especially a male) being able to hatch out an eaglet.

The weather remained unusually rainy. Although the mud flats never appeared on the lake, we were pleased to have visits by graceful Black-necked Stilts:







The Mottled Ducks did not mind the weather:



The cloudy skies produced some nice sunrises over our back yard lake...



...and a double rainbow:





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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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