Thursday, August 6, 2020

Crops & Clips: Flashback to August, 2017

I had only 419 images in my archives for the month of August, 2017. Yet, in retrospect, it was a very active month for us, including  5 flights and lots of family, fun, and  photos. As usual, I peered through the retrospectoscope and searched for images which depicted favorite memes-- Critters (especially birds), skyscapes, reflections, fences, flowers and scenes which speak for themselves.

We started out the month at our second home in Northeast Illinois, where a falcon and doves symbolized peace.

An American Kestrel...

.American Kestrel 02-20170802 

... was joined by two Mourning Doves:

American Kestrel with Mourning Doves 05-20170802

Local butterflies included a Painted Lady:

Painted Lady butterfly 03-20170801

We then flew back to Florida on August 5, visiting the local rookery, where the Yellow-crowned Night-Herons had finished breeding. Their legs had turned dark and their crowns have lost their golden hue:

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 01  E-M10 20170808

I could not resist capturing a closeup crop of this one's face after it had splashed after a fish :

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 02  CROP E-M10 20170808

An immature Great Blue Heron occupied a high perch:

Great Blue Heron immature 01 E-M10MkII 20170809

A wild Pink Phlox brightened up the barren gravel path:

Wild Pink Phlox E-M10MkII 20170809

I was experimenting with my new Olympus E-M10 Mark II, a mirrorless four-thirds camera with a 75 to 300 mm zoom lens, which I planned to take on our upcoming trips. It is much more compact than my full size Canon 80D with its massive 420 mm prime lens system. I was pleased with its low-light performance, 15 minutes before sunrise on August 9:

Sunrise minus 15 minutes E-M10MkII 20170809

The Olympus produced this nice detail of Melaleuca trees next to a flooded ditch:

Melaleuca Swamp  Bright E-M10 20170808

A hand-held shot of the full Moon was remarkably sharp:

Moon eclipse minus 12 days E-M10MkII 20170809

Sunrise on August 9:

North Shore sunrise plus 5 minuutes E-M10MkII 20170809

We were off to the Texas Panhandle on August 11 to celebrate the wedding of our grandson at the chapel on the grounds of WTAMU (West Texas A&M University) in Canyon, where he was a pre-med student:

WTAMU Chapel 03-20170811

Our son and newly enlarged family:

Schneider family 20170812

The happy couple, after the ceremony:  

Rachel Glen 20170812 

We visited nearby Palo Duro Canyon State Park: 

Palo Duro Canyon 06-20170814

Barn Swallows nested on the porch of the Park headquarters:

Barn Swallow at nest 03-20170814

Rock formations at Palo Duro Canyon resemble imposing architectural structures:

Palo Duro Canyon 05-20170814

American Bison near Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge:

Bison 01-20170814

On August 16, Corpus Christi, Texas was our next destination, where we stayed at a condominium on the Padre Island beach.

Golden Padre Island sunrise (August 17):

Padre Island Sunrise 05-20170817

Padre Island Sunrise 097-20170817

Willet:

Willet 03-20170818

Piping Plover:

Piping Plover 04-20170817

Ruddy Turnstone and Sanderling:

Ruddy Turnstone and Sanderling 02-20170818

Night fishing with our daughter's family off the pier at Aransas Pass:

Fishing Pier 05-20170817

Port Aransas harbor:

Port Aransas 02-20170818

The Lighthouse at Port Aransas, Texas on August 18, 2017. Little did we know that, one week later, Hurricane Harvey would make a direct hit and devastate this harbor:

 Lighthouse 01-20170818

From Texas, we flew back to Illinois on Aug 20.

This Great Egret roosting near the Fox River made me feel as if already back in Florida:

Great Egret 01-20170823

Hoping for one last sighting of the Lark Sparrows in a field near our condo, we only saw a nice male Dickcissel:

Dickcissel male 04-20170825

We arrived back at our permanent Florida home on  August 25. In our back yard, a Tricolored Heron hunted and a fish disturbed the mirror surface of  the lake:

Tricolored Heron 01-20170823

In the local wetlands, a White-tailed Deer buck was in breeding condition:

White-tail Buck 06-20170826

On my birthday, fall land-bird migration had already begun, as evidenced by the arrival of this Northern Waterthrush...

