Out before the birds on the local wetlands

Mary Lou and I try to get out each morning about three-quarters to a half hour before sunrise, when the skies are clear and the air is often cool and still.

With the approach of winter, the period of twilight lengthens as the southward path of the rising sun rolls along just beneath the eastern horizon. On the first day of summer the Sun rises more directly and the sky takes less time to lighten up. This phenomenon is much more apparent nearer the Equator, where the "Dawn comes up like thunder," quickly turning from dark to light.

On November 6 our walk was cut short by the threat of rain. Just before sunrise, the eastern horizon appeard to be on fire ("Red in the morning, sailors take warning"):



On the way in it is usually too dark for photography, but on another morning I tried anyway as a Tricolored Heron flew past before sunrise...



...as did an Osprey:



Later in the day, a Loggerhead Shrike stood guard atop a Pond Cypress...



...and an American Kestrel perched on a leaf shoot from a Royal Palm :



At what remained of the once-thriving heron rookery, the only occupants were a female Yellow-crowned Night-Heron...



...and a Black-crowned Night-Heron:



Visitors from the north, two Eastern Phoebes shared the top of another cypress:



A Gulf Fritillary extracted nectar from a Lantana flower:



The fruits of Lantana attract buntings. A male and female Painted Bunting suddenly flew to a nearby perch:



I love to observe and photograph this species away from artificial feeders. The males are usually shy and retiring, so this was a lucky series of shots:





A female Painted Bunting perched on a tall grass stem:



An Ovenbird flew in but did not provide me with a clear view:



A Ruby-throated Hummingbird foraged in a Ligustrum bush. I could not see it in the viewfinder but clicked the shutter blindly several times. It happened to appear in one photo:



Black-throated Green Warblers foraged in the Live Oaks:





They are very active, flitting among the branches in search of caterpillars:



These flowers were tiny, less than 1/2 inch wide. I got this shot with my Canon PowerShot SX700 HS in macro mode, hand held. Image stabilization is amazing. It is just a "weed" (Largeflower Mexican Clover -- Richardia grandiflora), but close up it looks like a magnificent bouquet.



On November 9 the clouds moved in a bit later in the morning:



We kept a wary eye on the storm as we walked back towards home:



At the gate, the Ixora blossoms attracted butterflies:



Among them, a tiny Tropical Checkered-skipper with a wingspan of less than an inch:



Fog lifting on opposite shore:



= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

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

________________________________________________

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

________________________________________________