Thursday, December 3, 2009

Bombay Hook and Skywatch and a Northern Harrier

        I cropped My Northern Harrier pic which is shown in full at the bottom of this post. To see more birds you can visit the The Ark







Last weekend my hubby and I spend a day birding at some of Delaware beaches and at Bombay Hook Wildlife Refuge. We stayed at Bombay Hook until the sun was setting and to me it looked beautiful. We pulled the car over at the pond called Shearness Pool to do our skywatching. On the left side of the road we saw pretty colors on the horizon and the moon. One the right side we watched the sun setting as flocks and flocks of geese flew over.






We also saw a lot of Northern Pintails


This wasn't a lifer, but it was my best bird sighting of the day. We watched this Northern Harrier flying at eye level right next to our car.


To see more great Skywatch photos from all around go to Skywatch Friday

Thanks for stopping by my blog to see my Skywatch photos. Also thanks to the hosting team of Sylvia, Sandy, Wren Klaus, Fishing Guy and Louise.

70 comments:

VioletSky said...

Always exciting to get something like a Harrier flying at eye level!
I love how the sky is completely different colours on either side of the pond.

Diane AZ said...

I love the geese in the water at sunset and the Northern Harrier in flight is awesome!

Julie said...

What is a "lifer"? Something you see for the first time?

You have such delicate pastels in your sky photographs. I am so so envious.

Xavi said...

Hi Eileen,
I'm always surprised with good pictures.
My favorites are the third and fourth.
Have a great weekend!

Guy D said...

Brilliant photography as always Eileen, I adore your work.

All the best
Guy
Regina In Pictures

Al said...

As usual nice photos of the sky Eileen! Was that the moon? It just looks like a little hole in the sky.

AL

Sylvia K said...

What a fabulous collection of breathtaking captures, Eileen! Love the geese and the lovely colors of the skies! Wonderful!

Have a great weekend!

Sylvia

eden said...

Hi Eillen,

Beautiful series of photos and the 4th one is my favoruite.

Have a good weekend

Samson said...

Lovely captures Eileen, 4th one is amazing

Have a Great Weekend
Samson

Ray of Hope

Quiet Paths said...

Such delicate layers of colors and a serene sunset. Beautiful shots.

Janie said...

Great picture of the harrier, and beautiful skies at sunset. Birds and lovely sunset - what could be better?

Carver said...

These are all wonderful shots. Beautiful sky, land and water scapes and great bird shots.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for these peacefull photographies.

A wonderful Friday for you all.

clairz said...

Eileen, I always like your photos, such wonderful soft colors! Thank you for sharing, and for visiting my blog.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Great pictures. I love them all. The first four for the varied colors and the one with the bird flying low and fast.

Kim, USA said...

Hi Eileen, as always you have a great pictures. I could see the moon here ^_^

My SkyWatchFriday-Sunset

Ebie said...

Hi Eileen, the soft colors in pastels are so gorgeous!

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Nice series! I think the 3rd and 4th are my favorites, but the last one is awesome of the bird.

Johnny Nutcase said...

Looks like a fun day! Pretty photos! My husband used to work at Bombay Hook and raves about - i see why ! (i've never been) Thanks for the photos

Unknown said...

excellent shots. the pastels and the warm orange skies are fabulous.

marianne said...

beautiful photos- and very nice shot of the harrier-

~Cheryl said...

Absolutely wonderful photos! Great sky watching!

Victoria Tsavdaridou said...

Nice photos, as always, I like more the last one with the geese!!! Thanks for sharing. I appreciate your comments, Happy SWF

Kilauea Poetry said...

I'd be stoked to get a shot- like that bird in flight! Talk about a tranquil setting with such beautiful pastel shades! Great submission and it's terrific you could do this- have a great weekend-

Sally in WA said...

Beautiful set of photos!

Bacolod and Beyond said...

beautiful pictures, birds following each other, they look great.

lazyclick said...

Nice view of the sky.

Gunilla said...

Great shot of all that beautiful skies.
Fantastic color.
All likes the 4th one and so so I.
Have a nice day and a lovely weekend
Gunilla

elvira pajarola said...

Ohhhh, the first TWO Pics are absolutely
WONDERFUL!!!!!!
VERY, very soft and splendid place!
have a great weekend!
ciao
elvira

antigoni said...

Amazing photos!

Joe Todd said...

Had to be thrilling to get photo of
Northern Harrier Have a great day

Dewdrop said...

Magnificent softness in all your shots. I love days like that, so tranquil. Great shot of the harrier.

squirrel said...

Nice treat. Harriers are so much fun to watch them hunt. Everytime I visit your blog I long for a return trip to somewhere, this time it is Bombay Hook. Thanks for the remeinder of how beautiful that part of the country is and how much fun birding can be. I assume you are doing a Christmas bird count. Good luck on that.

