Crops & Clips: Flashback to peripatetic June, 2016

Three years ago we enjoyed a very active June, starting out at our home in south Florida followed by flights to Illinois and then Colorado, and a motor trip across the northwestern US through Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and back to Illinois before flying home. 

During the following weeks I processed more than 700 photos out of over 2000 which accumulated during the trips, and am now selecting some which reflect favorite memes: critters (especially birds), skies and landscapes, reflections, fences, and scenes which speak for themselves. 

During our first week in Illinois we visited the prairies of Nelson Lake/Dick Young preserve and saw a good variety of recently arrived breeding birds, including...

Bobolinks:

  



Dickcissels:





Red-winged Blackbird:



Common Yellowthroat:



American Goldfinches:



MaryLou and I celebrated our 56th Wedding Anniversary at YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado, hosting all of our descendants-- three children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, spouses and MaryLou's brother:



Because of a mix-up with the reservations we were assigned a cozy cabin, but it was a long walk away from the rest of our party who were clustered together. This actually suited us just fine, as our sleeping and waking patterns did not match those of the young crowd.



Our nearest neighbors were Green-tailed Towhees...



...Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, and...



...Violet-green Swallows:



Along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park we saw a Hoary Marmot:



Following our 5 nights in the Colorado Rockies, we joined our daughter's family for a long drive in a rented SUV. We winded our way along the Needles Highway in the Black Hills of South Dakota, passing through numerous tunnels:



The Needles, a magnificent rock formation:



MaryLou and I posed at The Needle's Eye:



As we emerged from the last tunnel, a distant view of Mount Rushmore opened up in front of us:



At Mount Rushmore National Monument, we were awed by the spectacular carvings of four former Presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln:



We stayed in Blue Bell, South Dakota, in Custer State Park, where we occupied adjacent cabins on the Wildlife Loop road:



View from Wildlife Loop just after sunset:



Highlights of the drive along Wildlife Loop included American Bison..



...a Whitetail Deer fawn...



...and a Pronghorn Antelope:



From there we traveled into southwestern South Dakota and spent two nights at Circle View Family Ranch in Badlands National Park. Our accommodations were primitive, but the scenery, wildlife and great breakfasts were totally enjoyable. Our lodging was a refurbished ranch-hand shack, the Tree House Cabin:



Our daughter's family stayed next door in the more luxurious Cowboy Cabin, which even had utensils and a kitchen sink:



From the porch of our cabin we saw (among many species) Lark Sparrows...



...Lark Buntings...



...Blue Grosbeaks...



...and Western Meadowlarks:



Driving through the Park, the views were fantastic. 







A Bighorn ram grazed next to the road:



I must stop writing somewhere as it is impossible for me to do justice to the beauty we saw this month. In Florida it began, appropriately, with a "Mirrored" (anti-crepuscular or false) sunrise on the western horizon opposite the sun, on June 1...



... and ended with us back in northeastern Illinois, with a robin on a fence...



...and a walk in the short-grass prairie path at Nelson Lake (oil rendering, click to enlarge):

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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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Summer birds in Illinois

We rarely see American Robins near our south Florida home, so they are a welcome sight when we return to Illinois:



Spring migration is over. Most of the local breeding birds have finished nesting and as July approaches the woodlands fall silent. Now is the time to retreat from the cool shade and visit the prairie, where the calendar appears to have been turned back. 



In a sense, the forest is the enemy of the Midwestern prairie. After the last of the glaciers retreated some 14,000 years ago, the bare land progressed from soggy tundra to evergreen woodland. As the climate warmed and dried, hardwoods such as hickory and oak invaded and eventually blanketed the land. 

Drought and lightning combined to cause wildfires which produced huge swaths of grassland, and herds of bison helped to keep the prairie open. Prairie plants developed extensive underground roots which resisted destruction from fires and grazing until human settlement turned most of their habitat into rich cropland. Water-filled depressions (potholes) were left behind by the glaciers. These provided places for bison to wallow and waterfowl to find refuge. They often resisted cultivation.

Restored prairie pothole at Nelson Lake Marsh/Dick Young Prairie preserve, near our second home in Kane County, Illinois:



Now the remnants of the prairie require human intervention in order to prosper. The grasslands survive because of controlled burns and selective removal of invasive shrubs, trees and other vegetation, both native and exotic. At  Nelson Lake preserve the grass is tall and seed heads are golden, inviting me to render my photo as an oil painting (click on photo for enlarged views):



Song Sparrows and Common Yellowthroats have started second and even third broods, and are singing vigorously.









Old fence posts are the tallest roosting places in the grasslands, and a Savannah Sparrow keeps watch from one:



Tiny Henslow's Sparrows are hard to find in the tall grass. Note the greenish tint on its head:



Grasshopper Sparrows prefer areas with shorter grass:



Sedge Wrens rattle their songs along the path:



Bobolinks are still feeding  their young. Their upside-down plumage pattern makes them favorite subjects as I try to obtain a perfect pose:





The demure female Bobolink is nonetheless beautiful:



Colorful Dickcissels do not arrive in any great numbers until mid- to late June. 





American Goldfinches wait for thistle and milkweed to produce the down for their nests and seeds for their vegetarian babies:





I catch the reflection of a goldfinch as it sips at a nearby creek:



Red-winged Blackbirds defend their territories with song...



...and action, as one takes on a Red-tailed Hawk:







Spiderwort and Black-eyed Susan are common summer flowers in the prairie:




= = =  = = =  = = = =  = = = = =

Linking to Misty's  CAMERA CRITTERS,

Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,

Linking to GOOD FENCES by Tex (Theresa). 

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
________________________________________________

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