A cold front delivered windy cold weather to south Florida. It got down to 58 degrees F (14.4 degrees Celsius) one morning. Although there was no danger of frostbite, I had to wear a jacket!
A trifecta of long-legged waders greeted us on November 19-- a Great Egret with Tricolored and Little Blue Herons adorned the top of a tree:
Earlier that morning, just at sunrise, I had encountered a large male Bobcat along the gravel path:
Bunting and Bobcat on the same morning walk-- what could be better? The plumage of a female Painted Bunting blended so well with the foliage that I had trouble seeing her in the viewfinder:
After the front passed on November 18 there were fair skies and still water before sunrise:
This is the view from the lakeside marsh as the sun touched the pine bank on the opposite shore:
The clouds were mirrored on the surface of the lake:
I briefly caught sight of a migrating immature Rose-breasted Grosbeak:
Male Boat-tailed Grackles congregated in a treetop:
In the rookery, the Yellow-crowned Night-Herons were developing golden crowns in preparation for the breeding season. Unfortunately, many trees which were blown into the canal by Hurricane Irma need to be cut and removed this week. I hope that some trees are spared for the herons:
A Great Egret perched in perfect morning side-light:
An acrobatic female Black-throated Blue Warbler plucked tiny insects from Ligustrum flowers:
At the local Bald Eagle nest, the pair had been gathering sticks and then took a break, roosting together on a nearby Australian Pine. The larger female (Jewel) is on the left. Her mate (Pride) looked her way...
...and began calling and spreading his wings:
Jewel's calls turned the performance into a duet:
Successful copulation followed:
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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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Wonderful clicks
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving, neighbor
Fantastic report! The eagles are magnificent. Happy Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, what great shots of the Eagles and thanks for sharing them with us. Enjoy what is left of the week, Diane
ReplyDeleteOutstanding clouds and their reflections!! Kudos!
ReplyDeleteI love that shot of the bobcat, and beautiful sky shots. Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteFantastic clouds.
ReplyDeleteYou really see everything on your walks - gorgeous wild cat, beautiful birds, and even bird sex
ReplyDeleteWhat a collection of images you have. I have never seen a bobcat in the wild.
ReplyDeleteI hope you had a great thanksgiving Day Kenneth. I flt I was out on this walk with you today and seeing all the things that u saw and photographed was wonderful. Great series of images of the Eagles. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeletehaha, wonderful captures.
ReplyDeleteLove the reflection!
ReplyDeleteHello, love the beautiful sky and scenic shot. The waders are awesome. Love the pretty Bunting and Grosbeak. The eagle series is amazing, great captures. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your day and weekend! PS, thanks always for the comment on blog.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos!
ReplyDeleteIt's been wonderful to have the cooler temps. I've been out a lot but not sure I want to see a Bobcat! It would be exciting though! We had 100s of Robins in our backyard and on the golf course on Thanksgiving morning! That was neat! Enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful clicks. I've never seen the Yellow-crowned Night Heron or the Black-throated Blue Warbler. You get such perfect shots! Love the egret and the Eagles.
ReplyDeleteO, alle you photos are beautiful. Thak you so much. My son (14) also enjoyed them.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful reflections and amazing eagle shots!
ReplyDeleteYou'd probably have to wear a hat, scarf and gloves here. It's supposed to dip down to 50F over night. ;-)
What amazing photos! You really captured every moment ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe cloud photo is particularly stunning.
My goodness, what a lovely variety of scenery and critters!
ReplyDeleteThat is some loving Eagles
ReplyDeleteMollyx
Your photos are exquisite. What luck to capture the eagles mating.
ReplyDeleteThe cold and rain moved in here as well around Thanksgiving! So appreciate that we at All Seasons get to see landscapes of Florida not many know of. Awesome to see the whole process of the copulation of the eagles- what a duet! The little Grossbeak looks so cute. Many thanks for all these details, Ken. It makes your posts so interesting and educational!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being so patient with me while I was on a holiday break! I LOVE having you share your blog with us at I'd Rather B Birdin'!
ReplyDeleteI do so love your eagles!