Thursday, September 30, 2021

Fall migration

Autumn officially arrived and I visited the boardwalk at nearby Chapel Trail Nature Preserve. A Great Egret happened to pose almost directly  under the day-old Harvest Moon:

I was surprised at how quickly the Moon drifted down:

Shooting between tree branches, I had to contort to place the Moon behind the egret:

The egret was not impressed and went about preening:

Actually, I had photographed the Moon a few minutes earlier, moved a short distance along the boardwalk and was lucky to look up and see the egret in a treetop: 

View from the dock near the beginning of the boardwalk. The wet prairie is now flooded and the spike-rush is flourishing. 

Although the morning radar showed heavy migration, birding was very slow. This is the Doppler velocity image at 5:00 AM on September 24. Green echoes are approaching Miami and red are heading away towards The Bahamas and Cuba. Our home is at the small red "+" which seems to be in the heart of the action.

Instead of finding warblers dripping off the trees I logged only a single species. a Prairie Warbler:

A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was my consolation prize. A distracting dozen or more frolicked in the trees:

A grumpy Anhinga was sunning at the far end of the boardwalk. She protested my intrusion so I backed off after snapping a few images. Her red eyes glistened like jewels:


Non-avian objects of interest included a pair of mating Halloween Pennant dragonflies:

...and a Green Anole:


I had better luck in the Wounded Wetlands near our home. A Female Golden-winged Warbler showed up on September 20, my first ever record of this species in the local patch:


More Blue-gray Gnatcatchers livened up the scene:

A Prairie Warbler hover-gleaned for insects:

Another Prairie Warbler was missing his tail feathers. They should be finished molting and generally only replace tail feathers in pairs. Therefore this may have resulted from a close call with a predator such as a pursuing hawk. As bird banders can attest, some birds will "blow" all their tail feathers when severely threatened or to avoid being captured.

Other warblers included a female Black-throated Blue Warbler, here peering out from Ligustrum blossoms and berries...

..and a drab female or possibly first year male Common Yellowthroat:

Acrobatic Black-and-White Warblers seemed to defy gravity while seeking insects hidden in the bark of a Live Oak:



A Northern Parula warbler was mostly out of sight:

An inquisitive Red-eyed Vireo paid a brief visit:

Oh those eyes! A Brown Thrasher peered out between the leaves:

A migrating male Baltimore Oriole added welcome color to the scene:


Out on the lake, only 5 minutes after sunrise, the Harvest Moon hovered over a swirling cloud (A nice example of the low-light performance of my iPhone 11 Pro Max):



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Linking to:



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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26 comments:

  1. Once again you have out done your self with these brilliant photographs. The great Egret was very accommodating and the feather in the back of the Anhinga are stunning. Well I could go on and go but really I so enjoy seeing all these wonderful shots and it does my heart good. Hope you are well.

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  2. Beautiful photos and the Egret is my favorite. So regal!

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  3. Some great shots again. That wing one is fab. #GardenAffair

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  4. You got the best bird photos ever. That last photo of the sky taken with your phone is awesome.

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  5. Greetings and Salutations! The last photograph is my favorite. I really like the reflections in the water.

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  6. Wow! great set again. Lot of warblers. I too walk out in morning to get glimpse of beautiful birds. Unfortunately work cuts down the time I spend in birding

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  7. Hello Ken,
    You have some awesome shots of the Warblers, Oriole and the Brown Thrasher. I would love to see the Golden-winged Warbler. The first shots of the Egret and pretty blue sky are wonderful. Beautiful moon and sunrise reflections images. Thank you so much for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, I appreciate your comment and visit.

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  8. Excellent set of pictures. Egret is a piece of art.

    My latest post:
    http://craniumbolts.blogspot.com/2021/10/trip-to-jayamangali-blackbuck-reserve.html

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  9. That's a great start to the fall season, Ken!

    Very nice find and photograph of the Golden-winged Warbler!

    Early mornings have definitely been more comfortable lately. Here's hoping for more comfort and more birds for all of us.

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  10. Beautiful photos! Really enjoyed seeing the ones of the little warblers. And the moon shot. Hope you have a great rest of your weekend!

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  11. What great photos of the different birds.
    Many of these do not occur in the Netherlands.
    The last photo is really amazing what a beautiful cloudy sky.
    Greetings Irma

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  12. As always Ken, stunning portraits!! I just can't choose a favorite tho ...all are terrific.
    Hope you enjoyed your weekend and thanks for linking in.

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  13. Hell.o,:=) Very enjoyable post, fantastic photos of all the wildlife

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  14. So very lovely photos. #allseasons.

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  15. Those are some beautiful photos Kenneth, especially the grumpy Anhinga!!! ☺☺

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  16. Great collection. Good work gettign the moon during the daytime too. Thanks for joining in #Allseasons

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  17. I enjoyed seeing these photos. I see egrets all of time but never in trees.

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  18. I think I lost my comment. Just wanted to tell you I love your photos and we saw a Prairie Warbler this week for the first time this year! I'm farther north in Marion County. Enjoy your week!

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  19. Always enjoyable to see your posts and these migration ones were visually stunning, Ken. The egret is a beautiful water bird.

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  20. Beautiful sight of birds , Egret looks stunning. Thanks for joining Garden Affair.

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  21. there is always so much beauty where you live - beautiful

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  22. I'm fascinated by some of the wildlife you have there!
    Thanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2021/10/montezuma-castle.html

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  23. You are definitely in the perfect place!

    Thanks for sharing your link at My Corner of the World this week!

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