Crops & Clips: Flashback to March, 2017 (#900)

We have entered the month of the Spring Equinox, and it is time for me to look over my photo archives for March three years ago. I will keep an eye out to depict favorite memes: Critters of all kinds (especially birds and butterflies) flowers, fences, skies, reflections and scenes which speak for themselves. 

We spent the entire month of March, 2017 at home in Florida. Any month is a good month when it starts out with a male Painted Bunting:



On March 3 we got our first look at the second eaglet which hatched out after the parents lost their first clutch in January. (Coincidentally, the eagles lost their first brood this year as well, and are now incubating their second clutch.) Only the top of its head is showing:



The proud papa, appropriately named "Pride," flew overhead:



The larger female, Jewel, took her turn and passed so low that I could not fit both her wingtips in my viewfinder:



We visited MaryLou's brother in Central Florida. At Paradise Park in Lake Mary we saw a flock of American White Pelicans in a coordinated formation. Although they may seem ungainly on land, they are so graceful in flight:







Back home, an Eastern Screech-Owl perched out in the open:



A young Virginia Opossum peered down from the branches:



A full Worm Moon emerged from behind a cloud...



...and settled into the lake:



An immature Little Blue Heron is piebald, beginning to change into dark adult plumage. It appears to dance gracefully at the edge of the lake:







Now it reflects on how to catch a fish:



Two Tricolored Herons discuss the catch of the day:



A Red (Swamp) Maple seedling unfurls its delicate leaves:




A Gulf Fritillary basks in the morning sun:



We do not see a riot of showy spring wildflowers. Indeed, you would need a magnifying glass to see the beautiful blooms on this "weed:"

 

The tiny flowers of Shepherds's Needles (Bidens alba) produce more nectar than any other native plant in Florida:



A male Soldier butterfly imbibes the Biden's nectar:



A Florida Tree Snail climbs up a reed. There is great variety in the color and patterns of their shells:

 

A Red-winged Blackbird sings in the marsh from atop a Pond Cypress. The tree's drooping clusters of male flowers emerged in autumn. They will soon be producing pollen for the female cones which develop at the tips of the branches before leaves appear:



A Gray Catbird fattens up on Brazilian Pepper before migrating to the north:



The Northern Parula warblers will also be saying goodbye:



A male Yellow-crowned Night-Heron raises his head and shoulder plumes to impress his lady friend:



The Common Ground-Doves, lifelong mates, will soon start nesting:



"Sundial Alley" faces due east, aligned with the rising Sun on the day of the Equinox:



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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)

Our World 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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Crops & Clips: March, 2012 Meme Mashup

My weekly potpourri gathered from the archives features... a look back at this month, March, three years ago. Trying to find a photo from that month that fits the respective themes (critters, fences, skies and reflections). I will attempt to get two photos for each meme, but am putting no limit on this first category, as there were just too many critters around. This month I had to search until March 18 to get one photo for each group. Some bittersweet comparisons about what has changed

CRITTER:

Our local pair of Bald Eagles started the month off very nicely, on March 1, 2012. As of March 1, 2015 the female (the bird at the top of this photo) had disappeared and the male has found a new companion, but she is probably too young and inexperienced to breed this year:

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A pair of Yellow-crowned Night-Herons displaying to each other on March 4, 2012. Sadly, there were none in the rookery area on March 1, 2015 and it may be abandoned due to herbicide treatment of the nest trees:



A pair of Common Ground-Doves on March 6, 2012 (do you detect a romantic sub-plot?):

 

A most unlikely pair, a Great Blue Heron roosting on a Mallard decoy, on March 2, 2012:



A pair of Purple Swamphens on March 9, 2012:



I can't resist throwing in this extra "pair" of delightful critters, a mom and calf along with a Cattle Egret, on March 9, 2012:




Least Bittern, March 18, 2012:



Marsh Rabbit coming out of the water, March 23, 2012:



The Night-Herons have eggs in their nests on March 27, 2012:



Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

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FENCE:

A pair of White-winged Doves, March 16, 2012:

A female Painted Bunting, March 18, 2012:



Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

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SKYWATCH: 



A storm brewing on March 10, 2012:



Sunrise on March 16, 2012:




Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy

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REFLECTION:

Storm clouds reflecting on Harbour Lake wetlands, March 16, 2012:



Blue-winged Teal, March 18, 2012:




Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James

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Also:

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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Waiting for blue skies and birds

During our last two weeks in Illinois we endured a heat spell. Daily temperatures exceeded those in Florida, and the humidity was almost as high. 

There were warnings about high ozone levels and a haze permeated the atmosphere. Most days the sky was fairly bright but generally lightly overcast, whether from the smog or clouds. This produced low light conditions requiring me to use a flash, but most of my latest Illinois photos turned out soft or harsh and grainy and were assigned to the recycle bin. Happily, there were some exceptions. 

A huge flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds (and a few European Starlings) settled down on the roof of this old barn at the sod farm where we saw the American Golden-Plovers.





The water tank has seen better days.



A cold front rolled in just before we left and the skies turned blue, so all was not lost. Some parting shots from Illinois included an immature male Common Yellowthroat.



Migratory Tennessee Warblers had moved south in good numbers.



Palm Warblers came in on the front. The eastern form, they are much brighter than the western race we have in Florida all winter.



American Redstarts moved erratically through the branches, and the poor light made it impossible to stop their action.



Swainson's Thrushes hid in the dark lower canopy, but I could not throw away this poor shot because I loved the bird's pose.



Sandhill Cranes, restless to start their southward journey, flew overhead.



This immature male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was either lingering locally or transiting from the north.



Back home in Florida there was rain every morning for six days. It was too risky to walk the mile or two into our local wetland preserve. One morning we drove out to Chapel Trail Nature Preserve in the neighboring City of Pembroke Pines. 

We were able to walk the boardwalk for almost an hour before the clouds rolled in and we made a hasty retreat to our auto before the skies opened up again.

This is usually a good place to find long-legged waders, but the exceptionally high water levels have dispersed the schools of fish, causing the herons and egrets to hunt far and wide.

Indeed, we saw only a single Tricolored Heron, some distance away. 



A lone Great Egret roosted in a tree on a small island in the middle of the greatly expanded lake.



There was evidence of migration, as small flocks of Eastern Kingbirds had gathered in the treetops.



This is an immature kingbird, as evidenced by its yellow gape and gray on its upper chest.



The biggest treat before the rains came was a male Prairie Warbler right next to the boardwalk. The light was just perfect!





Then, on the morning of the Harvest Moon the forecast improved. Some of the stars were still shining as we walked out on the nearby wetlands, a quarter of an hour before sunrise.    We watched the huge moon sink into the Everglades. There must be some magic in Florida's early morning light, at least when the sun is rising in a cloudless sky. 



Brown Thrashers had moved in, probably beginning migration,...



... as had Red-eyed Vireos.



The local birds were done with their post-breeding molt, and that scraggly look was gone. This Blue Jay was in splendid fresh plumage.



Loggerhead Shrikes were still on their territories. And, oh, what wonderful light!



While we were absent, the Common Ground-Doves finished raising their families.



The butterflies were there, waiting for us, the Zebra heliconians...



...this male Julia heliconian...



... the White Peacocks...



...and of course the Morning Glories.