Elisabeth said...

Love the series and the soft shades. How wonderful to see that Harrier. Very nice shots.

jabblog said...

Glorious shots - well captured! Fabulous!!

Robin said...

I love that second to last shot with the sunset and the birds swimming in silhouette.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Your world is so lovely and peaceful. thank you for sharing.

I hope we get to visit some of your favorite places next spring. Meantime, vicarious visiting is great -- thanks for providing the opportunities.

storyteller at Sacred Ruminations said...

All your photos are lovely but those last two shots take my breath away!
Hugs and blessings,

LV said...

Loved all your pictures. The one with the birds is so neat. Sorry, I am late visiting, but this was great grandson's day. Thank you for visiting my place.

Pam said...

Your photos are so peaceful and relaxing. I could sit and enjoy this view all day.

BTW, you asked about how close I need to get to the possum for catch and release. I find ways to carry and release the possum in which I don't have to get closer than a foot. I don't want to get bitten!

Carletta said...

Lovely shots!
I like the line of geese - beautiful shot!

tanssiva harmaa pantteri said...

It was worth waiting the sunrise. Here in Finland we also have seen the fullmoon the same day!
Nice shots. Thanks for visiting my blog and thanks for your comment.

Debra said...

What a beautiful place for bird watching and photography! The pastel pinks in the sky are so pretty and the warm yellow and orange colors in the other photos are lovely too! That is such a great capture of the bird flying beside your car....very impressive!

kRiZcPEc said...

each of the shots here are great! Thanks for sharing.

Niina said...

Wonderful photos! =) Thank you for visiting me! Greetings from a rainy Sweden and have a happy weekend.

Rajesh said...

Fantastic view. Low flying bird across is very nice.

Kumbalgarh, the Unconquered Fort

Anonymous said...

You really do have a lot of nice photographs on this post. I like the harrier too.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

GreensboroDailyPhoto said...

These pictures are so beautiful and peaceful. I want to be there on this cold, rainy December day we are having today. As a birder, you will get a kick out of today's photo on Greensboro Daily Photo!

Jan
Mrs. GDP
http://www.greensborodailyphoto.com/2009/12/why-did-the-chicken-cross-the-road.html

Tammy said...

Gorgeous photos! I especially love the third one from the bottom, the glowing sky with the birds in the water... Spectacular.

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

Hi,I'm new to this blog.I have ;looked through your posts and enjoy all the lovely photos.Since I too enjoy nature photography,this is of great interest to me.I will be following your blog and look forward to seeing many more nature pictures.Have a wonderful day.
Blessings,Ruth

shaker said...

peaceful place !

George said...

The pictures you got at sunset are gorgeous. I also like the capture you made of the Northern Harrier.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Eileen: Wonderful shots for SWF, really neat hawks in flight.

Maia T said...

Gorgeous collection of photos and amazing colors. Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Fantastic skies. THe silhouttes of the ducks in the water really adds to the pic...

toby said...

Those are all just lovely!
Thanks for stopping by my blog :)

Müge said...

I'm glad you had such a nice day! I like very much the second and the fifth photos. Have a delightful weekend! :-)

Anonymous said...

Ducks are made for those "bottoms up" photos - I always smile when I see them. But the harrier at eye level, and so close, is indeed the pic of the day.

NicoleB Egypt said...

What a great place to stroll around.
Amazing nature Photos!
Love that Harrier shot! I've never seen a Northern Harrier.
Impressive!

Barb said...

Hi Eileen, Looks like a great place to bird-watch (or just relax and enjoy the skies!) The Harrier flying is wonderful!

mick said...

Nice photos - the evening light is especially beautiful.

NatureFootstep said...

Those harriers are tricky to catch. You got a great imgage there. They are really beautiful when they fly. :)

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

Beautiful photos, Eileen! I especially loved the last one! Happy week...Debbie

Small City Scenes said...

The Northern Harrier is one of my favorite raptors to watch. We have one that resides here.
Great shots. MB

DoanLegacy said...

Such a beautiful series of photos!

Bob Kaufman said...

Lovely shots, Eileen!

CTG Ponies said...

Beautiful photos! The birds are fantastic and the sunset colors are lovely.

Kathie Brown said...

Now I want to go here! This place looks marvelous!

sunnymama said...

Your bird pictures are awesome. Gorgeous skies! :)

Mridula said...

Beautiful sunset. Being from India I am wondering why is the place called Bombay Hook? I mean Bombay is in India :D

Happy Monday!

  Wishing everyone a great day and a ha ppy new week! "Calm is a super power. Don't let stress kill your happiness." "Jud...