Sunday, July 18, 2010

My Sunday morning birding

My Sunday birding consisted of waking hubby early and driving to Elkton, Maryland to see a Sandhill Crane. Sandhill Cranes are not common birds seen in Maryland. So when one appeared here I felt I had to go and see it. My first time seeing the Sandhill Crane was during my Yellowstone vacation a few years ago.




















Sandhill Crane

















After watching the Sandhill Crane for awhile and talking to a few other birders who also came to see the Crane we drove a little south to HarvedeGrace, Md. There is a nice waterfront boardwalk with some beautiful views of the water and the boats. It was a very hot morning and we didn't stay out too long. Long enough to see some cute baby Mallards. I was surprised to see the babies so small at this time. We also heard and watched a few Song Sparrows. They didn't seem to mind the heat.  Further along the boardwalk I spotted two yellow warblers chasing each other into a nearby tree. Perfect yellow bird for my Mellow Yellow Monday entry.  I also took a couple shots of some pretty daylilies and a yellow Swallowtail butterfly.


Tiger Swallowtail



















Cute baby mallard ducks



















Pretty female yellow warbler







I am linking up my post with Mary the host of  Mosaic Monday

and

Drowsey Monkey at Mellow Yellow Monday

Click on my links to visit these fun memes and thanks to the great hosts and for stopping by my blog.
Have a great week!

35 comments:

Lenore said...

Sounds like an absolutely wonderful day...the Sandhill Crane and all the other lovely critters.

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

Such beautiful photos!!! The wildlife is so beautiful!!!

Vee said...

Such a lovely mosaic... I know nothing about cranes, but warblers...I've never been able to capture one with my camera so I'm in awe. I love the warbler's song.

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

Sounds like you had a very good day.The pictures are proof of that.
Blessings,Ruth

Snap said...

Looks like a wonderful day. When we lived in New Mexico, we went to the Bosque del Apache each year around Thanksgiving to see the sandhill cranes. Such magnificent birds. Thanks for the memories!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Beautiful photos as alwasy, Eileen. We often passed Harve de Grace when driving to Washigtion DC but never had the opportunity to stop. Hopefully next time we make a trip we will see this area as I love to observe birds.

Traci said...

Love seeing your bird "captures"! Lovely mosaic - always click to see it larger!

A Garden of Threads said...

Absolute wonderful to find all those birds on one outing. Have a wonderful week and take care.

Anonymous said...

I was wondering if you would post a picture of the lighthouse at Havre de Grace. I'm happy that you did. It's been a long time since I saw that lighthouse.

Carol said...

Such beautiful shots! Love the wildlife mosaics!

Mary said...

Thank you for sharing your beautiful bird and butterfly mosaic!Have a nice week, Mary

Journey said...

I love the yellow warbler!! Very nice photos!

xinex said...

How beautiful! It's similar what I used to see in Fl. Your mosaics are lovely!...Christien

jabblog said...

The Sandhill Crane is a magnificent, elegant bird - no wonder you were keen to see and photograph it.

B i r g i t t a said...

I pic the warbler as my favourite - hope it sings well :)

http://foto.rudenius.se/post/2010/07/19/Blue-Yellow-Mellow-Monday.aspx

Irene said...

Must have been a great day ... so many beautiful pictures from it!

Happy Monday Eileen!

Irene

A Bit of the Blarney said...

Lovely picture!!! Your pics of the butterflies are so pretty! Have a grand day! Cathy

diane b said...

The baby ducks are so cute. I realise how good you are to get photos of birds, after I tried to capture a Spinebill in my garden

Animor said...

Those are great photos, love looking the baby ducklings.

black eyed susans kitchen said...

Beautiful pictures....loved the baby ducks!

Susan said...

Your photos are beautiful and delightful. I love the Sandhill Crane. What a great few shots you got of him. Lovely blog, as well.

Peace and good health,
Susan

Gayle said...

Your Sunday excursion yielded lots of photo opportunities! I like the butterfly, since I don't often get to see any. Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

EG CameraGirl said...

Well, I am jealous! I would LOVE to see a sandhill crane. :)

Gardening in a Sandbox said...

Your day turned out to be full of wonderful creatures to capture with your camera. Thanks for sharing them

My name is Riet said...

Beautiful pictures Eilkeen and I like the mosaics. Have a great week.

Ma.links said...

Great captures. Love the butterfly.

Mary said...

Wow, that Sandhill Crane is so cool! I'm not really a birder, but I love to watch the birds in my own backyard, and see the occasional unusual bird... thanks for sharing your lovely morning at MM. :)

Eden said...

It is a beautiful place. I the butterfly and the baby ducks. Great shots.

LadyNoor said...

Those baby ducks are just adorable!!! And I love how the pretty yellow warbler looks like she's hiding between the leaves. Beautiful captures.

Elaine said...

You saw a nice variety of birds despite the heat. Sandhills are always impressive, and the yellow warbler is so cute. What an extreme of sizes.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

your collage with the light house in the middle is very nice. I like the mallard ducklings too. A reminder of my teen aged years when I had to feed them. (Not as pets though)

Phil Slade said...

Another great day out Eileen, and I love that collage. Yellow Warblers are cool guys with those reddy streaks.

NatureFootstep said...

the white birds in my "swanlake" are all mute swans. Then there are some ducks and gulls. But that was only half of them. .)

George said...

I like the mosaics you've created from this outing. All of the pictures are wonderful.

Kilauea Poetry said...

These are pretty- your mosaics are terrific as usual and I especially love the little yellow warbler and the butterfly in the pink flowers!! Well hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow Eileen-

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