Sunday, February 19, 2012

GBBC & a hike in the neighborhood

I am linking up my post with Mosaic Monday and  Our World Tuesday

This weekend I have been participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count . It is a joint project with Cornell and Audubon and could be called a Citizen's Science project. Yesterday and today I took fifteen minutes of my day to count the birds in my backyard. Yesterday the bird with my highest count was seeing 31 Turkey Vultures and today the bird with the highest count of 22 was the American Goldfinch.


Two of my regular backyard birds in the mosaic above were the Pine Warbler and the male Downy Woodpecker.

 A male Downy Woodie on my pergola.



It turned out to be a great day..... the so called forecast of snow missed us and stayed south.  So, hubby and I decided to drive around our lake and take a hike on another trail. We parked for a bit near the dam to take a look and some photos. Other shots in the mosaic besides the bridge going over the dam, my Goldie Girl, a neat looking snake like vine, some cool looking fungi, the reservoir and a Golden Crowned Kinglet. While hiking on the trail near the lake we again spooked off some Common Merganser and saw a huge flock of Canada Geese way on the other side of the lake.


I liked the reflection of the bridge going over the dam. It will be nice to start seeing all these trees turning green once again.


Some cool looking fungi, almost heart shaped.

Goldie Girl is a great hiker. 



To see more wonderful photos and mosaics please visit with Mary @ Mosaic Monday  and Our World Tuesday.  Thanks to Mary for hosting Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group at Our World Tuesday: Arija, Lady Fi, Gattina, Sylvia and Sandy.  Thanks, also for stopping by to see my post, I wish everyone a great week ahead.


I am still protesting the horrible Word Verification that blogger is now using. My eyes are going batty.

65 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

amen to the anti-word verification message!!!

i just LOVE that beautiful pine warbler. and your sweet goldie girl, of course!

Rohrerbot said...

Excellent shot of the Pine Warbler. That is one beautiful bird. I like bird count of yours...

Bruce Clark said...

Love your collage of bird photos.

Anonymous said...

Wow, 31 Turkey Vultures! Love the reflections in the water under the bridge, and like you, I can't wait for all the trees to start blooming and turn green. What lake is this?

ellen b. said...

Oh how I love birds and walks! I really enjoyed your mosaics. Good for you for taking part in the bird count! BTW: Good eye in seeing all those Beanie Babies. Katie sorted through them and kept a very few and gave the rest away. Several went to Africa for a project a church was doing..

Snap said...

We've had rain all weekend ... bad for the bird count. Enjoyed seeing your feathered friends and always enjoy seeing Goldie.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Hi Eileen
Impressive data for the bird count; I like the unusual fungi too.
Thank heavens I'm not the only one being driven 'round the bend by the crazy 2 word verification. It takes me 2-3 tries sometimes to decipher the words.
Judith

My Little Home and Garden said...

Hi, Eileen

I do like seeing photos of birds and the heart-shaped fungi is quite something! That being said, the photo at the top of your blog is positively gripping! Wow!

-Karen

SquirrelQueen said...

The little Pine Warbler is so cute. You always have the most interesting birds in your back yard.

I'm with you on the new word verification, it is almost impossible to read.

Linda said...

I agree with the anti-word verification rant! I checked mine to be absolutely sure it doesn't show up - I didn't intend it to!

These photos made me SO jealous! We have a downy that comes sometimes, but I have never been able to get a good photo of him. Wonderful shots! Have a great evening!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I love your birds and the bridge with the reflection is awesome! Can I put the NO word verification button on my sidebar? Thanks! ♥

Carol said...

Looks like a beautiful day and a terrific walk. I always enjoy your pictures Eileen! Have a great week.

black eyed susans kitchen said...

Wonderful photos...looks like a great walk in the woods.

Mary said...

What fun taking part in the bird count! We saw a red tailed hawk and two bluebirds while out walking today. :) Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures! xoxo

Shelley said...

Loved your selection of photos! The downy woodpecker and your goldie girl were my favorites! :-)

Pondside said...

