Crops & Clips: Flashback to November, 2017

I combed the archives of photos taken three years back and searched for images which reflected favorite memes: critters of all kinds (especially birds), skies and clouds, reflections, flowers and fences, as well as scenes which speak for themselves. We spent the entire month of November 2017 at our principal home in Florida and saved 340 images. 

On the first day of November, a Great Blue Heron allowed my close approach before lifting off over the local wetlands:

A male American Kestrel roosted on top of an Australian Pine and then took flight:

At nearby Chapel Trail preserve, a Cattle Egret chased insects attracted to a Longhorn cow:

Great Egret roosting lakeside:

An immature Little Blue Heron struck a nice pose as it foraged energetically:

Before sunrise, a Great Egret made a graceful landing against a pink sky:

Another reflected as it occupied a blooming Melaleuca:

A "fogbow" over the lake:

From a distance I thought this heron had captured a large snake, but it was an amphiuma. I watched as it dispatched it and then swallowed it whole (November 5, 2017):

The Two-toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma means) can grow to a length of 3 feet or more—one of the largest salamander species in the world. Two-toed Amphiumas have tiny, nearly useless front and hind legs with two toes on each leg:

The local pair of Bald Eagles were busy restoring their nest on November 11:

I caught a distant view of a Bobcat as it strolled along  the barrier fence on the "road to nowhere:"

Most of the migrating warblers had passed through by the end of October, but the Pine Warblers made their usual appearance in early November. This was a drab immature female...

...and a somewhat more colorful immature male:

Nearby, a beautiful female Northern Cardinal:

Female Northern Flicker:

A glimpse through the foliage of a White-eyed Vireo (well-named!):

Female Painted Bunting, our only truly green songbird:

This was one of the few White-crowned Sparrows recorded in our County, on November 14. (Actually I reported and photographed 1 back in 2012, the first County record of the century, then 2 in 2014 for the highest count ever). This immature bird will trade the dark brown on its crown for bold white when it molts into breeding plumage:

A Red-shouldered Hawk flew off:

This Gray Squirrel seemed to be eating flowers of the exotic and invasive Melaeuca tree. They smell like turpentine and must taste awful:

Garden Spider in her orb:

The canal which separates the residential area from the Wounded Wetlands, November 24:

Chapel Trail Nature Preserve boardwalk, November 28:

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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

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World

Timeless Thursday

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

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Birding under a mirrored sunrise

One  morning in late November, about 20 minutes before sunrise, the sky seemed to be setting up very nicely to produce a mirrored sunrise on the western horizon. I quickened my pace as I walked the half mile to the lake in the mitigation preserve. 

Almost all the ingredients were present: heavy thunderstorms to the the east over the Bahamas to break up the sun's light into rays; a clear sky overhead to transmit the rays; and a clear western horizon with minimal ground haze.

To the southeast, sunlight was just creeping up over the cloud tops:



The only missing factors were humidity and Saharan dust to enhance the rays and provide color. Sure enough, a virtual sunrise was produced, strongest about 5 minutes after sunrise. 

Because of the line of clouds to the east, the light had not yet touched the opposite horizon, so the lake and the pine bank were still in shadow:

 



A few minutes later a Bald Eagle flew over from the direction of their nest site about 1 1/2 miles NW of our location:



A Northern Mockingbird kept watch from from a Pond Cypress::



A Great Egret foraged in the warm morning light:



This immature Tricolored Heron cast a nice reflection:

 

Later that week a Great Blue Heron flew in about 5 minutes after sunrise. Light was poor but I was very pleased with the soft image of the heron as it settled down with a White Ibis. Click on the photo for a larger view:



I found only one Yellow-crowned Night-Heron in the rookery:



A Sharp-shinned Hawk posed on a dead tree along the path:



A Loggerhead Shrike caught a wasp and carried it back to its perch atop a Pond Cypress:



On the way out at 8:00 AM I was surprised to see a Bobcat cross the gravel road not too far away. It never looked towards me:

 

A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird guarded her favorite patch of Firebush (Hamelia patens):



She favors the fresh orange-yellow tubular flowers over the older red ones in the clusters:



A couple of unusual bird species visited the patch. For the first time in the ten years I have patrolled the area, I sighted a single Clay-colored Sparrow. I got a bad shot but was astounded to see it (or another of its species) a few minutes later as I walked home. It was on a neighbor's lawn and flew up into a small tree just long enough for me to capture its image:



A Bell's Vireo, recorded only a few times in our county, has visited the same small area of fruiting Lantana and Brazilian Pepper four out of the past winter seasons. I have guided birders into the area several times each year and they usually have not been disappointed in their quest:



Back home, a Double-crested Cormorant rested on the decoy which supports the intake of our lawn sprinkler system:



Across the lake, a second cormorant stood on a Canada Goose decoy. The owner's fence is reflected in the water:



That same fence can be seen in this photo of a rainbow following a brief shower:




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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Gosia

Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

Linking to Today's Flowers Friday by Denise

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue
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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display

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Crops & Clips: July, 2012 Meme Mashup

This month's potpourri gathered from the archives features photos taken three years ago, in July, 2012. Actually it is a scavenger hunt, as at that time I did not seek to portray each of these memes (CRITTERS, SKY, REFLECTION, FENCE, MACRO). Let's see how far I need to go into the month to find at least one of each. If I can get them all I will have won the game seven months in a row.

CRITTERS:

We started the month at our second home in NE Illinois, where most of the birds were still busy raising their families. My first photo of the month, on July 5, 2012, featured this abundant warbler of the prairies, appropriately named Common Yellowthroat:



Two days later, along the street next to our condo I encountered two majestic raptors, a Red-tailed Hawk...



...and an American Kestrel:



A cute baby Tree Swallow posed for me atop its nest box on July 10:



On the same day a male Indigo Bunting thrilled me with its color:



A Dickcissel sang to us on July 17, just before we returned to our Florida home:



Back in Florida on July 24, a beautiful eight-point White-tailed buck emerged from the side of the path into our local wetlands:



At the local rookery, a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron nestling crouched low, also on July 24, 2012:



Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

 Linking to I Heart Macro by Laura

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REFLECTION:

I caught my first reflection of the month on July 12, when a Bald Eagle carried off a duckling at nearby Nelson Lake:

Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

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FENCE:

A visit from our Illinois granddaughters at the end of July saved me from the disaster of not having randomly included any fences this month's photos (July 27, 2012):



In fairness, I also must show our younger Nieta. They were here before embarking on a Caribbean cruise to celebrate their Miami cousin's Quinceañera (fifteenth birthday):



Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

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SKIES:

I finally captured a skyscape from the back patio as clouds moved in from the ocean at sunrise, July 30, one day before the deadline I set for this game:



Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart

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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display

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