There is magic in Florida's early morning light. Even in the "blue hour" before sunrise, when tripods and longer exposures might be required, the sky is often bright enough for hand-held photos. White birds always pose a challenge. Stark white feathers are easily overexposed, but dawn's warm light at a low angle can enhance the detail. My neighbors' fences are barely visible before sunrise from our back patio: A Great Egret lofts up into the light against the dark surface of the lake Sunlight is just touching the lake as another egret dances above the surface: Wary as I approach, the egret moves away a bit: The egret's feet barely touch the water and ripples have not had time to disturb the surface: Another Great Egret emerges from the seclusion of the reeds... ...and struts out into the open against a backdrop that fades into oblivion at f/4: An adult Green Heron occupies a prominent post on a rock: The Green Heron watches as a Little Blue Heron ventures near: Ripples reflect on the feathers of the Little Blue Heron as it peers nearsightedly into the shallows: The shadows shorten: A pair of Common Nighthawks have either a nest or a chick nearby. Overhead, one suddenly turns and swoops down at me, filling the frame. Just above my head, it turns up sharply at the bottom of its dive and its wing feathers create a startling "boom." A Killdeer, calling loudly, tries to draw me away from a nest along the path: In an effort to distract me, one displays its bright tail feathers and feigns a broken wing: Now sun plays across the lake; the egret accents the scene: I visit the damaged rookery and find that one of the Green Heron pairs has a second clutch of eggs: An adult Green Heron covers the nest: Only about six feet away, two Green Heron nestlings are almost ready for flight: Back at the lake, an immature Green Heron, perhaps one from the first brood, suddenly flies up and I get a lucky shot... ...before it merges into the rushes: Shooting through the grass, I capture the image of a Snowy Egret and its reflection: In a pool next to the lake, an immature White Ibis catches something that looks like a cricket: I get close looks at a Gulf Fritillary... ...a Brown Anole displaying its dewlap... ...and the large, fleshy flower of a Pond Apple (Annona glabra): I did not wish to damage the flower, but here is a photo (taken in 2008) of one which had fallen to the ground: Back home on our front lawn, a White-winged Dove gathers sticks for its flimsy nest in our next-door neighbor's tree:
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Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart Linking to Today's Flowers Friday by Denise ________________________________________________ Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display ________________________________________________
With rain threatening, Mary Lou and I decided to drive over to Fabyan Forest Preserve in nearby Geneva, Illinois. There we could park in the middle of the preserve and take short walks to see two target birds. A pair of Great Horned Owls are raising a single owlet near the parking lot, and a Yellow-throated Warbler had recently been reported in the Japanese garden. The garden is a beautiful feature, open to the public on a limited basis and also provides a setting for small private functions such as weddings. A footbridge is reflected in one of the ponds: We started at the owl tree. Sure enough, both a parent and the owlet huddled in their "doorway." Since the nest is so accessible, its fame has spread among the general public and there are barriers and signs which keep visitors at a safe distance from the nest. My telephoto lens compensated for the distance, yet even though I was only one among the crowd, the adult looked surprised when I pointed my camera: They relaxed and snuggled together for a nice portrait: Despite intermittent sprinkles, we walked over to the garden. Almost immediately we heard the distinctive song of the Yellow-throated Warbler. At first all we could see were his undersides, but he briefly alighted on a lower branch to quickly catch and devour a caterpillar. I fired a burst of photos during the couple of seconds he was in plain sight: This is one of my favorite warblers. Its bright yellow throat contrasts beautifully with a smart black and white body. Rather uncommon during migration here in Illinois, I have seen it at almost this same spot during three past years. It has also appeared during autumn migration in our local Florida wetlands several times. I saw this one last fall: They seem to enjoy showing off their bright throat, as this one is doing (September, 2012): Once satisfied with my views of the warbler, I enjoyed peeking through the shrubs at the Japanese Garden, taking photos at every angle. Looking over this fence, I felt I was seeing an oil landscape created by a Master Painter: Indeed, I treated a portion of this image as an oil painting in Corel PaintShop PRO x8. Here is the crop before and after editing (click on images for more detailed views). The plantings and even the placement of rocks are very artful.:
The skies were too gray for this week's sky shot, so I am showing one I took on April 25 at Nelson Lake, shortly after arriving in Illinois from Florida. The trees had not yet started to leaf out: = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Linking to Misty's CAMERA CRITTERS,
Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue ________________________________________________ Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display ________________________________________________
After enduring a South Florida winter which felt more like summer, it was refreshing to experience cool (even cold) nights and clear skies. Now we slept with the windows open, which was possible only a few times this entire winter in Florida. Each morning we were out early on nearby wilderness preserves and parks. This is a view of a slough along the Fox River at Les Arends Kane County Forest Preserve: Moments later the still water was disturbed by a busy Muskrat... ...and a pair of Hooded Mergansers: Eastern Bluebirds were a sure sign of spring: American Robins foraged on the lawns: This Red-winged Blackbird displayed its epaulets as it burst into song: A female Mallard rested in the flood plain, casting a fine reflection: Bluebells flourished in the shade: Violets, both blue and white, further evidenced the advance of the seasons: At Fabyan Forest Preserve, a Great Horned Owl again nested in an old snag: The adult groomed its single owlet: A pair of Bald Eagles started nesting near our second home in Illinois just after we moved there in 2007. After about three years their nest fell down and for the last three or four years they have been breeding successfully in a native pine tree which is right in the middle of a residential school parking lot. The cars park right up to the tree trunk, and crowds often watch from very close by: Unfortunately, the tree started declining and by last fall it was nearly dead. Now it is completely lifeless: There are at least two eaglets which look to be about 3 weeks old. Dead pines have soft wood which rots rapidly, and this tree will quickly become a hazard to those who park or walk near it. The tree probably starved because its roots were nearly entirely covered by the asphalt pavement. I do not think anything was done to speed its demise. I wonder what will happen if the eagles continue to use the tree-- at some point it may need to be taken down: Interestingly, this was the first nest in Kane County since before DDT was banned, and the Pembroke Pines (Florida) nest near our permanent home was also the first in Broward County!
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________________________________________________ Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display ________________________________________________
