The month of April started off with a handsome male Northern Cardinal on a Pond Cypress which is just sprouting new leaves...
...a male Black-and-White Warbler...
...a male Prairie Warbler...
...and a male Gulf Fritillary. The "male" theme was accidental as they represented the first four creatures I photographed on April 1, 2017. In the case of the butterfly, only the males possess a series of pheromone-secreting androconia, visible as transverse (ladder-like) striations on six veins on each of its fore-wings. (You may need to enlarge this image to see them):
Great Crested Flycatcher:
Northern Mockingbird:
Green Heron:
In the rookery, a pair of Green Herons shared a tender moment with their first egg, on April 9:
Our daughter and family visited from Illinois. Our granddaughters went out with MaryLou to view the Bald Eagle nest:
We spent Easter vacation on Sanibel Island on Florida's Gulf Coast, where we watched an Osprey eat a fish:
At Ding Darling National Wildlife Preserve, a Reddish Egret hunted, energetically dashing to and fro:
On the beach, a Willet displayed its distinctive wing markings:
A Ruddy Turnstone probed in the sand:
A Royal Tern flew along the water's edge:
Dunes at Bowman's Beach on Sanibel island:
A Tiki Hut on the boardwalk at Bowman's Beach:
Marsh Rabbit at Bowman's Beach:
Back home, at the local nest, the two eaglets were climbing on the branches and would soon fly freely:
Common NIghthawks had returned to breed:
Carolina Wrens had been present all year, but were singing much more vigorously in early Spring:
A notably tortuous neck on this Tricolored heron:
Solitary Sandpiper and reflection:
A Bunting eating the "Shepherd's Nettles" seeds of Bidens alba on April 21. It is probably an immature Painted Bunting, as its back has a greenish cast, but...
... it appeared to have some blue feathers on its breast, suggesting it may be an immature Indigo Bunting. (This was probably an aberration due to the color temperature of the processed image). Both species usually migrate north before the end of April:
A Mottled Duck and Black-necked Stilt:
Sunrise as seen from our back patio...
...and our front yard:
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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
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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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