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Thursday, July 4, 2019

Crops & Clips: Flashback to July, 2016

Once again I am celebrating the new month by looking back over photos I took during July, three years ago. Favorite memes include critters of all kinds (especially birds), skies and landscapes, flowers, fences, butterflies and reflections, and scenes which speak for themselves.

We started July, 2016 at our (then) second home in Illinois. It was a treat to see and photograph a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak in breeding plumage when we visited Les Arends Kane County Forest Preserve :

Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5-20160705

Rose-breasted Grosbeak 4-20160705

A peaceful slough along the Fox River at Les Arends:

Fox River slough HDR 20160705

Our daughter was hosting an exchange student from France, and we attended a soccer game with a group of the students at Mooseheart Stadium, about a mile from our condo. As we approached the venue an adult Bald Eagle flew across the road right in front of our car, to the delight of the visitors (Quick detour to the present-- sadly, the male of this pair was struck and killed by a motor vehicle at this location only about 2 months ago  View newspaper story. Now back to 2016...). 

Bald Eagles had raised at least two eaglets in a nest in the middle of the stadium parking lot. The tree began to decline during the prior two years and now was completely dead. The eaglets were free-flying. As dark approached both eaglets returned to the nest tree. I kept one eye on the nest and the other on the game:

Mooseheart Stadium eaglets 20160708

Mooseheart eaglets 20160708

I only had my pocket camera (a Canon PowerShot SX700 HS) but its optical zoom allowed me a good photo of one of the eaglets:

Bald Eaglet 20160708

We returned to Florida by mid-month. A Snowy Egret on the lakeside marsh reflected nicely:

Snowy Egret 05-20160716

As expected, the bird species were all familiar summer residents. The daily species count hovered around 20 to 25. Yet, there was beauty to be appreciated. A Loggerhead Shrike posed on a high stalk of grass:

Loggerhead Shrike 2-20160720

A male Common Nighthawk is distinguished from the female by its bright white throat and more conspicuous wing markings:

Common Nighthawk 91-20160720

Common Nighthawk 7-20160720

Common Nighthawk in flight HDR 20160722

The weather was typical for this time of year. Clear humid and hot mornings evolved into afternoon showers and thunderstorms, or morning storms moved in from the ocean. Here is a view from our back patio around sunrise on July 21:

Thunderhead HDR 2-20160721

The next morning we dared to walk out just before sunrise, but kept an anxious eye on the sky behind us over the entrance gate:

Gate to wetlands HDR 20160722

The local pair of Bald Eagles persisted through the summer after losing their first brood and successfully raising two eaglets more than a month later than is normal. An adult swooped over the lake and splashed a few times but failed to catch a fish:

Bald Eagle 02-20160726

The local eaglets seemed to be at about the same stage of development as those in Illinois, which fledge 4-6 weeks later than Florida birds usually do. Normally, an eaglet from this nest would have migrated to the north by mid-July. Since they have not developed all their hunting skills, they benefit by moving into areas with cooler water where the fish are not hiding deep to escape the heat. They typically return to south Florida by mid-autumn:

Bald Eaglet 06-20160717

Bald Eaglet 09-20160717

Red-winged Blackbirds had raised their broods but they still inhabited the lakeside marsh and sang from atop the Pond Cypress trees:

Red-winged Blackbird on cypress 20160722

Northern Cardinals were caring for fledglings. The juvenile cardinal has a dark bill...

Northern Cardinal juvenile 20160724

...as compared to the bright red bill of its mother:

Northern Cardinal female 3-20160724

Lantana was in full bloom. It attracted butterflies...

Lantana 20160722

...including this Gulf Fritillary:

Gulf Fritillary 20160722

An Opossum walked right up close before recognizing me:

Opossum approaching 20160726 

A White-tailed buck was approaching breeding condition. Increasing blood levels of testosterone have made him more muscular and cut out the blood supply to the protective felt which has now been cast off his antlers:

White-tail buck HDR 02-20160730

High water in the Everglades has driven the deer to seek dry ground. The lake has spilled over into the marsh and wet prairie:

Looking south at sunrise 02-20160727



= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

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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27 comments:

  1. Enjoyed them all

    ...the secretive possum really grabbed my eyes

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  2. Great photos, it is good to look back. Happy day, Diane

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  3. Traumhafte Aufnahmen!
    Herzliche Grüße aus Deutschland

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  4. What an amazing time to capture such a glorious Bald Eagle! I love the skies!

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  5. Absolutely beautiful images but that sunrise is magnificent!

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  6. Love the heavy clouds. Great series again

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  7. I love those big, sweeping clouds. Happy 4th!!

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  8. Wonderful shots Ken! I saw a couple of large abandoned nests like those when I lived in Pennsylvania. I wondered what type of birds made them, eagles perhaps.

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  9. Different scenery here in North Idaho.
    Coffee is on

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  10. Great pictures. The nightjars are great - I have never been able to get any pictures of these birds!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  11. Hello, love the eagles photos. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is one of my many favorite birds. The deer action shot is awesome. Great captures of the Nighthawk. Pretty skies, flowers and butterfly. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend! PS, thanks so much for leaving me a comment.

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  12. The Eagles are amazing and it's neat to see such a good photo of the Nighthawk. We have them here in the evenings and they dart around so much that it's hard to focus on them! Enjoy your weekend!

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  13. Exceptional coverage of all the wildlife...AND skyshots!! The flight photos of the male nighthawk are favorited today.

    As always, I say thanks for linking in with us at IRBB!

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  14. beautiful where is that woods?

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  15. I just love visiting you and taking a little walk to see the beautiful wildlife.

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  16. What beautiful skies you captured. Super photos of the eaglets.

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  17. beautiful collection of pictures.

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  18. Love the beautiful bright colors of the grossbeak, as well as the Fritillary! The views of the Bald Eagle must have been special to the French exchange student! Lovely moody landscapes, Ken. Again, you knocked it out of the park with your nature shots! Thank you for sharing them with All Seasons, and have a great rest of the week!

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  19. Beautiful photos of your world. The nature shots captivated me!

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  20. Love these wildlife and bird shots. I wish I could see them real.

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  21. Great shots. Dont think that the crop is too tight - there is still some space for the bird to breathe.

    Stewart M - Wilson's Prom National Park (where I am surprised to have inertnet access!)

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  22. Love that Common Nighthawk in flight

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