On our morning walk we were treated to a "mirrored sunrise" in the western sky. The rays of the rising sun were broken up by clouds to the east, and they converged towards a vanishing point on the opposite horizon (November 16, 2017):
The next morning the male Bobcat again appeared, but this time only briefly and at a distance. He stalked away along the barrier fence:
Hurricane Irma spared the local Bald Eagle nest tree when she struck on September 10. The nest itself suffered minimal damage. This how it looked on September 15, just after the winds subsided:
On October 25, upon returning to Florida after a month at our second home in NE Illinois, Mary Lou and I checked on the welfare of the eagles. We arrived at the nest at about 9:30 AM and watched for a half hour. We found the female (Jewel) rearranging sticks on the nest:
At about 9:50 the male (Pride) suddenly flew in from the left side of the nest. There was no vocalizing. I do not think he brought in any sticks but it happened so fast that I cannot be sure:
They both got back to work on the nest for a few minutes...
...but Pride then flew up to the nest support branch to the right, as Jewel continued to work on the nest:
On October 31, this adult eagle flew over our local wetlands, about 1 1/2 miles SE of the nest:
During the first two weeks of November we saw that more material had been added to the right side of the nest to repair the storm damage:
This past week we found both of the adults on the nest. They were moving sticks at first, but settled down close together for a moment, The male (Pride) is in the foreground:
Notice the nictitating membrane of Jewel, the female. This translucent "third eyelid" extends out from the corner of the eye, lubricating and protecting it (click on image for enlarged view):
On average, the pairs at this nest have deposited their first egg in early to mid-December. It was heartening to see Jewel resting deep in the nest for longer spells. Hopefully she is starting to feel "broody," a behavior which increases during the week or two before egg-laying. Only the top of her head was visible on November 19. Pride is roosting just to the right of the nest:
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Linking to Misty's CAMERA CRITTERS,
Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,
Linking to FENCES AROUND THE WORLD 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 Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue
Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jesh
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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display
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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:
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
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
________________________________________________
Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display
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