Thursday, November 30, 2017

Crops & Clips: Birding in the fog

Some mornings the sun rises into a clear sky, but when we walk out on the wetlands we may encounter fog. This produces some stunning effects for landscape photography.

Fog shrouds the inhabited side of the canal, opposite our local wetlands:

 Morning fog on canal HDR 20150216

The sun tries to break through:

Sun rising in fog 20170208

Last week, just after sunrise, a "fogbow" formed over the wetlands:

Fogbow 20171122

Shooting in between the high blades of grass and through the fog produced a natural vignette and a two-dimensional rendering of these Black-necked Stilts:

 Black-necked Stilts HDR 20150320

Two Mottled Ducks enter the lake...

Mottled Ducks in fog 20170215

...and swim under a blanket:

Mottled Ducks in fog CROP 20170121

This Garden Spider's web is weighted down by dewdrops:

Duck Potato HDR 20171122

Garden Spider 20171122

Photographing wildlife can be a challenge. This photo of a Little Blue Heron is a poor exposure but I liked the composition:

Little Blue Heron in fog before sunrise 02-20170206

Fog muffles the background as this egret lands on a small tree:

Great Egret before sunrise 20171108

This doe probably couldn't see us, and we could barely see her:

White-tailed Doe in fog 2-20140224

After a foggy start, the sun did come out. Now the camera does its work without any tweaking. Still air provides nice reflections of a Great Egret...

Great Egret reflection 03-20171119

...as it catches a tiny minnow:

Great Egret reflection 04-20171119

A Red-shouldered Hawk watches from the side of the path:

Red-shouldered hawk 02-20171124

A male Northern Flicker stands out against a blue sky:

Northern Flicker 01-20171119

Close by is a female flicker (no mustache):

Northern Flicker female 04-20171119

The lack of butterflies is concerning. Does this have anything to do with the massive anti-mosquito campaign which followed Hurricane Irma? This is a Gulf Fritillary:

Gulf Fritillary 20171108

Hurricane-felled trees along the canal have prevented us from following it along on the "wild side," to the right. A homeowner association (HOA-approved) fence identifies the civilized side:



SW 195th Ave Canal COREL 20171124

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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to FENCES AROUND THE WORLD 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 Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jesh

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

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Thursday, November 23, 2017

Crops & Clips: Bald Eagle nest repair

On our morning walk we were treated to a "mirrored sunrise" in the western sky. The rays of the rising sun were broken up by clouds to the east, and they converged towards a vanishing point on the opposite horizon (November 16, 2017):

Pine Bank under mirrored sunrise HDR 02-20171116

Mirrored Sunrise HDR  01-20171116

The next morning the male Bobcat again appeared, but this time only briefly and at a distance. He stalked away along the barrier fence:

Bobcat 02-20171117

Hurricane Irma spared the local Bald Eagle nest tree when she struck on September 10. The nest itself suffered minimal damage.  This how it looked on September 15, just after the winds subsided:

Bald Eagle nest damage 20170915

On October 25, upon returning to Florida after a month at our second home in NE Illinois, Mary Lou and I checked on the welfare of the eagles. We arrived at the nest at about 9:30 AM and watched for a half hour. We found the female (Jewel) rearranging sticks on the nest:

Bald Eagle female Jewel on nest 01-20171025

Bald Eagle female Jewel on nest 02-20171025

At about 9:50 the male (Pride) suddenly flew in from the left side of the nest. There was no vocalizing. I do not think he brought in any sticks but it happened so fast that I cannot be sure:

Bald Eagle male Pride arrives 03-20171025

They both got back to work on the nest for a few minutes...

Bald Eagles work on nest 04-20171025

Bald Eagles work on nest 05-20171025

Bald Eagles work on nest 06-20171025

...but Pride then flew up to the nest support branch to the right, as Jewel continued to work on the nest:

Bald Eagle male flies to roost 07-20171025

Bald Eagle male flies to roost 08-20171025

On October 31, this adult eagle flew over our local wetlands, about 1 1/2 miles SE of the nest:

Bald Eagle 03-20171028

During the first two weeks of November we saw that more material had been added to the right side of the nest to repair the storm damage:

Bald Eagle nest 20171107

This past week we found both of the adults on the nest. They were moving sticks at first, but settled down close together for a moment, The male (Pride) is in the foreground:

Bald Eagle pair on nest 01-20171111

Bald Eagle pair on nest 02-20171111

Notice the nictitating membrane of Jewel, the female. This translucent "third eyelid" extends out from the corner of the eye, lubricating and protecting it (click on image for enlarged view):
 
