Crops & Clips: Birding bonuses

We venture out on the local wetlands before sunrise nearly every morning. As the rainy season approaches we must keep an eye on the weather.

Rain threatened on April 10:

The next morning, skies were crystal clear. About fifteen minutes before sunrise (and only a half hour after it officially became "full"), the Pink Moon was plunging into the lake. Note the shadow of the earth a few degrees above the distant horizon. 

The moon is not really pink, but it was so named by Native Americans because it signaled the spring season when Pink Phlox would blanket the landscape. The pink in the atmosphere in this photo is probably due to the presence of ash and smoke particles produced by a nearby wild fire:



Depending upon the season, the  birds we see are mostly predictable. I never have high expectations but am open to discovery and simply enjoy the sounds and sights of the birds and other wild things as they awake and welcome the cool morning air. Yet, almost every morning offers an opportunity to see something new.
 
A Gray Squirrel, perched on a neighbor's fence munching on an acorn, wishes us luck as we pass by: 

 
 
One morning this past week I was photographing two pairs of Green Herons as they cooperatively built their nests. One member of each pair (presumably the female) sat on the nest site and accepted sticks which were gathered by her mate:


This pair took a break and cuddled up:

There were some tender interactions as the sticks were brought in and put in place. Here, a male presents a small stick to his mate as she stands over her newly laid first egg:


She accepts it and he gives her a friendly peck:

Usually shy and reclusive, a Pileated Woodpecker landed on the ground near me and searched for some sort of food at the base of a Live Oak. The bird's red forehead and face stripes identified it as a male. Before he was startled by my movements, he provided a brief photo opportunity:



The Cattle Egret, pure white for most of the year, gave us a treat as it took on new bright orange plumes at the height of breeding season:


The Bald Eagle chicks escaped a threat to their safety. A major fire broke out in the Everglades Preserve, only about 3 miles west of our home. Smoke darkened the sky overhead until the winds shifted away from the nest area. This is the view from the site of the eagle nest:

The eaglets are safe and sound. This is the larger of the two, probably a female and the older. Female Bald Eagles hatch from the first egg about three times more frequently than males and are larger than males in all stages of life:

The female parent was roosting nearby. Her feathers are worn and stained:

Common birds provide new perspectives on their beauty. A Killdeer wheels over the lake:

A Blue Jay musters its troops to gather and face some real or imagined threat: 

A close look at a Florida Tree Snail exposes its beauty. True jewels of nature, they may show all the colors of the rainbow, and no two are exactly alike:


= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =
Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni


Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart


Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

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 ALL SEASONS by Jesh
________________________________________________

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