As I do on the first Thursday of each month, I enjoy looking back over my archived photos, taken three years previously in August, 2020, to remember how things were then as contrasted 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.
We spent the entire month at home in Florida. Our back yard provided some nice wildlife images. This threesome of waders gathered at the edge of our lawn. A White Ibis, Great Egret and Tricolored Heron seemed to be conferring about how to divide the fishing territory:
The Tricolored Heron wasted no time. In typical hunting style, it rushed about erratically but came up with the first fish:
The egret's approach is to wait patiently for the prey to come close enough to allow a lightning strike:
I lost sight of the ibis, but this one was surveying the action from the roof of our home:
Muscovy Duck hens paraded across the lawn with their ducklings:
Out in the local Water Conservation Area ("Wounded Wetlands"), we saw a few early southbound migrants, including a Yellow Warbler...
...and an Ovenbird:
Prairie Warblers had returned inland from their breeding grounds in coastal mangroves:
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers had increased in number:
Out early at 6:00 AM on August 15, I had just missed the visual conjunction of the Planet Venus with the Sturgeon Moon, the two brightest objects in the night sky. I was surprised at the high definition of my iPhone image, revealing the Constellation Orion despite the morning twilight:
I created this annotated image:
My favorite route was along an old abandoned farm road, which I dubbed the Bar Ditch Trail. It is usually flooded by summer rainfall, but there had been a dry winter and the entire trail was accessible. Here is an early morning photo with the sun at my back:
My friend Juan alerted me to the view of sunrise behind us:
Butterflies were active, including this Julia male...
...Horace's Duskywing...
...and Florida's State Butterfly, a Zebra heliconian:
The 451 photos I processed that month brought back so many fond memories. The early morning summer skies were often stunning. Reflection from dust blown over from Africa intensified the rays of the sun as they converged to the west over the Everglades:
The Sturgeon Full Moon was setting as we walked out into the Wounded Wetlands before sunrise:
This week's header: Anti-solar rays over wet prairie AUG 16 2020
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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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I love the water birds and other creatures. Your annotated sky shot is remarkable.
ReplyDeletebeautiful photos - love the birds and the amazing early morning skies
ReplyDeleteThese early morning skies you photographed are magical ... and interesting to learn that African dust blew over the summer's landscape.
ReplyDeleteThe egret and heron catching the fish in the beaks are outstanding shots!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous sky photos. I love to see the egrets and herons catching fish!
ReplyDeleteWow, I love your lookback posts. You had some great places to go make photographs.
ReplyDeleteStunning skies.
ReplyDeleteWow! This was just like being on a real vacation. Thank you friend. Aloha
ReplyDeleteIt is always a pleasure to wander around at your blog! Those birds catching a fish! Cool!
ReplyDeleteHello Ken, what am I supposed to write every time? Your photos are always unique and so are these flashbacks to Florida wildlife. And the sunrises are just terrific. Thanks for the link to Nature Thursday and best regards - Elke
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea to look back and share some of your wonderful photos.
ReplyDeleteAll of these photos are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWhat a glorious post. I loe that you names the planets and stars in the pic, but the two fish in the beak shots are amazing. Esp the mid air one. But poor fish!! Thanks for sharing with #allseasons
ReplyDeleteQuite an impressive collection of photos.
ReplyDeleteGuten Morgen Ken, deine Fotos haben mich begeistert, sowie auch deine Worte. Ein Erlebnis, das in meinem Herzen Einzug gehalten hat. Ich freue mich, dass du den Weg in meinen Blog gefunden hast, denn nur so konnte ich deine Bilder genießen. Habe weiterhin eine gute Zeit, bleib gesund und bis bald, Karin Lissi
ReplyDeleteHello ken,
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to see these great birds right near your home. I love first shot of the White Ibis, Great Egret and Tricolored Heron. The Warblers are a beautiful sight. Awesome captures of the night sky, the beautiful moon and Venus. The sunrise and reflection images are lovely. Beautiful post. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thanks so much for leaving me a comment.
What a beautiful and captivating collection of memories! It's truly amazing to see these stunning pics of wildlife, from the waders at the edge of your lawn to the migratory birds in the Water Conservation Area. The early morning skies and sunrises look absolutely breathtaking, and the sighting of the Sturgeon Full Moon is magical.
ReplyDeleteAnother wonderful flashback series, Ken!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to believe birds are already beginning to migrate southward.
Pretty soon, the phone camera technology will be so good we can throw away all this expensive glass we've been collecting. Fabulous sky shot!
Take care.
It's so wonderful to have those photos to enjoy over and over again. I love the sky photos and the small birds. Lots of butterflies on the wildflowers right now. Enjoy your weekend my friend!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great collection of photos loved the birds and butterflies and the skies are beautiful :-)
ReplyDeleteHave a flashbacktastic week 👍
I really like the 3rd shot. Superb Photography!
ReplyDeleteI love the ibis and heron shots - wonderful captures - yours with the camera, and theirs with the fish!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2023/08/wordy-wednesday-this-week.html
Great photos. I was especially intrigued by the birds feeding on fish and the sunset.
ReplyDeleteBirds are sure pretty.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on, and stay safe.
Your photos are always amazing to see!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your link at My Corner of the World this week!
Beautiful post, It is always a pleasure to visit your post, I have never heard about Muscovy duck its marvelous . The Egret and Heron hunting is captured brilliantly. The sky annotation is a worthy to learn .
ReplyDeleteThanks for always being part of Garden affair and sharing your world .