Bald Eagle pair on nest 03-20171111

On average, the pairs at this nest have deposited their first egg in early to mid-December. It was heartening to see Jewel resting deep in the nest for longer spells. Hopefully she is starting to feel "broody," a behavior which increases during the week or two before egg-laying. Only the top of her head was visible on November 19. Pride is roosting just to the right of the nest:

Bald Eagle female best view 20171119


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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to FENCES AROUND THE WORLD 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 Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jesh

________________________________________________

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

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Thursday, November 16, 2017

Unexpected spectacles

Just as no two sunrises are ever alike, I never know what to expect any given morning on the Wounded Wetlands adjacent to our south Florida home--

The full Moon setting on February 3, 2017:

Full Worm Moon setting 20170313

The Pine Bank, before Hurricane Irma, which struck  on September 10, 2017

Pine Bank at sunrise 20170208

Pine Bank at sunrise 20170313

After Hurricane Irma, on November 8, 2017, the Pine Bank has a lower profile, as many of the tall Australian Pines have been blown down:

Pine Bank at sunrise 20171108

On November 5, 2017, in the pre-dawn I thought this heron had captured a large snake, but it was an amphiuma. I watched as it dispatched it and then swallowed it whole.  

Two-toed amphiumas (Amphiuma means) can grow to lengths of 3 feet or more—one of the largest salamander species in the world. Two-toed amphiumas have tiny, nearly useless front and hind legs with two toes on each leg. Reference:  Giant Salamanders of Florida

Great Blue Heron with Amphiuma 01-20171105

Great Blue Heron with Amphiuma 03-20171105

Great Blue Heron with Amphiuma 04-20171105

Great Blue Heron with Amphiuma 07-20171105

One never knows when there may be an opportunity to learn something new. I noticed that Palm Warblers were catching insects attracted to the sparse blossoms which towered above a patch of Alligator Flag. 

This plant will flourish only when there is a constant supply of water. If its roots dry out for too long they will perish. In the Everglades, they signal the location of the water holes which are kept open through the dry season by alligators which created and maintained them over the years:

Alligator Flag in bloom HDR 20151120

Alligator Flag flowers HDR 20160916

Their tiny but attractive flowers resemble those of the Bird of Paradise, a related plant (along with other members of the arrowroot family, which includes bananas and cannas).

Alligator Flag flowers invite bees and other pollinators to trigger an explosive "rat-trap" pollination mechanism which momentarily snaps down on the insect. In a split second the flower collects pollen brought in and deposits new pollen to be distributed. Having completed its task, the flower releases the visitor and prevents entry to new insects. For a more complete and scientific description, visit this link: The Alligator Flag is a Snappy Wildflower.  

Although I am primarily looking for birds, I like to be surprised when mammals show up. I was trying to get a photo of a warbler when this Raccoon suddenly walked out on the path in front of me. I stood very still as he tried to get a better look at me. He walked almost up to my feet before I shood him: 

Raccoon 20120419

Raccoon 3-20120419

Three young White-tailed deer, one a single-pronged spike-buck, stared at me from the end of the road:

White-tailed Deer 01-20170127

Over the fence she goes!

White-tailed doe jumping 04-20150123

On November 10 I found a Grasshopper Sparrow, only my third sighting here over the 10 years I have walked in this patch. This is not a rare species, but it is very small and secretive. It favors short grass such as we have along the gravel road. It persisted for three days in a spot on the right side just ahead:

Storm Clouds 20171110

Grasshopper Sparrow:


Grasshopper Sparrow 01-20171109

Grasshopper Sparrow 04-20171109

I was busy taking a photo of the Grasshopper Sparrow and ignored the cries of two egrets just to my left. When I looked up, this big healthy-looking male Bobcat was sitting there staring at me, about 20 paces away. The noisy egrets circled and flew low over the cat.

He stood up as I took this photo, then walked calmly away. I wondered whether he had tried to catch one of the egrets along the lake shore and they distracted him so much that he failed to notice me. Click on photo for larger view and more images:

Bobcat 01-20171110

He licked his chops, perhaps thinking about how tasty that pesky egret might have been:

Bobcat 08-20171110

He paid me little heed, making me feel like an invisible spectator to one of nature's wonders!

Bobcat 06-20171110

Bobcat 07-20171110

Bobcat 09-20171110



= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to FENCES AROUND THE WORLD 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 Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jesh

________________________________________________

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


________________________________________________