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 April, 2015 (#800)

I reviewed nearly 600 processed photos taken three years ago during April, 2015, a month which found us engaged in family fun and travel. 

Since Easter came early in the month as it does in the present year, our planned events will be a sort of replay of the same places and habitats as the land bird migration season gets underway and peaks. In fact, we plan to be on Sanibel Island after Easter when this blog posts.

In the archives I looked for favorite memes of sky and reflections, birds and other critters to reflect the season as well as scenes which speak for themselves. 

A Blogiversary! This marks my 800th Rosyfinch Ramblings blog post since it peeked out of its shell in September, 2006.

Photo of the month-- The lighthouse at night on Sanibel Point, Florida, April 7, 2015:



There was lots of activity during April. Our daughter's family came to visit us for the Easter holidays. We vacationed on Sanibel Island and finished the month at our second home in NE Illinois. On April 2, an Easter White-winged Dove posed in wonderful light (not to mention that this symbol of peace is perched on a Castor Oil Bean tree which is the source of Ricin, the deadly poison):



Looking south at sunrise, also on April 2, over our local Wounded Wetlands:



We experienced a lunar eclipse on April 4, the day before Easter Sunday. It had attained just about three quarters of umbra when the rising sun spoiled the show. 





Then we were off to Sanibel, where we occupied a nice large suite overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Our daughter, Son-in-Law and their two girls enjoy fishing, which is fine with us as it gives us time to go birding. We watched breathtaking  sunsets from the fishing pier:



Our granddaughters caught a few, and did better than their Dad, who spent a lot of time on Company business (I remember the feeling-- like a busy executive, a family doctor in private practice really had no "free" time):







On the pier, the birds came to us, among them this Snowy Egret:



Brown Pelicans hoped to catch any throw-backs, although feeding them is prohibited:





An Osprey nest near the pier contained a hungry chick:



Pileated Woodpeckers were commonly present in the woodlands surrounding the lighthouse:



I could not ignore the beautiful Blanket Flowers along the way:

 



At nearby Ding Darling National Wildlife Preserve, Reddish Egrets foraged energetically:





A Northern Cardinal appeared on the boardwalk:



We spent the last half of the month at our second home in Illinois. The first couple of days were so cold that we did not venture out. We visited a local park to see a Great Horned Owl with three owlets (two are visible):



We don't get to see many American Robins in south Florida, so this was a treat:



In the surrounding corn fields, a grand old barn which I hope is still standing...



...but another was torn down only a few months later:



With half a month left, I can only highlight a few of the Illinois birds--

Virginia Rail:



Red-winged Blackbird:



White-breasted Nuthatch:



A pair of Bald Eagles at a nest near our condo:



Overhead, a Red-tailed Hawk:



A male Bobolink in breeding finery:



Eastern Meadowlark on budding oak tree:



A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on its tiny nest:



Arriving Yellow Warblers:










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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

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

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