Only three days after we returned to south Florida from our (hopefully soon to be ex-) second home in Illinois, our son and his family-- all seven of them-- arrived for a visit. After hearing what they planned to pay for hotel accommodations, we offered to put them all up in our home. It all worked out very well and despite daily afternoon rain showers we all had fun.
These are images of a threatening sky at sunrise from our back patio:
An iPhone 180 degree panorama (click to enlarge):
The grandchildren loved the pool at our clubhouse, and we all piled into their 9-passenger van and visited several attractions. The Miami Seaquarium was fun despite my concern about the small size of the pools which imprisoned the dolphins and Orcas. Yet the captives seemed to enjoy performing:
A Great Egret and a Black-crowned Night-Heron photo-bombed the Orca show:
A sea lion seemed enthusiastic about pleasing its trainer, reminding me of how a pet dog can beg for just one more game of catch:
This is Florida, so of course there were the mandatory captive flamingos:
We all visited Everglades Natural Park and experienced a bit of life on the wild side. An immature Red-Shouldered Hawk cried loudly and persistently near the entrance:
The American Alligators were a special treat for our visitors from the arid Texas Panhandle:
A basking Anhinga gave us an opportunity to study the corrugations on its tail, an adaptation which acts as "spoilers" to reduce drag as the bird flies underwater to pursue fish:
The owner of the tail, a male Anhinga, was too near to fit into my prime telephoto lens:
Remarkably, the normally recusive Limpkins were abundant, as were the apple snails which make up their main diet. Peninsuar Florida is the northern extreme of their range. They are rarely found In the US outside the State, making them a sought-after specialty.
Limpkin preening:
Limpkin scratching, with apple snail shell nearby:
Limpkin enjoying a meal of snail meat. The next photos illustrate its highly specialized bill, which is bent and twisted at the tip to form "scissors" which deftly snip the tissue that attaches the snail to its shell:
Not to be overlooked were the butterflies and flowers--
Swamp Lily:
Pink wild hollyhock:
White Peacock:
A few days after the visitors departed we did get out on the local wetlands. The first morning, about a half hour before sunrise, I heard an Eastern Screech-Owl calling just inside the entrance gate. I approached a dead palm with an old woodpecker hole which looked like a good place for their nest, but the sound then came from a tree over to my right.
I turned around and squeaked with my lips to encourage the owl to repeat its call. Instead, something hit my head and lifted up my hat. I reached up and my hand brushed against the wing of an owl as it released my hat and flew off. Since the attack came from behind it probably represented a second owl which was disturbed by my presence so near the nest. Its flight was entirely silent, and I never did see either owl.
My souvenir of the attack is the imprint of three little talons on the crown of my Tilley hat. (As a kid in New Jersey I remember watching a family of screech owls which nested in the steeple of a church near our home. One Sunday morning they started attacking the hats of ladies who were entering the church! It made the newspapers and I think the owls were relocated or worse.)
Disposing of our Illinois condo was more complicated than expected. The closing date has been delayed several times by the buyer, always for legitimate reasons, but there remains that unsettling air of uncertainty. Also, I completed my round of medical procedures and had surgery on June 11th (our 58th Wedding Anniversary!!) to remove a lesion on my nose (2 sessions of Mohs excisions followed by plastic surgery to cover the defect). I feel fine and it is great to get out again. Thank you for all your good wishes.
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Linking to Misty's CAMERA CRITTERS,
Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,
Linking to SKYWATCH FRIDAY by Yogi, Sylvia and Sandy
Linking to WEEKEND REFLECTIONS by James
Linking to BirdD'Pot by Anni
Linking to Our World Tuesday by Lady Fi
Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday by Stewart
Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) by NC Sue
Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jesh
Linking to Fences Around the World by Gosia
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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display
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Continuing my monthly search through my photo archives for images which match the themes of critters, fences, skies, flowers, macros and reflections. This is a peek through the retroscope at photos taken three years ago, in November, 2013.
