Crops & Clips: Flashback to May, 2016

Poring over my photo archives from three years ago, I reflect that my life is now much less active. Having given up our second home in Illinois, we are more homebound. Excursions are mostly for shopping, choir practice, church and of course, visits to the dentist and various doctors. Our early morning walks into the adjacent Wounded Wetlands highlight each day.

We started out the month of May, 2016 in Illinois. Our son-in-law hosted their traditional backyard Cinco de Mayo pig roast with over 100 people in attendance. Since it is also a birthday party for our daughter, donations to a local charity are requested in lieu of gifts. Spring migration was underway. At every opportunity, MaryLou and I visited the numerous municipal parks and county forest preserves.

At Bliss Woods in Sugar Grove we found Yellow Warblers in full song:





We encountered one Orchard Oriole:



Common Grackles in Midwestern US were formerly called "Bronzed Grackles" as opposed to the eastern "Purple Grackles," as I knew them as a kid in New Jersey. They were originally considered separate species. This photo illustrates its iridescent brown back:



At Jones Meadow Park near our condo in North Aurora, Flocks of Sandhill Cranes were arriving and passing overhead:



This Virginia Rail was a real treat as it posed in a cattail patch:



A Canada Goose tends to its goslings. This photo was taken from some distance away, as they can become violently aggressive in defense of their young:



A male American Goldfinch is reflected on the surface of a brook:



We visited the Japanese Garden at Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva, providing some of my favorite photo opportunities:



Blossoms enveloped a small outbuilding in the garden:



There, a Great Horned Owl tended its owlets...



...and a beautiful Yellow-throated Warbler sang in a treetop:



Oh, my-- this only brings me up to the 6th of the month-- So many more photos to review! Scarlet Tanager, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and an Indigo Bunting on April 12:







On May 15, the day before we returned to Florida, a Baltimore Oriole perched nearby:



Back home, MaryLou is ahead of me as she enters our local wetlands:



A Great Egret takes flight:



A little Blue Heron and a smaller Green Heron interact:



A young doe prances across the gravel track:



Before sunrise, a storm is forming to the west over the Everglades:



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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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