Thursday, January 5, 2023

Crops & Clips: Flashback to January, 2020

On the first Thursday of each month, I enjoy looking back over my archived photos, taken three years previously, to remember how things were then as contrasting with events this year at our new home in Connecticut. As usual, I searched for images which reflected favorite memes: critters of all kinds (especially birds), skies and clouds, reflections, flowers and scenes which speak for themselves. I spent the entire month in south Florida.

I processed 437 photos that month. My first bird image, on the first day  of the New Year, was a Red-shouldered Hawk:


On January 3, a large male Bobcat crossed the path ahead of me, seemingly oblivious to my presence. Unlike those in Connecticut, it appears to be elongated and short-haired:

That same day provided nice views of a Loggerhead Shrike:

Other birds of note the first week were a male American Kestrel...

...an inconspicuous  Blue-headed Vireo surrounded by the berries of Firebush (Hamelia patens)...

...a Ruby-throated Hummingbird sipping nectar of the Hamelia flowers...

...an acrobatic Yellow-throated Warbler...

...a nimble Black-and-White Warbler...

...and a Purple Gallinule:

Later in the month I encountered a Magnolia Warbler with very pale plumage, which experts identified as Type 4 albinism:

On January 25 I photographed a Magnolia Warbler with normal pigmentation:

A female or immature male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker excavated sap wells in the bark of our back yard Mahogany tree:

The local pair of Bald Eagles were tending their nest with eggs and very possibly a newly-hatched eaglet:

Wood Storks visited nearby Chapel Trail Nature Preserve:

A Northern Flicker turned away, displaying the red crescent on its nape:

An elusive warbler, a Northern Waterthrush, provided only one unobstructed view:

Sunlight brought out the iridescence of a Boat-tailed Grackle:

Male Northern Cardinals glow an even brighter red during winter as their brownish feather tips wear off:

A Zebra Heliconian drew nectar from a yellow Lantana blossom:

A neighbor tended these pink orchids in his front yard. Sadly, he contracted Covid-19 and passed away only a few months later. The neglected plant continued to bloom:

An Osprey raced with a military aircraft on January 24:

Fog lifted over the lake in the local Wounded Wetlands on January 25:

On January 28, an early morning fogbow formed, enhanced by a blue filter:

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Linking to:



Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World
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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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26 comments:

  1. What an extensive variety! Well done.

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  2. Wonderful collection of nature photos

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  3. Your passion shows through with each photograph. You are one with the camera and nature. Such a gift we are viewing. Thank you.

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  5. You are an accomplished photographer. Great images.

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  6. Hello Ken,
    I enjoy these post, looking back at your birds, critters and beautiful sky captures. You obviously keep your photos well labeled. The warblers are all beautiful, awesome captures of these beauties. The orchid is lovely, sad news about your neighbor. The Osprey photo is one of my favorites too. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend! PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

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  7. Hi Kenneth and best wishes to you for a happy and healthy 2023 from a woefully absent blogger, neglectful in commenting but appreciative of your postings. This photo archive was great and the hawk and kestrel are such maganificent birds, especially to see in flight.

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  8. Nice review of your pics. Interesting to see the blue color in the Kestrel and the Purple Gallinule.

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  9. I didn't know that about the Cardinals! They are so bright right now and I thought it was just the contrast of the dull vegetation causing them to show up so well. We are seeing many of these birds right now. Hope you're having a good weekend and staying warm!

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  10. Beautiful photos. Must have been thrilling to cross paths with a large bobcat!

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  11. That Shrike is a super looking bird and a great capture Ken. A great aray of images.

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  12. Exceptional flashback of all these nature's finest. The kestrel image is extraordinary!!
    Thank you for taking time from your day to share & link up at IRBB this weekend

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  13. Gorgeous atmosphere! Wonderful bird portraits and information.

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  14. What a wonderful flashback, Ken!

    Terrific collection of some superb birds. The pale Magnolia Warbler is fascinating.

    All the best as we forge ahead into this new year!

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  15. Fantastic bird images! I hope you have a good week.

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  16. Greetings from Costa Rica! What a stunning assortment of feathered friends you have here. I've seen so many birds here already, like my favorite Scarlet Macaws flying in military formation.

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  17. I love the hawk photos best of all - I've always been fascinated by raptors.
    Thank you for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2023/01/sunflower-seed-bread.html

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  18. What a beautiful collection colourful too :-)
    Have a flashbacktastic week 👍

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  19. Love them all, but the last one is my favorite. Wow.

    Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday. ♥

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  20. Absolutely beautiful wildlife photos. Thank you for capturing those birds. From a CT native to now living in NC I've been seeing so many more birds than before. I was thinking that I was seeing so many of the same Woodpeckers, but seeing your photo of the yellow-bellied sapsucker, I need to take a closer look since I may have been seeing them as well. And your Osprey / jet photo is fabulous! Love your work. Are you loving CT? Such a varied landscape with so much to see.
    ~Brenda

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  21. Beautiful bird captures, the orchid blooms are stunning . The capture of Osprey racing against military aircraft is mind blowing. Thanks for sharing with Garden Affair.

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