As July gives way to August, the morning chorus diminishes in the grasslands and woodlands of northeastern Illinois. The prairies take on an increasingly golden hue. This is the prairie pothole at nearby Nelson Lake preserve in Batavia:
Common Yellowthroats are still tending to nests and singing, usually out of sight in the high vegetation:
The songs of orioles and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks no longer ring through the treetops. Many bird species are busy with the affairs of raising families. Energy must be conserved and diverted into replacement of feathers during the post-breeding molt.
Indigo Buntings continue to sing from treetop perches:
We visited Lippold Park, also in Batavia. This is the small marsh and pond, with the pavilion and fenced treetop walk in the background. (Mary Lou just received a phone call):
The prairie at Lippold is protected and well-managed. It was alive with wildflowers:
American Goldfinches are very late breeders and are only beginning to gather flower down for their nests. I waited patiently for one to alight among the flowers, but instead they moved among the low shrubs:
Two years ago in late August I did catch one singing among the flowers at this same location:
The plumage of an adult female American Goldfinch is more subdued:
Bells and whistles... go together like a goldfinch and thistles. Common as they are on the prairie, I never tire of seeing, hearing and photographing goldfinches around and above me.
August through September is their peak season, as the thistle begins to go to seed, providing them both food and shelter. Other birds have nearly finished their breeding and are hiding away to molt, but the goldfinches are eating the seeds and gathering the down of the thistles for their nests.
At Lippold park on August 25, 2011, a female goldfinch was harvesting down for her nest:
This male was collecting thistle down at Nelson Lake back in 2011:
One of the few bird species to feed their young no insects, they engorge the thistle seeds and nourish their young with a protein-rich "milk" that is secreted from their stomach linings. A fledgling goldfinch appears bigger than its mother as it begs to be fed:
One of my favorite goldfinch captures is this one, reflected in the creek at Lippold Park:
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Linking to Misty's CAMERA CRITTERS,
Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,
Linking to FENCES AROUND THE WORLD 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 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
________________________________________________
This was the first year since moving to Florida that we spent the entire month of August without a trip to our second home in NE Illinois. Truth is that we were a bit travel-weary after our Alaska RV trip and had to catch up on necessary appointments. As has been my monthly habit, I perused my photo archives from three years ago to find images which illustrate some of my favorite memes: Birds and other Critters, Fences, Skies, Reflections, Seasons and Wordless scenes which speak for themselves.
Blown in from Africa, Saharan dust provided unusual pink sunrises...
...which reflected on the wings of a Great Egret...
...as well as upon a rare species which visited our back yard lake on August 11 and lingered for over a week:
It is a "Great White Heron," actually the white color morph (or subspecies) of the Great Blue Heron:
The breeding range of Great White Herons is concentrated far south of our home, in the coastal mangroves of the Florida Keys. They average larger in size than the south Florida population of Great Blue Herons.
Under a blue sky in late afternoon, the Great White Heron shows its true colors. Note that its legs are light in color, unlike the black legs of a Great Egret:
Although the Great Egret (which averages 39 inches/99 cm tall and weighs 2.2 lb/1 kg) is the largest of our local resident egrets, it is dwarfed by the Great White Heron, which is 54 inches/137 cm tall and can weigh up to 7.3 lbs/ 3.3 kg.
This was my best attempt to fit both species in a single frame:
These two photos show each of the white herons walking next to a tree which is 140 feet/43 meters across the lake from our yard. First, the Great White Heron...
...and now the Great Egret:
An extreme contrast in size is shown in this photo of the Great White Heron and a Green Heron only 18 inches/46 cm tall, next to a neighbor's fence:
Another unusual event was my discovery, on August 17, of the nest of a Common Ground-Dove, the first ever officially documented in our County. This species actually is a fairly common breeding bird, but its nest is particularly hard to find.
Indeed, this one was very well hidden but only a few steps away from the gravel road in the local wetlands. The parent gave away its location by suddenly flushing as I passed by:
The anxious female parent watched me from a perch nearby:
Not wishing to disturb the nest or provide a predator with a scent trail to the nest, I photographed it from the path, about 10 feet away. This was the only camera angle which provided a partial view of the nest:
Unfortunately, on August 26, a landscaping crew came through and mowed all the grass along the shoulder of the road and destroyed the nest and its contents:
Not wanting to end on a sad note, here are a few clips of other critters seen during the month, starting with a White Peacock butterfly:
Halloween Pennant dragonfly rests on a grass stem:
Perky Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher stands still for an instant:
Backyard Anhinga dries its wings on our duck decoy:
Golden sunrise on August 31, a fitting finale for an eventful month:
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Linking to Misty's CAMERA CRITTERS,
Linking to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS,
Linking to FENCES AROUND THE WORLD 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 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
________________________________________________