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: Flashback to February, 2017

Three years ago we spent the entire month of February at home in south Florida. In reviewing over 1,000 photos I processed that month, I found many to illustrate favorite memes-- critters (especially birds), skyscapes, reflections, flowers, fences and scenes which speak for themselves. 

Highlight of the month was the delayed arrival of two eaglets in the local Bald Eagle nest, the 17th and 18th known offspring produced at this nest. In the prior breeding season, the parents suffered loss of their first brood. Undaunted, they nested again and produced two more eaglets which hatched in March, 2016, almost three months later than normal. 

Only one survived, and fledged in mid-June. It required the care and attention of the adults until mid-September. Normally, the eaglets would have been independent and migrating north by late May or early June. The demands placed upon the parents surely delayed their renovation of the nest and courtship.

The eaglets hatched respectively on or about February 5th and 8th. We were able to see and photograph the older eaglet for the first time on February 24: 



Three days later, both eaglets posed as their mother (Jewel) roosted next to the nest:



The elongated black object protruding up from the nest is the seed pod of the  Flamboyant Tree (Royal Poinciana). The leaves and seeds of this tree are toxic, containing cyanide and tannins. Some believe that the eagles deliberately collect them to deter nest parasites. However, these trees are common in the nearby residential areas and these branches may have been randomly selected.



This is the male eagle (Pride) roosting nearby:



Morning rays:



Any day when we see a male Painted Bunting is a great day. Sadly, many are trapped for the illegal pet trade:



A perky squirrel perches on a fence:



In the local rookery, a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron displayed to potential mates, although the females appeared to ignore him: 



A Great Egret foraged on a foggy morning:



In the woodlands, we found a White-eyed Vireo...



...a female Red-bellied Woodpecker...



...a male Common Yelllowthroat...



...a male Northern Cardinal...



...and his mate...



...a male Northern Flicker...



...another flicker, golden in flight...



...and a Northern Parula (warbler):



Walking in early, we found a curious red morph Eastern Screech-Owl:



The Brazilian Pepper is an invasive exotic plant, but the birds love it and their droppings help to spread its seeds. Gray Catbird:



A Prairie Warbler is more interested in eating the insects attracted to the berries:



Royal Palms bear both male and female flowers. The spent male flower stems are in the foreground, and successively ripening crops of female buds and fruits are arrayed behind them. Look closely to see foraging Palm and Yellow-throated Warblers:



Spiny Orb-weaver Spider (aka "Crab Spider"):



Along the path into the wetlands, sunrise and a crescent Moon:



Wood Storks have newly occupied a rookery in Weston, a town about 10 miles to our north. I love to capture images as they glide in to join the flock:







On the lake, a Great Blue Heron, 15 minutes before sunrise:



Little Blue Heron:



Lantana blossoms wrapped in spider silk:



The Snow Moon setting, 15 minutes after sunrise:



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Linking to :

My Corner of the World

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

________________________________________________

Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
________________________________________________
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