A Potpourri of Spring Offerings

This late arriving spring still staggers along.  Some of my field effort has been exploring new places.  Up near Cayuta Lake, I visited the newly discovered Allen Preserve of the Cornell Botanic Gardens.  I cannot recall a greater number of Skunk Cabbage anywhere.

It only required a cell phone for this image.  Honestly, I was ranging wide without a camera pack, had to stand in running water and the phone was what I had.  I held the phone about 2 inches above the water and wished for the best.   

Back in Cornell's Mundy Wildflower Garden, I did a stack of seven images to create create this companion image with the spadix clearly visible within the spathe.

 

Why one shot for the first image, and seven for this one?  The wide angle lens in the phone has huge depth of focus.  The lens used on the latter one only has sharp focus for about 1/2 inch.   Each has its place.  I like them both.  (No more Skunk Cabbage this year.  I promise.)

 

Let's look at some itty-bitty birds.  This male Song Sparrow was a bit angry at another intruding male.  I captured him leaping off to make a challenge.

  I discovered a different sparrow while waiting for a Bald Eagle at a beaver pond.  The Swamp Sparrow has a rich rusty-red crest, and is just as vocal as the other sparrow.

No Bald Eagle came within distance that morning, but some days later I did get a little closer when the male returned to the nest.  (I am still working on this for a closer result.)

Spring is also about wildflowers, and a few early ones are coming out now.  This is Sharp-lobed Hepatica.

Finally, the Great Blue Herons are back (and nesting already).  They can be supremely elegant in flight, or truly awkward depending on the moment.  I love the patterning displayed as they set wings for a landing.

It is getting more spring like, and some warblers are arriving.  Hope I can offer a greater variety of images soon.

Paul

Not what I expected

Went up to Montezuma last week expecting to find a lot of shorebirds starting their fall migration.  They had missed the message, but I found an unexpected bit of beauty on the main pool.

The edges of the marsh were dotted with beautiful pink.

Lovely, isn't it?  Swamp Rose-Mallow.  Belongs in the Hibiscus family.  Take a close look.

The day wasn't a total miss.  Also saw this Great Blue Heron come up with a rather sizable Bullhead.

Looks like a pretty tenuous hold to me.  It must have a strong clamp.  I wanted to see how he could handle this catfish's barbs, but the heron retreated into the cattails. Seems close to the limit of what he can swallow.

Paul

A Good Day- Birds & Baseball

It's become the theme of our March trips to Florida- birds in the morning and baseball in the afternoon (or evening).  Makes a nice combination.  We especially like the Space Coast which offers Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge plus numerous other wetlands in Titusville and Viera.

So, on our anniversary (48 years no less), we began at Merritt Island on the Black Point Wildlife Drive following a beautiful Great Egret as it fished along a mangrove edge.

If you look closely, there is a very small fish in its beak.  We followed along on the road as the egret continued.  You can tell when the bird sees fish. Its neck seems to acquire a certain tension and often the head sways side-to-side to precisely gauge the distance.  Then it unleashes the strike.

From my observation, the Great Egret is successful more than three-quarters of the time. Pretty good batting average.

Another catch! Considering the small size of each catch, I guess it would have to be highly successful to match the energy required each time.  This is so interesting that time seems to melt away.

Also on the drive were some of the most colorful of the birds, Roseate Spoonbills.

That bill is so unusual that it must have a special adaptation to how they feed.  Here is a small group feeding.  They sweep the bill left and right as they advance, snapping up small prey, often shrimp. The pigment in the prey imparts the brilliant color to their feathers.

All of this can entice a lot of visitors to take up a camera though not constant photographers.  So it was that my spouse, Pam, got the bug, and worked on a cooperative Great Blue Heron that morning.

I really like how she included the complete reflection of the heron framed in the rich blue sky.

Our route on the preserve lastly took us to a small wetland with more egrets, herons and spoonbills.  Then, they were joined by two White Pelicans gliding in to feed.

It was a fruitful morning.  After three hours, we exited for lunch and a pleasant afternoon of baseball in Viera.  Of course, we had to take a "selfie" at the game.

Oh yes, it was a good game and it was sunny.   Perfect way to mark forty-eight years together.

Best to you,

Paul