Crops & Clips: Flashback to December, 2017

As I do each month, I enjoyed looking back over my archived photos, taken three years previously, to remember how things were then and maybe get some idea of what to expect this year. Of course, the last month of 2020 finds us locked down because of the Coronavirus pandemic, as we are at higher risk. As usual, I searched for images which reflected favorite memes: critters of all kinds (especially birds), skies and clouds, reflections, flowers and fences, as well as scenes which speak for themselves. 

December began with the setting of a Red Cold SuperMoon. As the skies started brightening, a Great Egret was mirrored on the quiet façade of the lakeside marsh. The wind stirred up the surface of the lake beyond a line of boulders to create a pleasant  two-tone effect:

On December 3, clouds threatened to obscure the Moon...

...but they quickly cleared and the Moon was bright in the sky:

It traveled through a smoky layer as the Sun rose:

This was the last I saw of it:

In the rookery, a female Anhinga was fast asleep as I drew near, so I made a quiet "whissssh" sound to awaken her:

Awake and alarmed, she expanded her translucent throat pouch:

Breeding season was still three months away, but several Yellow-crowned Night-Herons staked out claims for favored nesting spots:

A few fragile flowers clung to life on a coral rock:

A Yellow-throated Warbler posed momentarily for a rare open shot:

We had more than our share of foggy mornings. Some creatures appeared mysteriously out of the mist...

...a young White-tailed doe...

...another youngster, a near-sighted Opossum...

...and a tree-hugging Raccoon:

An immature Purple Gallinule was a pastel study of contortionism as it struggled to harvest the flowers and fruits of the Alligator Flags (so named because it often surrounds alligator holes where it can keep its roots wet all through the dry season):

There was so much more to remember-- this Tricolored Heron...

,,,a foggy sunrise on December 23...

...and finally, fog over the north wet prairie on December 31:

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Linking to:

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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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

________________________________________________

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

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