Birding under a mirrored sunrise

One  morning in late November, about 20 minutes before sunrise, the sky seemed to be setting up very nicely to produce a mirrored sunrise on the western horizon. I quickened my pace as I walked the half mile to the lake in the mitigation preserve. 

Almost all the ingredients were present: heavy thunderstorms to the the east over the Bahamas to break up the sun's light into rays; a clear sky overhead to transmit the rays; and a clear western horizon with minimal ground haze.

To the southeast, sunlight was just creeping up over the cloud tops:



The only missing factors were humidity and Saharan dust to enhance the rays and provide color. Sure enough, a virtual sunrise was produced, strongest about 5 minutes after sunrise. 

Because of the line of clouds to the east, the light had not yet touched the opposite horizon, so the lake and the pine bank were still in shadow:

 



A few minutes later a Bald Eagle flew over from the direction of their nest site about 1 1/2 miles NW of our location:



A Northern Mockingbird kept watch from from a Pond Cypress::



A Great Egret foraged in the warm morning light:



This immature Tricolored Heron cast a nice reflection:

 

Later that week a Great Blue Heron flew in about 5 minutes after sunrise. Light was poor but I was very pleased with the soft image of the heron as it settled down with a White Ibis. Click on the photo for a larger view:



I found only one Yellow-crowned Night-Heron in the rookery:



A Sharp-shinned Hawk posed on a dead tree along the path:



A Loggerhead Shrike caught a wasp and carried it back to its perch atop a Pond Cypress:



On the way out at 8:00 AM I was surprised to see a Bobcat cross the gravel road not too far away. It never looked towards me:

 

A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird guarded her favorite patch of Firebush (Hamelia patens):



She favors the fresh orange-yellow tubular flowers over the older red ones in the clusters:



A couple of unusual bird species visited the patch. For the first time in the ten years I have patrolled the area, I sighted a single Clay-colored Sparrow. I got a bad shot but was astounded to see it (or another of its species) a few minutes later as I walked home. It was on a neighbor's lawn and flew up into a small tree just long enough for me to capture its image:



A Bell's Vireo, recorded only a few times in our county, has visited the same small area of fruiting Lantana and Brazilian Pepper four out of the past winter seasons. I have guided birders into the area several times each year and they usually have not been disappointed in their quest:



Back home, a Double-crested Cormorant rested on the decoy which supports the intake of our lawn sprinkler system:



Across the lake, a second cormorant stood on a Canada Goose decoy. The owner's fence is reflected in the water:



That same fence can be seen in this photo of a rainbow following a brief shower:




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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Gosia

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 Today's Flowers Friday by Denise

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue
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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display

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