Bobcat on the Bar Ditch Trail

I have pet names for some of the features of our local Wounded Wetlands preserve. 

Places like the Fake Hammock, the Lantana Patch, the Maple Grove and The Peninsula will not be found on any map. It had been more than four years since I last explored an old farm road which I called the "Bar Ditch Trail" that crosses the wild area west of the Big Levee. 

The trail runs along beside the "borrow" or "bar" ditch that provided the rocks and gravel to raise it slightly higher than the surrounding land which is at the level of the historic Everglades. Unusually high water and overgrowth of exotic vegetation due to a lack of maintenance limited my ability to explore the trail. 

Then, Hurricane Irma dealt a crushing blow by felling many trees which completely blocked entry at the trail head. Only this past month, the tree trunks and branches were cleared away by none other than my nemeses, the Off-Road "Wreckreational" Vehicle crowd. They used chain saws to restore access, which returned to them an old way to wreak havoc in the area. 

My first walks along Bar Ditch Trail have provided me images of, among others...

Northern Cardinal:



Blue-headed Vireo:



Orange-crowned Warbler:

   

Northern Waterthrush:



A pair of Common Ground-Doves:



We follow the Big Levee trail for about 0.3 miles (~0.5 km)...



...to the Bar Ditch trail head:



Fog lifting at sunrise over the Bar Ditch Trail:



The trail runs directly to the west, so my shadow falls directly in front of me on the first day of Spring:



The bar ditch is on the right (north) of its namesake trail:



About 1/3 mile along the trail, a patch of cattails harbored a singing Marsh Wren which was heard but not seen:




Just beyond Cattail Patch I had a brief, but  exciting encounter with a Bobcat. It was very early and the rising sun was shining brightly behind me. I was photographing a Gray Catbird...  



...and detected motion in my peripheral field of vision. It was an adult female Bobcat running full tilt down the path, straight towards me! I swung my camera around and captured a burst of over 50 photos.







She was probably blinded by the sunlight and did not see me until she pulled up about 30 feet / 9 meters away:







Then, acting aloof and nonchalant, she slowly turned and walked away:

This slide show video includes the entire sequence of my encounter with the Bobcat:

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Linking to:

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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A very pale Magnolia Warbler

The Magnolia Warbler is a colorful little bird which breeds in the far northern reaches of North America. In south Florida we see it when on its way to its winter range, which includes the Caribbean islands, far southern Mexico and Central America. A few commonly spend the winter with us. 

Although this warbler nests far north of any Magnolia tree, it was named for the location in which it was first "discovered." American ornithologist Alexander Wilson found this species in magnolias near Fort Adams, Mississippi  The adults are brightly patterned in yellow, black, blue-gray and white. 

I photographed this northbound male in bold breeding colors at Nelson Lake preserve in northeastern Illinois on May 10, 2011:



Exactly eight years later, on May 10, 2019 I found this adult male in almost the same spot:



Also in Illinois, I obtained an underside view of another male back in May, 2014. Note the distinctive and unique undertail pattern with two terminal black spots:



This is a fall female (Illinois, September, 2017):



Most of the fall Magnolia Warblers we see here in Florida are first year birds. Their colors are subdued. These were present at Chapel Trail Preserve near our home during December, 2019--





In early January, while leading a nature walk at Chapel Trail I spotted an unusual Magnolia Warbler. It was a very bright yellow female, probably a first year immature bird. Its legs and bill were very pale. Its back was bright yellow without the normal dark streaking, and its head, wings and tail were light tan rather than dark gray. The spots under its tail were brown rather than black. Likewise, its eyes seemed not to be pitch black, but rather were brownish. During the following week I obtained a series of photos to document its plumage:







Although I was willing to describe this bird as having "dilute" plumage or possibly as being "leucistic," experts had a more specific name for its faded appearance. They classified it as exhibiting Type 4 oculo-cutaneous albinism. It lacks a specific black melanin pigment, but does produce other lighter melanin. A "pure" albino (Type 1A) would have no melanin and its plumage would be all white with pink eyes. Such a bird would probably not survive in the wild. This Magnolia Warbler may be relatively easy for a predator to locate and capture. (I enjoyed the thrill of discovery, but this may be more than you ever wanted to know!*) 

Other warblers present at Chapel Trail were a Black-and-White Warbler...





...an Orange-crowned Warbler:



...and many Yellow-rumped Warblers:



The boardwalk at Chapel Trail Nature Preserve:



Common Gallinule reflection:

*REF: Melanins are the ubiquitous pigments distributed in nature. They are one of the main pigments responsible for colors in living cells. Birds are among the most diverse animals regarding melanin-based coloration, especially in the plumage, although they also pigment bare parts of the integument. This review is devoted to the main characteristics of bird melanins... (LINK to EVEN MORE THAN YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW)


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Linking to :

Camera Critters

Saturday's Critters

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

BirdD'Pot

Our World Tuesday

Wild Bird Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

All Seasons

Fences Around 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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Illinois birds and landscapes

With our stay in NE Illinois drawing to a close, we have spent limited time in the field. Badly needed rain showers also "dampened" our plans. 

A visit to Hannaford Woods preserve in Sugar Grove yielded a sought-after Red-headed Woodpecker, though it was not very cooperative. It spent all its time high in the treetops looking down at us:





A Magnolia Warbler posed nicely in a natural halo of bokeh created by a break in the canopy:



The barn at Hannaford is such an interesting subject. I rendered its image as an oil painting (Click on image for more detail):



At nearby Nelson Lake preserve... 



...a Black-capped Chickadee welcomed us:



A male Eastern Bluebird stood guard near the entrance path:



Autumn colors were subdued, but the play of shapes and colors along the entrance path begged for an impressionistic interpretation (Again, click to see the painterly effect)...



...as did a bright patch of goldenrod under a lone tree on the prairie:



An Orange-crowned Warbler foraged among weed stems...



...and then flew to a small tree to get a better look at us:



A Tennessee Warbler posed in good light:



A  foot bridge, dedicated to Audubon, spans the creek at Nelson Lake...



...but two months without rainfall have left it dry. Animal tracks punctuate the muddy course:



A Sandhill Crane hunted in a field near the preserve:



A small flock of bluebirds included this young male, not quite adorned in full adult plumage:



We walked in Jones Meadow, the "pocket park" only a few blocks from our condo in North Aurora. Homes reflect on the surface of its pond:



A Great Blue Heron roosted in a tree nearby:



At Hawk's Bluff, another small park just doors from our daughter's home in Batavia, we found more chickadees:





A White-breasted Nuthatch followed its upside-down instincts:



It was rewarded with a juicy titbit hidden in the bark under a crooked branch-- maybe it was a nut stored there by a squirrel or jay:



White-throated Sparrows had arrived from northern breeding grounds:



A resident Song Sparrow even sang a few notes:



A Cooper's Hawk kept the small birds in hiding at Lippold Park in Batavia:



Gathering clouds cluttered the sky over the twin oaks at Nelson Lake. Much-needed rain was indeed on the way!



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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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