Dusty Blue Moon

Last weekend we celebrated a rare  Seasonal Blue Moon. The usual Blue Moon occurs when there is a second full Moon in a single month. The second during any one of the four seasons is called a Seasonal Blue Moon. The latter is a bit less frequent, but both happen about every two or three years. Both may rarely occur in a single year, as happened in 2018, but this will not be seen again until 2037, a few days before my 102nd Birthday. 

When there is a full Moon, we enjoy getting out early to watch it set into the lake from a vantage point about a 15 minute walk from our home. Best viewing occurs during the half hour before moonset, but on Saturday morning it was too early for us. The  nearly-full Moon set around 6:00 AM and disappeared from the clear sky just as we started out on our walk. 

Steven, a friend and very accomplished birder, accompanied me. As usual, MaryLou broke ranks and power-walked a mile out and we were only about halfway in when, on her way back home, she blew past us in the dark. Steven sought three target birds. The first was the Barn Owl, which we encountered very soon. A pair have been breeding in the hollow tops of dead Royal Palms. I "discovered" them in 2015, but did not find nest #1 until 2019. They occupied nest #2 this past breeding season, raising one owlet which fledged in February. For the past month the pair have been roosting on a third dead palm just to the north of nest #2. This was where we heard and then saw it on Saturday. Much too dark for photos.

A Chuck-wills-widow, the second of Steven's target species, treated us to a nocturnal fly-by. Again, no photos.

We reached the extinct heron rookery before sunrise. An unseen Green Heron called out. Steven caught sight of a cluster of three Yellow-crowned Night-Herons high in a tree and silhouetted against the brightening eastern sky. My best photos were horrible:

As the sky brightened, Steven's eagle eyes spotted (yes, an immature Bald Eagle, but also) what, at first, appeared to be a large nest. On closer inspection, it was a family of Raccoons. As their parents remained curled up asleep in the branches above them, two youngsters stared back intensely:

A few days earlier, on August 16th I had located an Alder Flycatcher near the entrance to the Wounded Wetlands. This was the priority bird for Steven, but it failed to appear this morning:

Steven did locate a Great Crested Flycatcher which I had overlooked:

The next morning I hoped to photograph the setting of the Blue Moon just before sunrise. However, it was barely visible through the murky sky, tinged brown by a huge cloud of Saharan dust:

Other sightings this past week have been a Monarch butterfly on the flowers of Firebush:

On August 16, before the dust storm, we enjoyed a pastel sunrise:

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Linking to:

Garden Affair

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

Camera Critters

All Seasons

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Natasha Musing

Our World Tuesday

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World

Timeless Thursday

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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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A quiet wet week with few butterflies

In early August, morning rain and some necessary appointments have limited and shortened my excursions into the Wounded Wetlands. Predictably, bird counts were low, averaging about 15 common species. We also escaped dual threats from tropical storms Fred and Grace. 

Most photos were taken in bad light due to cloud cover or very early observations.

This Belted Kingfisher was a surprise on August 5, the first County record for the fall migratory season. 

An adult Bald Eagle provided me with a distant early morning view:

In one frame it ventured into full sunlight:

These pre-dawn fly-over shots of a Pileated Woodpecker barely revealed its red crest:

Some mornings I returned with no images at all, so I must reach back a few weeks for some photos not shared in earlier posts:

On August 2, a Great Egret settled into the grass along the path, probably hoping to capture insects and lizards:

The Northern Cardinals were reclusive and not singing, but a juvenile male peered out at me on August 5: 

A Mourning Dove foraged on the gravel track:

A Great Egret rested in a treetop:

I obtained a better flight shot of a female Pileated Woodpecker back in July:

Loggerhead Shrike on July 19:

Our local Wounded Wetlands are bordered by residential properties. I fear that insecticides are having an adverse effect upon butterfly populations. Many residents are utilizing automated  backyard "mosquito misting systems." They dispense aerosols into the air "a few times per day" around the clock. 

Advertisers of these multiple continuous dispersion devices emphasize the dangers of insects in Florida and push them as effective in preventing insect-borne diseases. Most claim to use only pyrethrin, touted as a "natural" or "organic" product derived from chrysanthemums. While non-toxic to humans and pets, pyrethrins can be deadly to bees, butterflies, caterpillars and other insects which commonly visit residential gardens. Pyrethrins are relatively safe when applied to individual plants, but it is also used as an aerosol to "knock down" flying insects. 

Alone, pyrethrins are not very potent when dispersed in this manner. To make them more effective they may be mixed with other ingredients to increase effectiveness. For example, a "pyrethrin" aerosol may contain piperonyl butoxide (PBO), a toxic non-organic ingredient which retards the breakdown of pyrethrins. Some mosquito control systems advertise that they utilize innocent-sounding combinations of natural oils and unspecified EPA-approved control products. (Then there is the fact that many home and residential insecticides contain neonicotinoids... but that is another story. End of rant)    

Butterflies have been unusually scarce in numbers and variety. This is a Zebra longwing, the State Butterfly of Florida:

White Peacock:

A tiny Dainty Sulphur:

This Orange-barred Sulphur (Phoebis philea) is a very large tropical species with a wingspan of 2 3/4 - 3 1/2 inches (7.0--8.9 cm). It is fairly common in south Florida, but its habits of flying erratically and usually high in the trees makes it difficult to identify and photograph. This was my first image of one from a distance, visiting a Firebush (Hamelia patens), heavily cropped and over-exposed:

Often, before sunrise, I stop on a peninsula which thrusts out into the lake, listening for owls and nightjars and watching the morning light play over the clouds. It is interesting to see how the rising sun illuminates the clouds as it moves up towards the horizon. These two photos of the same clouds were taken 5 minutes apart, just before and after sunrise on August 11:

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Linking to:

Garden Affair

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

Camera Critters

All Seasons

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Natasha Musing

Our World Tuesday

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World

Timeless Thursday

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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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Silent sunrise

We usually set out into the local Wounded Wetlands preserve about an hour before sunrise. This provides an opportunity to hear (and sometimes see) nocturnal bird species such as owls and nightjars. 

