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Thursday, July 6, 2023

Crops & Clips: Flashback to July, 2020

As I do on the first Thursday of each month, I enjoy looking back over my archived photos, taken three years previously, in July, 2020, to remember how things were then in south Florida as contrasted with events this year at our new home in Connecticut. As usual, I searched for images which reflected favorite memes: critters of all kinds (especially birds), skies and clouds, reflections, butterflies and scenes which speak for themselves. The blue skies are such a contrast with the gray and wet conditions we are now experiencing here.

Halfway through the first year of the Coronavirus epidemic, we were adjusting to a spring and now a summer without seeing our grandchildren or any outside visitors. We ordered groceries via Internet and parked at the grocery store for a masked employee to bring them to the auto. Daily walks in the local Wounded Wetlands and back yard window-watching provided a welcome respite.    

On July 3 I captured these images of an immature Red-shouldered Hawk, perched on a wire just in front of the Bald Eagle nest in Pembroke Pines, Florida.


Fledgling Bald Eagle:



Boat-tailed Grackle in front of the full Buck Moon (not a composite):


Yes, this one is a composite image:

The Common Ground Doves were nesting in deep cover along the trail:


"Where's Waldo?" Try to find the three Killdeer chicks huddled with two egg shells and an unhatched egg, on July 8, 2020:

This was the same nest two days earlier, on July 6. I had been monitoring it for about a week, as it was in a very exposed location. I feared it might be stepped on or run over by an ATV (not to mention predation by hungry Bobcats, Coyotes and crows)::

Here is an enlarged crop of the July 8 photo, to show the three chicks. One is partially hidden behind the chick to right. It has just emerged from the eggshell next to it and is still wet:

This male Northern Cardinal has shaggy tail feathers, but has not begun the post-breeding molt:

Female Northern Flicker in flight:

A Tricolored Heron steps lightly as it fishes lakeside:

 A Little Blue Heron rests on one of the "rock islands:"

This Great Egret is the epitome of grace as it balances on a slender treetop:


A Brown Basilisk ran across the sidewalk by the eagle nest:

Muscovy Duck with ducklings in our back yard lake:

She started with 15 but is now down to nine ducklings, victims of Largemouth Bass, hawks, gulls and sometimes killed by drakes anxious to mate with the female:

Bobcat Composite, July 22, 2020 (all are the same cat as it walked along):

White Peacock butterfly:

Buck Moon setting before sunrise on July 8:

Storm Brewing:

This week's header: Pond-apple and Red Maple, July 6, 2020

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Linking to:




Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World
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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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19 comments:

  1. Outstanding flashback photographs once again, Ken!
    Makes me homesick for Florida - and I live here.

    That first close-up of the Red-shouldered Hawk is special.

    Hope your smoke situation has cleared and you're able to breathe a bit better when you go out.

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  2. The hawk detail is amazing! A very creative bobcat composite. Nicely done!

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  3. A beautiful array of nature pictures, each with a story to tell. I particularly liked the serendipitous shots: the Boat-tailed Grackle in front of the full moon and the Egret on the slenderest of branches. The chicks, too, born in a dangerous place with predators all around yet able hopefully to survive.

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  4. ...Kenneth, you have a fabulous archive to review and I thank you for sharing. Kildeer are amazing, they will never win awards for their building skills.

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  5. Those two pictures of the Red-shouldered Hawk just knocked my sox off!

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  6. Super collection. What a good idea to remind yourself of all the wonderful animals you captured whilst living in Florida.

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  7. Wow! ~ Wonderful series of nature shots! ~ They are all so professional ~

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  8. Hi Ken, your photos are exceptional again, but my favorite is the penultimate picture with the brewing storm. And then the basilisk, what a sight! I think it's great that you discovered the chicks between the stones at all. I probably wouldn't have noticed them. Kind regards and thank you for taking part in Nature Thursday – Elke

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  9. excellent bunch, but I have to admit boat-tailed grackle in front of the moon is by far my favourite.

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  10. Whoa that storm a brewing is quite a performance in the sky. You were there to capture it. Amazing work! Ken, your bird photographs are magnificent.

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  11. Once again, I am in awe of your birds in flight.

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  12. A stunning set of photos and the moon background is fabulous. Love the White Peacock, beautiful, as is the fab sky shot. Cheers Diane

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  13. Hello ken,
    Another fabulous post. Beautiful birds, Love the shot of the juvenile Eagle. I could not find the Killdeer nest, the eggs really blend in well. The ducklings are adorable. Great sky captures! Awesome collection of photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your day and the week ahead!

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  14. What an amazing set of photos again you never fail each week I enjoyed them thanks for sharing :-)

    Have a flashbacktastic week 👍

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  15. Amazing photos, I just loved the duckfamily.

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  16. Brilliant kildeer camouflage!
    Thanks for sharing these photos at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-things-kids-do.html.

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  17. Absolutely stunning, Unable to pick one, all so well captured.
    I visited you via My Corner of the World
    My entries this week = 38. If you have not joined us at SSPS yet, come and share your posts with us and you can be our next featured post.
    We're open Monday through Saturday every week.
    You will find the linkup information (1) In the Top bar under Blogging: Weekly Senior Salon Pit Stop OR 2nd image In the sidebar
    We hope to meet you there virtually

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