Wow - that's a lot of Turkey Vultures! We see that many after the Salmon run - they are so spooky looking!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Eileen, Good for you in participating in the GBBC... I have never done it --but I had plenty of birds around this weekend.

As you know, we had snow today --and it was so pretty. We just haven't had much winter at all this year --so this little snow (only about 2 inches) was neat!!!!

Glad you took a walk. We have been doing that alot lately..

Hugs,
Betsy

Elaine said...

Lovely mosaics! That bridge reflection shot is gorgeous.

Gillian Olson said...

Always nice to see Goldie Girl and that little Downy is splendid. That fungus is a very interesting shape.

rainfield61 said...

Your blog is full of happy bird.

And free of troublesome word verification.

I have removed mine too.

Lorrie said...

Love the calm water by the dam. So tranquil. And that goldfinch - beautiful.

Anonymous said...

That vine encircling the tree truck does resemble a snake! I liked all of your pictures. I especially liked seeing Goldie Girl. She is such a beautiful dog.

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

Love that little goldfinch! When my son came to the house the other day he said, "Mom you have a ton of deer tracks out here, you should get a cam photo". I told him about yours and your fun birds. I should do that. I thought that was a real snake in that tree. UGH! Love the dam photo. Yes, can't wait for green!
Hugs,
Jann

grammie g said...

Hi Eileen...Love that bridge...
Nice photos of the birdie and your Goldie Girl is sweet!!
Good counts going on to!
I was disappointed because Friday and Saturday I was commited and started today..why is it when I have time to count the birds aren't there, but I didn't get skunked..at the end of the day 2 Red Tailed Hawks where circling and calling to each other or should I say screeching lol..
Grace

betchai said...

oh, those are beautiful backyard visitors, you are lucky to always be visited by these beautiful creatures.

Cherry said...

that yellow bird stands out!

Nancy said...

Thanks for speaking out against the new eye-straining word verification on blogger. I have been complaining on every blog that uses it. I usually get it wrong the first time. It is just not worth going through that to leave a comment.

Phil Slade said...

I love those little Downy's Eileen. What a great bird to have as a regular at the window.

Mary said...

I love seeing those little gold finches~ we don't see them in the winter visiting though! Love your bridge reflection~ I'm anxious to see the green again too :)

Caroline Gill said...

That Golden-crowned Kinglet is exquisite! I'm glad your bird count went well. Thank you for your kind comments on my blog.

Gardening in a Sandbox said...

Wonderful photos. On a stroll through the woods there is always something to see. The vine snake was believable from a distance. Loved the bridge. Goldie Girl looks like she loves the outdoors. V

EG CameraGirl said...

Lucky you that the snow missed you! I'm constantly amazed at the birds in your yard. The turkey vultures I can live without though. :))

Roan said...

I love the mosaics. We've posted some similar pictures, dogs, lichen. Love the word verification message, too.

LindyLouMac said...

A lovely post today. I am behind you all the way with the word verification issues and have been having a terrible time with it on my photography blog!
Apologies for not calling by to comment very often, time just seems to get swallowed up by real life at present!

Anonymous said...

I loved seeing your bird mosaic. We saw a Goldfinch at our feeders the other day. That is a rare sight here, during winter.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful bridge & dam, Eileen, & reflection, too! =)

Cuby said...

These photos of birds and dam, funghi and Goldie Girl all add to a lovely, interesting post.

Anonymous said...

My eyes are going batty too!

Love all these dreamy shots.

CameraCruise said...

Beautiful photos, love all of them!
And like you, my eyes are going batty too!
Have a great day.
Mette

Gaelyn said...

I counted this weekend too for the first time and it was fun. My highest count everyday was the Gambel quail.

Interesting fungi. Nice to get out for a local walk. I've been so lazy this winter.

I too hate this new word verification. But as soon as I took it off I got spammed.

Unknown said...

Good sequence and Goldie Girl is a beauty!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Sylvia K said...

