Thursday, December 6, 2018

Crops & Clips: Flashback to December, 2015

We will celebrate December by looking three years back, through the 713 photos I processed in December, 2015. I hope to find images which depict favorite memes: critters of all kinds, especially birds, fences, beautiful skies and reflections, and scenes which speak for themselves.

My favorite photo effect of the month was the sinuous neck of a Tricolored Heron in our back yard:

Tricolored Heron HDR 20151205

Mary Lou and I led the monthly wetlands walk along the boardwalk on the grounds of the Regional Library in neighboring Pembroke Pines:

SW Regional Library boardwalk to south HDR  20151212

We started out the month following up on the report of an unusual species at Markham Park about 10 miles north of our south Florida home. It was a Western Spindalis, a tanager native to the Caribbean islands. We failed to find it on our first visit, but I got a "lifer" Spot-breasted Oriole. Four of them put on a good show:

Spot-breasted Oriole 05-20151202

Spot-breasted Oriole 04-20151202

A Wood Stork flew over the park:

Wood Stork 03-20151202

We returned to Markham Park on December 10 and were rewarded with great views of the Western Spindalis:

Western Spindalis 02-20151210

Western Spindalis 05-20151210

Few American Kestrels breed in far south Florida, so it was good to see these small falcons arrive for the winter:

American Kestrel male 3-20151220

Another visiting raptor was the Northern Harrier. This is a "Gray Ghost" male:

Northern Harrier male 2-20151209

A Turkey Vulture looked down at us from the broken top of a dead palm:

Turkey Vulture 2-20151217

It was difficult to ignore a Northern Cardinal as it posed so nicely in good light:

Northern Cardinal 2-20151209

A male Pileated Woodpecker suddenly swooped down past me:

Pileated Woodpecker on Melaleuca snag 2-20151207

Pileated Woodpecker in flight 20151207

An Ovenbird peered out from the branches which formed a natural "vignette:"

Ovenbird natural vignette 20151225

The local Bald Eagles were preparing for a family. This is the male, "Pride:"

Bald Eagle Pride DPP 01-20151212

The female, "Jewel" sat deeply for a few days, rearranged the nest a bit, and laid her first egg before Christmas:

Bald Eagle female 1048 AM 20151214

Turning to other critters, a Green Metallic Bee hovered long enough for me to obtain a clear image:

Green Metallic Bee hovering 20151229

A Dorantes Longtail visited a blooming Bidens alba. The seeds of this common "weed" are troublesome Shepherd's Nettles, but it provides more nectar than any other native plant. Only the cultivated citrus trees are more productive:

Dorantes Longtail 20151224

A Soldier butterfly also favored the Bidens:

Soldier below 2-20151220

A Garden Spider tended her web:

Garden Spider 2-20151218

A Marsh Rabbit chewed on the grass:


Marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris) 20151212

The Christmas Moon set on the morning of December 26, with the Pine Bank reflecting on the still water:

 Christmas Moon setting HDR 20151226

= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

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

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

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19 comments:

  1. Nice job capturing the Oriole! Love that shot of the bee, too!

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  2. Love the shot of the bridge, I could imagine myself walking there

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  3. Hello, great collection of birds. I love the Oriole and the Western Spindalis is a beauty too. Great shots of the Kestrel, Ovenbird, Eagles and the Pileated. Pretty butterfly and cute bunny. Great critter post. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend! PS, thanks for the comment on my blog.

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  4. Some pretty special birds here. The Oriole is the winner for me.

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  5. That metallic bee doesn't look real! How amazing! I've seen a Kestrel two days in a row this week...in two locations. That has been exciting! Enjoy your weekend! I'm doing a hiking series on my blog. Hope you can visit soon!

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  6. Hello
    With such a huge selection, you do not even know what you should photograph first ;-)) A very nice summary with great great pictures, thanks for pointing
    Greetings Frank

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  7. Your birds are remarkable! I am impressed by the sharpness of your photos.

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  8. You always give us so much pleasure and such a great variety of birds no matter where you roam...for that I send along my thanks and appreciation for linking in with us at I'd Rather B Birdin. Have a beautiful week ahead & Happy Birding! Love the flight of the wood stork and woodpecker most.

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  9. Fine and fabulous photos!
    (ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!

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  10. A wonderful collection, such striking colours #image-in-ing

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  11. The Orioles are so colorful and the Western Spindalis is such a pretty bird.Wow the Gray Ghost is scary looking. Since I know you're following the eagles, our glass raised for a little eaglet coming:)Thank you for sharing all these interesting and colorful details with All Seasons - it's appreciated!

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  12. What wonderful selections of nature! I certainly enjoyed seeing the creatures in your part of the world. The colors are so bright and gorgeous. Thanks so much for sharing. BTW, I have to say, I thought I took a lot of photos, but you have me beat!! It's a wonderful way to capture moments of time!

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  13. Great set of pictures - I love the colours on the Kestrel. That rabbit does seem to have very short ears!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

    PS: comments now seem to be working properly - but only from my lap top!

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  14. You're right, the heron photo is great, but I give the award for you captures of the piliated woodpecker - a real beauty!
    Thanks for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2018/12/cranberry-orange-rolls.html

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  15. The woodpecker is incredible! I haven't seen any cardnials here in atlanta yet.

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