This process brings to mind the creatures and sights I might expect to see once again at this time of year. Let's see how far I need to go into the month to find at least one for each meme. I have won this self-imposed contest twenty-three months in a row since starting in January, 2015.
We began the month with a flight to visit our son and family in Amarillo, Texas. They live near Palo Duro Canyon State Park, a deep gorge carved through the red limestone of the Texas Panhandle. This is at the The Lighthouse Rock Trailhead:
I mistook this "hoodoo" rock formation for The Lighthouse, which is similar but much larger and can only be approached by way of back trails. Next to it is Castle Peak.
At the Park we found this Fence Lizard with a spider clinging tenaciously to its head. Was the spider attempting to envenomate the reptile?
We had a pleasant time with our grandchildren, exploring some of the restored ruins:
We visited a nicely situated water feature with a convenient blind ("hide"):
Among the thirsty visitors to this oasis in the arid canyon, a Northern Cardinal...
...a Spotted Towhee...
...and a handsome White-crowned Sparrow:
The next morning, back at our motel in the city of Canyon, an ominous roll cloud moved overhead, from one horizon to the other:
We then drove westward to the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico, watching the roll cloud as it disappeared to the south. We arrived at Sandia Crest House (Elevation 10, 678 feet/3,255 m) in time for lunch (November 4):
The deck of Crest House provides a breathtaking view of the City of Albuquerque almost a mile below (Since the Fence Lizard may not qualify, this also serves for the "Good Fences" meme):
We hoped to see our namesake rosy-finches during the two mornings we visited Crest House, but they had not yet appeared. On the first day the feeders were otherwise very active and the light was great for photography. A sampling-- Steller's Jay:
Red-breasted Nuthatch:
White-breasted Nuthatch:
Weather conditions deteriorated rapidly the next morning and we encountered blizzard conditions. Three inches of snow had already fallen by the time we got to the top of the mountain, and visibility was near zero:
We descended to the valley and enjoyed fair skies at Rio Grande Nature Center. Male Wood Duck in the pond:
The migrating rosy-finches arrived the next day, just as we departed for home. This is a view of Sandia Crest (the highest peak in the distance, left of center) from the window of our aircraft. With a few million more megapixels we might have been able to see them!:
I have only gotten through the first five days of the month and accomplished my goal except for a photo of a flower and a decent reflection. I obtained this reflection back in Florida on November 18:
My flower entry is a Florida "squeaker," consisting of these little white ones surrounding a Burrowing Owl in Brian Piccolo Park on November 14:
Note-- Just before we returned to Florida we got news that my Brother-in-Law is seriously ill. My schedule and travels are rather uncertain for the next week and I may not get much computer time but will try to catch up on correspondence when things settle down. Thanks so much for visiting my page.
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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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This is another special edition of Rosyfinch Ramblings to update the situation after Sagua, our granddaughters' 7 year old pet Tibetan Mastiff died last week. (See: "Remembering Sagua") Their parents lost no time in finding a companion for her "brother" Agramonte, now 8 years old.
Our new "Grand-puppy" is named Siboney (pronounced see-BOH-neh). This is an Anglicized word which has its origin in "Ciboney" the name of a pre-Colonial indigenous population in Cuba. Following Spanish conquest they, and all Cuban native groups, had disappeared by the end of the 1500s. Our son-in-law is a Cuban native (born in Sagua La Grande), and their dogs have all had names of significance in Cuban history, shortened as follows: Maceo, a Doberman-Lab mix, Maximo, an American Mastiff, followed by Tibetan Mastiffs Agramonte, Sagua, and now Siboney.
While visiting the breeder, a litter of puppies surrounded the girls. They were black and tan just like Sagua:
Siboney is on the right, with two litter mates:
Siboney's Dad, Atilla the Hun:
Siboney's Mom, Kita Bear:
Welcoming Siboney to the family:
Doing what Tibetan Mastiffs do best:
Portrait:
Agramonte greeting Siboney. They played until Siboney just stopped to take a nap:
