Happy New Year 2013

I want to wish everyone a HEALTHY and HAPPY New years!

 I am linking up with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday.

I believe we will spend our New Year's Eve at home. A quiet evening at home is more my style, I do not like crowds of people and I am not sure about the weather for New Years Eve night.

Above,  I have my pretty Pine Warbler, Goldie Girl on our walk, the woods next to my house, Goldfinches on the sunflower seed feeder, the pine trees on the side on my yard, a Cardinal, a Brown-headed Cowbird and the Pine Warbler with two Pine Siskins.

The large pine trees on the side on my yard offer the birds a safe spot protected from the snow. 

The last two days have been quite different, Saturday was a snowing day. I had fun watching the birds coming and going thru the snow to my feeders. Today is cold and windy but hubby, Goldie Girl and I managed to get out and take a walk on the fireroad.

My pretty Pine Warbler made it thru the snow and was back on my deck this morning.

Again, I wish everyone all the best in 2013! I am looking forward to visiting your blogs and seeing new posts in the year 2013. Happy New Year! 

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

Snow Birds

I am linking up with Camera Critters and I'd-Rather-B-Birdin.

These are my backyard snow birds. Some shots are from the day after Christmas and some from this morning.  Right now we are getting a snow storm it is expected to drop a few more inches on the ground before ending later tonight.

 This is a view from my dining room window. It looks out over the deck and bird feeders.

I love to watch my yardbirds in the snow, they seem to go into a feeding frenzy when it snows.

The two shots above are of the male Cardinal taken the day after Christmas.

 The Pine Warbler this morning before the snow started.

 The piggie Bluejay eating all the peanut suet balls.

Pine Warbler in the snow this morning.

Poor little warbler looks cold with the snow on its back.


 To see more beautiful photos and cute critters please visit:  Camera Critters and I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the host Misty Dawn of Camera Critters and to Anni of I'd Rather-B-birdin.  Thanks for visiting my blog and post. I wish everyone a very safe and happy weekend.

Around the yard IX

It's time to link up with my favorites memes Skywatch Friday and  NF Winged

These are skies over my yard this week. I thought the contrails were cool looking, kind of like X marks the spot over my yard. I enjoy seeing my Goldfinches year round.

A walk to the lake, seeing the diamonds on the water.

For NF Winged I am showing my American Goldfinches.

My vulture sky a common sight to see over my yard.

A pretty view of the moon

X marks the spot.

One of my pretty Goldfinches.

More of the contrails, they could be writing Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays in the sky. These shots of the sky were taken on Dec 23.


To see more beautiful photos and pretty skies please visit Skywatch Friday
and to see more of the winged critters check out NF Winged

Thanks to Sylvia and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday! Thanks to the host of NF Winged.  Also, thank you for stopping by to see my post. I wish everyone a safe and happy weekend.

Dark-Eyed Junco

For this week's post I have the Dark-eyed Junco.

I am linking up my  post with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, this was our first White Christmas in years. In fact this Christmas Eve snow was the more than the whole 1.8 inches we had during the 2011-2012 season.

One of my winter birds, the Dark-eyed Junco. On a snowy day I seem to have even more Junco's in my yard. The male above is slaty gray overall and lores only slightly darker.

From my Oregon vacation this past summer this shot above is of the Oregon Junco,  you can see a difference between the Oregon Junco and my Dark-eyed Junco above. The Oregon Junco has a jet black hood and a brown back.

Back in my yard I have the male and  female which is more brownish in color.

And to throw in even more confusion above is a Gray-headed Junco I saw during a trip to Bryce Canyon in Utah. Definitely a difference seen on the Gray-headed Junco is their Rufous back.


Other Junco's that can be seen are the Pink-sided Junco and there is a Yellow-eyed Junco. It is interesting there are so many versions of the Junco.

To see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.
Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday and thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes.
I wish everyone a happy week ahead and Happy Birding!

Merry Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas, everyone! Linking up with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday.

Some of these photos are from last years visit to Longwood Gardens to see their Christmas display and some are my most recent backyard birds.

My yard birds around the Christmas lights. Merry Christmas from my yard to yours!

 I want to wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas!


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

My neighbors

I am linking up with Camera Critters and I'd-Rather-B-Birdin.

