Crops & Clips: August, 2012 Meme Mashup

This month's potpourri gathered from my photo archives features the themes of critters, fences, skies, macros and reflections. It is a retrospective view of photos taken three years ago, in August, 2012. Actually it is a scavenger hunt, as at that time I did not seek to portray each of these memes. Let's see how far I need to go into the month to find at least one of each. If I can get them all I will have won the game eight months in a row since starting in January, 2015.

The month started out on a disappointing note. I should have been happy because the native Trema trees were bursting with fruit and this foretold of lots of food for the warblers and tanagers passing through this autumn. We were about to leave for our second home in Illinois.


August 8, 2012:



However, the vandals who had ravaged my favorite "sit spot" which, four years ago,  I called the "Fake Hammock" had completed their destruction of the habitat. After cutting down all 5 of the mature Tremas, their campfires ignited a blaze that completely opened up my shady and secluded retreat. Now it is exposed to the sun and invaded by tall grass:



CRITTERS:

Also on August 8, I watched as an Anhinga caught and then swallowed a very large sunfish in our local wetlands. Here is a link to a video of the entire sequence of photos  "Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head":  





In contrast, the same day, this Tricolored Heron caught a tiny fish in our back yard lake. Look closely:



A pair of Common Ground Doves walked the gravel road on August 8, 2012. The more brightly colored one is the male:



A Northern Parula was the final warbler I would log before departing from Florida, this photo also taken on August 8, 2012



In Illinois, a family of Sandhill Cranes occupied the"backyard" of our condo. Their feathers are discolored by minerals in the water:



On August 22, 2012, at an Illinois sod farm, I captured this "triple play" of a Killdeer, an American Golden-Plover, and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper:



MACRO: 

On August 24, a delightful photo of a female Chestnut-sided Warbler in Batavia, Illinois:



A Green Anole (August 4), a female Julia heliconian (August 8) and a bee look-alike hoverfly (August 31) posed for my favorite MACROs of the month:








SKY, REFLECTION (and, if you look closely, a FENCE-- sorry it does not meet Texas standards, but this was the best I could do that month Theresa!):

The morning before leaving Florida we had a beautiful sunrise over our lake, on August 10, 2012:


 
Well, that was fun. I think I may have just squeaked by and kept my record clean, provided Tex gives me a break.


Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

 Linking to I Heart Macro by Laura

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

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