Northern Waterthrush 03-20170829

...and a Blue-gray Gnacatcher:

Blue--gray Gnatcatcher 001 HD-20170828

A large feral hog boar, which usually fled any time we approached, caused concern when he ran across in front of MaryLou, who froze in her tracks. They can be very dangerous, so I started carrying a defensive weapon:

Close Encounter of Porcine Kind 20170829

My photo does not do justice to the metallic silver spots on the undersides of the wings of this Gulf Fritillary:

Gulf Fritillary 2-20170826 

A colorful sunrise from our back patio:

Sunrise from patio 02-20170827


= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to:

Fences Around the World

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

Camera Critters

All Seasons

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Natasha Musing

Our World Tuesday


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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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23 comments:

  1. Wonderful series of beautiful photos...I'm always envious of the Butterflies..I never seem to be able to catch them with my camera..

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  2. Amazing Amazing photos Kenneth! That heron on close up is just super wow for me! I really enjoy the running hog. Congratulations to your son's wedding, What a beautiful ceremony and a beautiful family you have! Son looked dashing on his suit!

    Happy Weekend soon my friend Kenneth!

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  3. So many great photos here. The barn swallow shot is wonderful, and I always enjoy seeing your skies!

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  4. Wonderful images! I remember the film days when 419 images was a lot!

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  5. Congratulations on your son's wedding!

    Thank you, Ken, for sharing so many memorable photographs! You made us long to visit west Texas, where we lived for several years!

    Superb skyscapes!

    Saw our first "fall" warbler yesterday, so perhaps there is light at the end of our summer tunnel!

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  6. Hello, Ken
    What a beautiful post. Great trips and memories for you and your family. The sunrises are just gorgeous. The birds are all great sightings. The Dickcissel is a favorite. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Have a great day and a happy weekend!

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  7. I come across javelinas many times. I keep close watch on them. I'd have to use my camera for a weapon. Lol

    Love the fish-catching her on!

    Thanks for joining us at IRBB this week.

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  8. Enjoyed all your photos. That close-up of the Night-Heron is great. We've actually been to Palo Duro Canyon State Park, beautiful place! Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

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  9. Wonderful photos! I think my favourite is of the Melaleuca trees. Thanks for re-sharing them!

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  10. your photos are amazing and educational ones. Love from Poland

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  11. Lots of wonderful photos! The Golden Padre Island sunrise really caught my eye.

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  12. Stunning photography - as usual! You've always given us feasts for the eyes!
    Thanks for joining us at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2020/08/play-time.html

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  13. Magnificent series of photos. I especially love the last one though certainly not the only one. You really travelled a lot in August 2017 and it was interesting hearing you recount the travels and the joys. Congratulations to your son and DIL. May they have a long and happy life together.

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  14. Your photos are amazing. I always love the shots of birds and you got some fabulous close-ups. Such a nice selection.. thank you.

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  15. Great set of pictures - modern cameras (and their users!) are pretty remarkable really!

    Love that shot of the kestrel and the doves.

    Hope all is well. Stewart M - Melbourne

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  16. Superb set of photos! Difficult to say which I like better... Thanks for sharing this Nature view!

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  17. what a photogenic month! Each photo outshines the last :)

    It's awesome to see you at 'My Corner of the World' this week!! Thanks for linking up.

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  18. Our three surviving baby Barn Swallows fledged last week. When the Tree Swallows fledge they disappear. The Barn Swallows return several times a day to hang out and return to the nest area in the evening. I love that! - Margy

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  19. Wow Kenneth love your photo gallery!
    Congratulations on your son's wedding and as always your pictures are a feast to the eyes.

    Good to see you on my #WordlessWednesday frame.

    Have a fabulous week ahead !

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