We spent the entire month in South Florida, getting out into the local Wounded Wetlands early on the first day of January. Winter sparrows were late arrivals, missing 2016 altogether, but a Savannah Sparrow was there to welcome in the new year:
Egyptian Geese first appeared in 2011, but their numbers quickly increased. A pair flew overhead, the female trumpeted loudly and the male uttered a coarse hissing sound:
On January 1 we saw the first Loggerhead Shrike of the year, and other early sightings included...
...a Long-tailed Skipper on Lantana blossoms,
...a female Soldier butterfly on Bidens alba (Florida's most productive native source of nectar),
,,,a White Peacock butterfly,
...a perky Gray Squirrel,
...a Sharp-shinned Hawk,
...and a sedate Great Blue Heron in early light:
Ligustrum blossoms attracted a Zebra heliconian:
Forgive me for emphasizing the butterflies, but I was to find few to none during the following January, thanks to Hurricane Irma which struck in October, 2017 and decimated their adults, eggs and caterpillars. The heavy use of insecticides to curb the Zika outbreak which followed Irma certainly contributed to their plight. This is a female Julia longwing, a species which was probably Irma's worst casualty:
The Ruby-throated hummingbird is a welcome winter visitor. This is a female:
A Great Egret comes in for a landing:
White-tailed Deer at the far end of the road:
Glossy and White Ibises:
Backyard Tricolored Heron:
On January 15, rain threatens...
...but not a drop falls. Walking home, sunbeams bathe the entrance to the wetlands:
A few doors from our home, the entrance gate, from inside the preserve:
The next morning, the end of a rainbow seems to be only steps away:
Parallel high clouds appear to converge to the north:
A motorized parachute frightens the wildlife, but I could not miss the photo opportunity as I anticipated a near collision--"Fly me to the Moon:"
On a sad note, our next door neighbor, a young energetic and athletic man with a fine wife and two great sons, developed pancreatic cancer and passed away within a few months of the diagnosis. His younger son paddles in our lake with his sweet Labradoodle:
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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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