Mary Lou and I like to get out about a half hour before sunrise. It is usually cool and the winds are calm. On January 8 the morning weather report caused us some concern, but the radar looked clear and we set out with an eye on the sky. The third-quarter Super-moon was almost directly overhead.
About ten minutes before sunrise we reached the lake. The sky had lightened up a bit but the opposite shore was still quite dark:
The diffuse light reflected on the still water as a Great Egret explored along the shore:
The sun reflected on a backdrop of high clouds to the west:
A large alligator moved lazily along, barely creating a wake:
Preoccupied with the alligator, I must have missed seeing a Bobcat as it crossed the road about 100 yards to the north. I snapped a few shots before it disappeared in the brush to the left:
I started to move quietly along in hopes of seeing the cat as it proceeded towards the lake, but it surprised me by suddenly running back across the road at a full gallop. In the space of only two seconds I shot a volley of 6 photos. All were poorly focused, so to make up for the lack of clarity I stitched them together to impart a sense of motion (click on image to enlarge):
I proceeded to the heron rookery, which is about another half mile beyond the lake. Hurricane Irma had pushed down nearly all the larger trees along the canal. Many were still alive and leafed out, their crowns protruding into the canal.
This seemed to be favorable for the herons, as the count has climbed from one to a dozen in the past few weeks. This morning I counted 7 adult and 2 immature Yellow-crowned Night-Herons. Some were already developing breeding plumage-- the top of their heads had lost the streaks and were turning to gold, their black legs showed brighter yellow color, and their nuptial plumes had emerged:
Immature Yellow-crowned Night-Heron:
At least two Black-crowned Night-Herons have also been present, though they are more secretive and I did not find them this morning. This is the adult:
At least one immature Black-crowned Night-Heron often roosted with the adult. Note that its bill is partly yellow and it lacks the fine spotting of the immature Yellow-crowned species:
The sky to the north indicated that the predicted storm front was approaching, but it seemed to be moving slowly, so I started back at a leisurely pace. Mary Lou was already home.
I stopped to photograph another Great Egret as it foraged in a lakeside marsh along with a pair of Mottled Ducks. Fish are trapped in the marsh as it dries up, and it becomes a rich food source. The female Mottled Duck subsists largely on fish and crustaceans during breeding season, so it must benefit from its association with the egret:
Other subjects along the way home were a Red-bellied Woodpecker...
...a European Starling...
...and an American Kestrel:
Light rain started falling and I had to cover my camera and hurry back to the house!
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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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Again, I am looking back three years, searching for images which depict some of my favorite memes: Critters of all kinds, beautiful skies and reflections, changes of the season, and scenes which speak for themselves. My archives for January, 2015 include over 600 processed photos.
Unsettled sky and a colorful sunrise over our local wetlands on January 11:
You may recall that during the previous month a new young female Bald Eagle appeared with the local male (Pride) who had lost his mate (Joy) back in October, 2014. We watched the nest carefully for signs that she might start breeding. As I noted last month, Jewel seemed to lack an instinct to sit on the nest, while Pride often occupied it and continued to add sticks.
On January 1, 2015 the nest was in excellent shape due to Pride's efforts, but it remained empty most of the time during the next few weeks.
Facebook eagle lovers named the new female "Jewel." She often flew off alone and we worried whether the pair would ever develop a strong bond. I encountered Jewel in the wetlands southeast of the nest. The dark streaks on her head and dark tail feather tips are signs that she has not yet reached full adult plumage:
This is a composite image as Jewel landed on a small tree and then flew off:
The Bald Eagles in south Florida usually lay their eggs in December and by late January are already tending to their nestlings. As the month progressed this pair spent more time together, and on January 28, just after I arrived at the nest site, we saw Jewel fly in from the west to the nest area. She was carrying a good sized fish that looked like a shad. She circled with it and ended up roosting on top of a Melaleuca snag to the west of the nest. She proceeded to eat the fish.
About 10 minutes later, Pride flew in from the SW carrying a small fish. He roosted on an adjacent snag slightly above the female. Both kept eating until the female finished. Then the male flew down and they copulated for about 1 minute 10 seconds.
It appeared to be a successful mating, unlike some the brief attempts that had previously occurred. Pride then roosted briefly before flying off. Jewel remained on the roost
He soon returned carrying a small stick, and Jewel promptly joined him in flight. Both circled over the nest area and then disappeared high and to the south. To be continued next month...
Every morning before sunrise we try to escape to the relative solitude of our Wounded Wetlands. Here is Mary Lou walking out before sunrise under the Wolf Moon on January 5. (This year, 2018, we can look forward to two SuperMoons in January-- the second will be a "Blue Moon.")
On a calm morning, a Little Blue Heron lifts off:
A brace of Mottled Ducks flies over the lake. The male has a bright yellow bill while that of the female is mottled orange:
In the rookery, I find only one Yellow-crowned Night-Heron:
Back home, in late afternoon, the view from our patio exhibits all the "me too" fences required by our homeowners' association:
A Great Blue Heron poses next to a neighbor's fence:
A Double-crested Cormorant dries its wings as it stands on the duck decoy which floats our irrigation water intake:
A Wood Stork forages at the water's edge along our lawn:
In our back yard, a Red-bellied Woodpecker climbs our Mahogany tree:
In front of our house, a Northern Mockingbird rests on Saint Francis' head:
On January 30, our Avocado tree is beginning to blossom:
A Monarch butterfly and a Honeybee partake of nectar from our Ixora blooms:
Zebra Heliconian:
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
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
________________________________________________
Please visit the links to all these memes to see some excellent photos on display