Crops & Clips: Flashback three years to April, 2018

At the beginning of the month I like to review images from three years back and  look for favorite themes and memes in the monthly collection-- critters of all kinds (especially birds), skies and reflections, flowers and fences as well as scenes which speak for themselves. 

We started the month of April, 2018 exploring the wonders of nature on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Mexico. Our Illinois children and grandchildren flew in and we spent several days with them on Sanibel Island.  

Instead of my trusted DSLR, I carried my new mirrorless camera (Olympus E-M10 Mkii) to Sanibel. It was straight out of the box and its features and controls were utterly different from those of my Canon. Therefore I learned how to use my new camera by trial and error (mostly error). 

Shorebirds at sunrise (Sanderling, Willet and a gull):

Sun rising over the beach:

Willet:

Panoramic iPhone view of the Gulf from the condo where we stayed:

We visited Ding Darling refuge and were entertained by the antics of foraging Reddish Egrets:

I was not pleased with the colors, as they were sometimes over-saturated and not true to life, as with this Little Blue Heron:

Marsh Rabbit:

Panorama (iPhone) of the estuary at Ding Darling:

On the way home we stopped briefly at Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, where we saw Roseate Spoonbills (which did not need the extra saturation to show off their magnificent plumage):

A Great Egret was badly overexposed, but I liked the composition:

Back home at the local Bald Eagle nest, their eaglet had fledged:

Wood Storks were raising their young at the rookery in Weston:

A Tricolored Heron guarded nestlings:

On our wetlands, Least Terns had migrated in to breed on shopping center rooftops:

A vine growing up in a tree in our local wetlands had these pretty little flowers (Clematis?):

Fog lifting on April 18:

We finished the month back in Illinois. We had decided to sell our condo there and live in Florida permanently. Our first visit was Jones Meadow Park near our condo. Recent heavy rains had flooded the trails:

It was a treat to see American Robins, as they are infrequent winter visitors in Florida:

 

Brown Creepers do not migrate into south Florida:

American White Pelicans had arrived at Nelson Lake:

Iconic twin oaks at Nelson Lake:

At Lippold Park, Canada Geese had a nest at the end of the boardwalk, with a fair warning as they will attack people who come too close:

Indeed, this goose, possibly the gander, was guarding the entrance to that part of the boardwalk:

Nearby. three male Mallards swam in precision as they approached a pair of Blue-winged Teal:

We could see the male Bald Eagle on its nest across the road:

A Red-winged Blackbird was singing:

Trout Lilies were in bloom:

Marsh Marigold bloomed along a muddy part of the trail:

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Linking to:

Garden Affair

Fences Around the World

Nature Thursday

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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Naturally sepia sparrows

Our stay at our second home in northeastern Illinois coincides with the visible signs of the changing seasons. In Florida, we slip seamlessly from wet season to dry, with no noticeable change in the foliage. Here in Illinois, the prairie has turned to gold, and the slightest breeze sends leaves flying from the trees. 

This path at nearby Nelson Lake/Dick Young Marsh county preserve runs along the south end of the lake:



A wide view of the lake:



On the lake we "discovered" a flock of fourteen migratory American White Pelicans, but then learned that they had already been reported a couple of days earlier:



A Gray Squirrel watched me from a tree along the trail:



Cedar Waxwings were plentiful, helping themselves to the numerous berries:



A cold snap curtailed the butterflies, but during the prior week they added color to the landscape. A Red Admiral gleaned nectar from the Heath Asters along the path:



A Painted Lady put in an appearance:



Sparrows were suddenly in season, and a mixed flock got my attention. They blended so beautifully with the high grasses that I rarely got good "field guide" images with my new camera, a Canon EOS 80D. Although my subjects were usually partially hidden, I loved the monochromatic effect as I viewed them through gaps in the blades--

Immature White-crowned Sparrow:



Song Sparrow:



Swamp Sparrow:



Lincoln's Sparrow:



Adult White-crowned Sparrow:



My photos were all taken without a flash, often under heavily overcast skies, but I was pleased with the low-light performance of my new camera. This shot of a White-throated Sparrow hiding deep within a thicket came out surprisingly bright:



This Savannah Sparrow posed briefly out in the open:



My patience in pursuing a Swamp Sparrow paid off when it unexpectedly landed out in the open on the path just in front of me:



I also obtained a clear photo of another Lincoln's Sparrow:



As if on cue, a Black-capped Chickadee plunged into a sea of bokeh created by autumn leaves:



A White-crowned Sparrow flew up into a small oak tree to provide the day's favorite image:



Our daughter's Tibetan Mastiff, Siboney, is now almost 11 months old and weighs over 100 pounds...

 

...out-sized by 130-pound Agramonte:



Windy weather spoiled most of my "reflections," but the water was reasonably placid for this view of the Fox River from Lippold Park:



Under fair skies, leaves are beginning to turn on the majestic twin oaks near the entrance of Nelson Lake:



In keeping with the theme, an Eastern Bluebird found a very appropriate landing place on a sign advertising yet another new development near us:

A Great Horned Owl has been calling most mornings from our roof or those of neighboring condos, but it always flies away well before sunrise. In an ultimate test of my new camera I took this hand-held image as it roosted on the roof across from us. I tried to stabilize the camera against the window pane. At ISO 6400 the shutter speed was 1/4 second. Oh, well, there is a limit to the low-light performance of my new gear!:

  

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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

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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