The moon set on the Broward as the morning began to break over the marsh. Could the lunar orb be responsible for what I observed today? The Ides of March have passed but something is amiss. It is as if some strange force has gripped the birds.
Erratic movements caught my eye, it was a flock of Snowy Egrets descending on the marsh. Golden rays of light began to penetrate the deep recesses of the marsh. Several of the Snowy Egrets gathered in the lagoon. The normally passive and communal egrets seemed quite upset with each other if another seemed to get too close. What was it that had them all fluffed up? One got quite vocal. It must be Marsh Madness. And then it hit me. They weren’t crazy, just hungry. It was time for breakfast and just a case of “minnow madness”. Whew! Had me worried there for a moment.
I wish that was all the matter with our country. It seems a madness has gripped our country too. I have never seen such heated and bitter rhetoric. Seems this country is so divided that no one is thinking clearly. Except the birds.
The moon sets on the Broward as golden rays of sunlight begin to penetrate the marsh..
Beware the Ides of March!
A snowy flurry of Snowy Egrets descend on the marsh..
Golden rays of morning (finally) begin to brighten the marsh...
The egrets are normally very communal and friendly
Today things were different...they seemed very short tempered if another Egret approached!
Itching to get at you too!
Fidler crab in a last act of defiance flips off the bird..
It seemed as if unkind words were exchanged..IE "Fowl Language"
I saw erratic behavior..they were all shook up with wild looking eyes!
Was it some sort of Marsh Madness?
No! It was just breakfast time and they were gripped by Minnow Madness...whew!
Daylight Savings Time…what a joke! I got up at 0530 and it was pitch dark. Didn’t save one lumen of daylight that I can tell. Two hours later I am still waiting for some sunlight. Someone has gotten into the Daylight Savings account and robbed it! Normally I would have been on the dock taking early morning photos. Not now. It is Daylight Savings Time (DST) and someone idiot has robbed us of all the early morning daylight.
Thankfully the birds did not get the message. They still follow their internal clocks set only by the Almighty. A friend recently sent me some background on the origins of DST. Not sure if it is true but it sure seems plausible. A politician wanted to prove to a friend he could submit legislation that made no sense but if you sold it correctly, the politicians would buy it hook line and sinker. He made up most of the arguments for the proposal and that is how we got Daylight “Savings” Time. My favorite input came from the words of an old Indian who heard of the program and said only the government would claim you can cut a foot off one end of a blanket and sew it onto the other end and have a longer blanket.
The local Tricolored Heron is in full agreement. Daylight Savings Time is a joke (and not popular with the birds either). And our stupid Florida government wants to stay on this bankrupt sunshine account program forever. "At least my truck clock is finally right. See, my patience paid off." Blessings.
After waiting for hours, dawn filnally breaks on the Broward..
Oh there it is, finally...all that Daylight we saved...my feathers!
I HATE Daylight Savings Time! The minnows are still asleep!
I can't find any minnows, they forgot to move their clock forward! Now I am seeing red!
Whos dumb idea was this broken Daylight Savings Time?
Hey, have you seen my missing Daylight Savings?
If there is so much daylight now, how come I am freezing?
March winds continue blowing over the Broward. Oak and Pine pollen are everywhere, nature’s way of keeping things blooming and allergy sufferers sneezing. The bees can’t do it all. Spring-like weather prevails in Florida. Hopefully you folks up north will see it soon too. A few faithful birds remain on the river and keep me entertained. Captured a sunrise on the ocean the Editor thought was worth sharing.
A Little Blue Heron glides in for a perfect landing in the marsh. Upstream a huge wake moves around the bend in the channel. A manatee is looking for some fresh spring marsh grass to munch on. The once numerous flocks of Snowy Egrets are getting smaller by the day but still swoop in to take advantage of the tidal minnow feasts. My ever-faithful Tricolored Heron sits on the dock and glances in my direction. It opens its beak as if to give me a morning greeting. I pull up my chair and watch as this bird spends the next hour preening every feather one by one. It takes a lot of work to keep those doo feathers looking fine. Birds are nesting and soon hatchlings of every feather will be opening their little beaks and demanding to be fed. Hmmm, maybe it is time for the Editor to fix me some breakfast too!
Time to start to work on taxes so I can render unto Caesar, one of the unavoidable facts of life.. Blessings.
Sunrise Blackrock Beach
Little Blue Heron comes in for a perfect "Marsh Landing"..
This bird has marsh minnow madness...time for breakfast..
Someone say minnow time? Snowy Egret looks for snacks
Still have some Snowys on the Broward but spring is near..
Wake Up Mr Doohicky! Did you forget to move your clock forward?
Got an itch...
Takes a lot of work to keep these feathers looking fine!
March winds are blowing over the Broward. The Crepe Myrtles are starting to bud, spring is here in Florida. Don’t you folks up North feel sorry for me. I have had to kick in the air conditioner already. Got some Eagle photos to share today should you dare to see them.
Per one on line source “Florida's bald eagle population in 2014 was 1,400 nesting pairs, up from about 667 nesting pairs in the early 1990s. Outside of Alaska, Florida has more nesting bald eagles than any other state in the nation.” On my recent outing the workshop leader took us to an American Bald Eagle nest close to a nearby church. Unfortunately, every time the eagles flew I was looking the wrong way and did not get the flight shots I was hoping for. Eagles in Florida seem to prefer tall pines for nest sites. If you have never seen one they can be enormous in size. Eagles pairs often return to the same nest year after year and just keep adding to it. I have seen nests that weigh over a ton. There used to be a nest about three miles from my home but it blew down in a storm a few years ago. Eagles are no longer considered endangered in Florida but they still are protected. During nesting season which runs from October to mid-May, there are restrictions on how close one can approach the nests. Building by humans is also restricted around known nesting sites which the birds re-use from year to year. This church wanted to expand its parking lot but the eagle’s nest site prohibited that. This particular nest had two recently hatched eaglets which could barely be seen poking their fuzzy heads up over the rim of the nest. One of the adult pair usually stands guard immediately over the nest while the other does the hunting for food. They share duties in the care and feeding of the young. This particular pair brought in fish and fowl to feed the young. Hope you enjoy this eagle visit as much as I did.
As I progress in my years I think more often of this passage in Isaiah..” But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
The Eagle has landed...American Bald Eagle takes it post..
An American Bald Eagle female standing vigil near the nest. Females are usually a bit larger than their male counterparts.
Florida Bald Eagle nest in a pine tree..two small fuzzy eaglet heads can barely be seen peeking up over the rim..
Bet we are having fish for breakfast lil brother..close up crop of newly hatched eaglets..
Hey...what ya want for breakfast...fish or fowl?
Both parents share in the care and feeding and protection of the eaglets.
Relieve the watch..one eagle relieves the other of the nest watch..the female is slightly larger than the male
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
