Birds and beauty of 2016

Celebrating the New Year by mining the archives for some memories of 2016

January--

Sky: Stormy sunrise



Critters: Pride and Jewel:



February--

The boardwalk at Wellington Preserve:



Loggerhead Shrike and budding Red Maple:



March--

Eastern Towhee singing a spring song:



April--

Green Heron tending to newly hatched chick:




Two-dimensional Black-necked Stilts:



May--

Bounding White-tailed Deer:



White-eyed Vireo:



Tricolored Heron:



June--

56th Wedding Anniversary family reunion in Colorado



Final approach into Chicago Midway Airport:



July--

Leaping White-tail buck:



Common Nighthawk:



August--

Juvenile Bald Eagle "Spirit:"



Northern Mockingbird on lakeside natural wreath:



Marsh Rabbit:



September--

Merlin:



Adult Green Heron:



October--

Chipmunk on fence:



A brace of Mallards:



November--

Bald Eagles getting ready for a new breeding season:



December--

White Peacock:



Blue Jay:

Sending you all Best Wishes for a happy, healthy  and prosperous 2017. Thanks so much for visiting!

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Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Gosia

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

Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jeannette
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Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display


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Rice-paper egrets on a foggy morning

It was a morning when you could truly "see what you were breathing." Fog shrouded the local wetlands. Dew coated my camera and binoculars, and weighed down the high blades of grass. A great Egret was barely visible through the murk:



The blanket of fog blurred the background and muted the colors in my images of the egret, imparting a two-dimensional effect:







Expecting that my photos had been ruined, I was surprised to see them on the computer screen back home. The egret's black legs stood out as if etched on rice paper:

 





Slowly, the fog lifted and the pine bank on the opposite shore gradually emerged into view:









A bedraggled dew-soaked Prairie Warbler eyed me curiously:





Nearby, an unruffled Northern Cardinal:



The sky brightened up, and a male Soldier basked in the light. This butterfly is often difficult to find in our patch:



The Lantana flowers attracted newly emerged male and female Julias:



A male American Kestrel, perched 100 yards away, had returned for the winter:



He suddenly flew right towards me-- was it something I said?




He kept watching me as he flew off:



 


Our friend Scott has ready access to the lake through a private gate, halfway into the wetlands preserve. We must walk 15-20 minutes to get this far:






= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Gosia

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

 Linking to ALL SEASONS by Jeannette
________________________________________________

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

________________________________________________