Gorgeous captures for the day, Eileen! I do love the birds! Wonderful bridge and terrific reflections! Goldie Girl looks like a great companion! Hope you both have a wonderful week! And, yes, my eyes are going batty, too! Ridiculous!

Sylvia

Anna said...

Great captures Eileen!
I love the variation of it.
Greetings from Holland,
Anna :-))

Anonymous said...

Hi Eileen, Gee, what a gorgeous dog you have! Good to hear that she is a good hiking companion for you. I sure do like that picture of the snake-like vine - it really does look like a snake. Have a super nice evening tonight and a most pleasant day tomorrow!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Eileen, that vine did look like a snake! It would ahve stopped me in my tracks with fear!

It is so nice that you take part in the bird count every year, especially since you live in such a fabulous birding area and know the names of so many species.

Your Goldie Girl looks like a eager companion for your walks... you are fortunate to have her go along.

Carver said...

I enjoyed the shots of the birds and bridge and what a beautiful dog too. Great sequence from your world.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

You had a wonderful Bird Count! And a beautiful hike there too. Loved every picture.

Totally agree about the horrible word verification thing. (Can't read them, even with my new eyes.)

Barb said...

Hi Eileen, What a great group of photos today from your world. Goldie Girl is just beautiful (my own Golden Girl has been gone 7 years and is still missed). I can't believe you saw 31 Turkey Vultures! I wonder what was enticing them? I am also having much trouble with the anti spam.

Jen Sanford said...

Haha I hate word verification! And I love your Pine Warblers! All in all, a perfect post.

Indrani said...

Lovely mosaic creation. Great pictures put together.

Al said...

Great shots, Eileen.

You're braver than me getting rid of the anti-spam words. When I've done that I've had real trouble with spam, some of which led to sites with malware. But I agree that the new word verification is much harder to get through.

Rajesh said...

Beautiful shots from nature. Those birds are beautiful.

Kathie Brown said...

Eileen, you did good! Congrats and thanks for participating in the GBBC! Love your pics! I would love to have a pine warbler visit my feeders! And I, too, am tired of the naked trees! I am ready for them to put on their springtime best! Happy Birding!

Oh, and I hate word verification also! I hope they come up with something better. I don't use it at all on my blog. I am so glad you are word verification free!

Ebie said...

Hi Eileen, how lucky of you to have these frequent visitors. What a delight to see them alight anywhere! Lucky if I see one!

Your dam is so huge!

Teacup-In-The-Garden said...

Love your bird-images!
Markus

Anonymous said...

great shots, looks like you had a couple good hikes, thanks for sharing...

Living In Williamsburg Virginia said...

Beautiful birds; great bridge reflection; amazing fungi; and sweet puppy. What more could you ask for in a post?

Darryl and Ruth :)

NatureFootstep said...

you saw a little Golden Crowned Kinglet. They are so gorgeous. We have them but rarely see them. Sometimes I think I hear them but am not sure. Nice shots Eileen.

Mary Howell Cromer said...

I feel like I just took a delightful walk with you all and Goldie and it was wonderful;)

Joe Todd said...

Looks like we both went for a hike. Great photos. Spring is just around the corner

Jill Harrison said...

Your garden must be so amazing! All those birds! beautiful!
Have a wonderful week, and thank you so much for stopping by my blog to say hi and comment.

DeniseinVA said...

Another great series of nature photos Eileen. And well done on the bird count. I also don't like the word verification, and have the same button on my blog.

Carole said...

You live in a fabulous neighborhood! I love your photos. And thank you for banning Captcha. It has stopped me from commenting on many blogs. I never had it on my blog and am borrowing your icon to advertise that my blog is Word Verification free. Thank You!

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

Lovely collection of shots!

jeanlivingsimple said...

Eileen, You had a pretty good count considering not getting any snow.
I love the Downy because I don't have visiting my feeders/yard...and I miss them!

Happy Monday!

  Wishing everyone a great day and a ha ppy new week! "It's never too late - never too late to start over, never too late to be hap...