Crops & Clips: Flashback to March, 2016

To kick off the month of March, I have once again turned to my photo archives to bring back memories from three years ago, searching for favorite memes: birds and butterflies, flowers, fences, reflections, colorful skies and scenes which speak for themselves.

The sun had not quite reached the opposite shore and the near shore was still in shadow, presenting a challenging exposure as this Great Egret lifted off:





On March 1, 2016 we were out well before sunrise but the sky was quite bright over the west Miramar (FL) wetlands.  This is the view to the south before sunrise:



Mottled Ducks at sunrise that morning:



The fog lifting on March 2:




A Green Heron in the rookery:



A close-up of a Cooper's Hawk taken through our kitchen window as it ate a bird out on our lawn:



We spent the week after Easter at Sanibel Island. Our granddaughter was a serious fisher-person as her little sister watched:



The Lighthouse at Sanibel, rendered as an oil painting:



Sanibel is so rich in bird life. Here is a preening Snowy Egret...



...a Pileated Woodpecker in flight...



...and Osprey nestlings:



Back home, we had American Kestrels all winter (but none at all this winter 2019):





Likewise, wintering Yellow-rumped Warblers were numerous, but we are seeing very few this year:



A trio of Great Egrets:



Our local pair of Bald Eagles lost their first newly hatched eaglets to a severe storm in February. By late March they were nesting again, and successfully raised one chick. This is Jewel, the female, taking a break while her mate (Pride) sits on the nest:



Bald Eagles get so much credit for being faithful to each other, but Turkey Vultures also mate for life:



Sadly, the butterflies are also scarce this year. In the winter of 2016 we had a surfeit. This is Horace's Duskywing on Bidens alba:



Gulf Fritillary:



A male Julia longwing on Lantana blossoms:



Florida's State Butterfly, the Zebra heliconian, presented here as an oil painting:




= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Our World Tuesday by Lady Fi

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue

Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jesh

 Linking to Fences Around the World by Gosia

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

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