For the first half hour it is nearly pitch dark unless the Moon is in an early phase. Flashlights are essential, if only to keep us from stumbling on the rocks or avoid stepping on a snake. Wildlife photography is essentially impossible without artificial light. 

Below the horizon, the sun progressively brightens the sky and its glare obscures the stars and all but the brightest planets. Depending upon the seasons (which affect the angle at which the sun approaches the horizon) "civil twilight," also known as the "crepuscular" period, begins when the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon and ends 20-30 minutes later at sunrise. The morning chorus of bird song usually builds up during this period and tapers off after sunrise. 

Now, many birds are undergoing the post-breeding molt. To save the energy needed to replenish their feathers, they are quiet and reclusive. For the past two to three weeks the morning chorus has dwindled into a few solo notes from...

...Northern Cardinals...

...Northern Mockingbirds...

...and Carolina Wrens:

One advantage of the early walks is that we are spared the heat of the sun. Heat exhaustion is a threat when, soon after sunrise, temperatures and humidity quickly become oppressive.

Another advantage is the opportunity to see some marvelous skies. I know that trying to interpret cloud formations can be a bit silly, but could this possibly be a swordsman ready to do battle with a monstrous dragon?

Persistence of Saharan dust in the atmosphere this past week enhanced the morning colors. Shadows of clouds on the eastern horizon created ever-changing interruptions of the crepuscular rays:

On the opposite horizon, the anticrepuscular rays filled the sky and converged over the Wet Prairie...

...and reflected on the lake:

In the poor morning light, an immature Red-shouldered Hawk roosted next to the lake:

It took flight and landed on a flimsy branch atop a Pond Cypress:

At nearby Chapel Trail preserve, an immature Little Blue Heron foraged with a Mottled Duck:

In our back yard early in the morning,  a Muscovy Duck loafed on the decoy which serves as a float for the intake of our lawn irrigation system:

An Anhinga entertained us by resting on the same decoy: 

Later, the Anhinga decided to bask on our patio. These are my iPhone photos, taken through the glass of the patio door:

Since my DSLR camera cannot zoom, its viewfinder captured only the Anhinga's neck and head as it aired its wings. It was next to a Coontie which I had recently planted. I liked the aesthetics of the portrait as well as the symbolism. The Anhinga is a representative of the ancient Darter family whose fossil records date back 40-50 million years. The Coontie is a primitive Cycad which originated some 280 million years ago:

As to be expected, my visits to medical facilities increase with age, but they can provide photo opportunities for some interesting reflections:

That's Planet Jupiter, still visible high in the blue sky above the Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Florida:

The fountains turned on and spoiled the reflection:

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Linking to:

Garden Affair

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

Camera Critters

All Seasons

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Natasha Musing

Our World Tuesday

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World

Timeless Thursday

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

Crops & Clips: Flashback to August, 2018

As is my habit at the beginning of each month, I combed the photo archives from three years back and searched for images which reflected favorite memes: critters of all kinds (especially birds), skies and clouds, reflections, flowers and fences, as well as scenes which speak for themselves. We spent the entire month of August, 2018 at our home in south Florida and processed 366 images. 

We welcomed the arrival of Prairie Warblers on the first day of the month. Although this colorful species is fairly common here most of the year, they suddenly disappear from our local wetlands at the beginning of May and usually reappear in early August. 

Their absence is explained by their breeding habits. They migrate laterally to preferred breeding habitats in coastal mangrove and scrub areas. The population of local Prairie Warblers is then augmented by the arrival of fall migrants from all over eastern USA which funnel into Florida on their way to wintering grounds over the southern part of the State and the Caribbean islands.

Our first of the season Prairie Warbler, August 1, 2018:

That same morning, a Pileated Woodpecker was another nice find:

On August 3, we were out early, under a waning gibbous Buck Moon:

Anticrepuscular rays converged to the west just before sunrise that morning:

An introduced exotic Brown Basilisk was shedding its skin. Only its head and feet were free of the old layer:

On August 4, a young White-tailed buck struck a nice pose in a scenic setting :

He allowed a fairly close approach...

...before gracefully bounding off:

In the marsh, a Snowy Egret was dwarfed by a Great Egret:

An Anhinga along the canal protested my intrusion:

The highlight of the day and into late autumn was a Louisiana Waterthrush. They are usually rather transient, but this one or perhaps another subsequently occupied a marshy area in our patch into late October.

A Tricolored Heron hunted in our back yard:

A male Julia longwing sipped the nectar of a Lantana blossom:

Other sightings were a Common Ground-Dove, which has since become much more difficult to find...

...a Carolina Wren...

...an Egyptian Goose in flight...

...a Halloween Pennant:

...and a Tropical Checkered-Skipper:

A migrating Solitary Sandpiper arrived on August 28:

Also on August 28, a male Bobcat walked into view:

The next day, my birthday gift was a Great Blue Heron:

A tiny Brazilian Skipper rested on a flower of Pickerelweed. Their larvae are leaf-rolling caterpillars which favor the Canna Lily, a native perennial in Florida wetlands:

An eerie red sunset turned our back yard lake into a pool of blood:

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Linking to:

Garden Affair

Fences Around the World

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

Camera Critters

All Seasons

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Natasha Musing

Our World Tuesday

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World

Timeless Thursday

________________________________________________

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