Time sure does fly, it is the Saturday before Christmas and I want to wish everyone a a very Merry Christmas.

I thought for this week's critters post besides my usual backyard birds I would show some of the local critters from around the neighborhood.

 A Pine Siskin and a couple of my Goldfinches.

Some Longhorn cattle

A nearby buffalo farm

Some cute hogs.

A chubby Mourning Dove

A White-Breasted Nuthatch

 To see more beautiful photos and cute critters please visit:  Camera Critters and I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the host Misty Dawn of Camera Critters and to Anni of I'd Rather-B-birdin.  Thanks for visiting my blog and post. I wish everyone a very safe and happy weekend.

Vulture Sky

It's time to link up with my favorites memes Skywatch Friday and  NF Winged

First, I want to wish all my blogger friends and families a very Merry Christmas.

These are some of the late evening Vulture skies around my yard and during our walk at a local park called Soldier's Delight.  I have not had much luck birding or seeing any new birds lately. I do see the vultures every evening heading back into the woods next to my house.

 Lately my skies are Vulture skies

Soldier's Delight is a great place for hiking around the Serpentine grassland, it is compromised of 1900 acres of Serpentine barren. And the Virginia Pines has been an attraction for the White-Winged Crossbills. Was I successful at finding the White-winged Crossbills? The answer is no, so my search continues.

Back at home more of the vultures flying back into the woods for the night.

Sometimes they make loud crashing noises as they land in the woods next to my house.

A view of the sunset from my front yard.

                                         Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Eileen!

To see more beautiful photos and pretty skies please visit Skywatch Friday
and to see more of the winged critters check out NF Winged

Thanks to Sylvia and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday! Thanks to the host of NF Winged.  Also, thank you for stopping by to see my post. I wish everyone a safe and happy weekend.

Yellow Warbler

I am linking up my  post with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

For this week's post from my archives  I am showing the  Yellow Warbler. The Yellow Warbler below is a bird I saw while in Curacao. There is definitely a difference between the Yellow Warbler in Curacao compared to the Yellow Warbler I see here in Maryland during the summer.

 The Curacao Yellow Warbler has a rusty colored spot on its head. The reddish streaks are the same on the Yellow Warbler seen here in the states.

 Above is the back of the Curacao Yellow Warbler, the rusty spot is very obvious.

The warblers are cute birds and I enjoyed seeing the "new" Yellow Warbler during my trip. Thanks for stopping by to see my wild bird.

To see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.
Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday and thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes.
I wish everyone a happy week ahead and Happy Birding!

A walk to the lake

Hello, I am linking up with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday.

My first thought today is to send my prayers to the families of the victims and children involved with the tragedy in Newtown. I have a question also, why did this boy's mother feel the need to have these kinds of weapons in her home?

We are staying close to home today and I am trying a new recipe for Pepper Steak in my crockpot. So, hubby and I took a short walk to the lake in the front of our house. I like to call it my front yard, we only have to cross the street and walk thru the woods to see the lake.

My yardbirds above are the Carolina Chickadee, Redbellied Woodpecker, Goldfinch, White-throated Sparrow, Mourning Dove, Cardinal, Dark-eyed Junco and the White-Breasted Nuthatch. Also, more birds I saw around my yard this morning were the Brown Creeper, Carolina Wren, Pine Warbler, Pine Siskins, Downy Woodpecker, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Bluejays and a flock of piggy Starlings.

And since I am home I am watching my yardbirds, still hoping to see a new bird show up in my yard. A Common Redpoll, Red Crossbill or even a White-winged Crossbill would be very exciting.

 I was checking out the pine cones on our hemlock trees in the yard, they are just waiting for some Crossbills.

 The Cardinal decided to stand tall and proud for his photo.

I was seeing a group of the Dark-eyed Juncos in my yard.

It is always nice to get out of the house for some fresh air and a walk to the lake.

The woods seemed full of these guys above the Carolina Chickadees, I heard some Kinglets, Nuthatches, Cardinals, Titmouse and some Wrens along the trail to the lake.

Back in my yard, the goldfinches were enjoying the feeders.

 The White-throated Sparrows were in the yard, on my deck and on the trail to the lake.

Now, I am just playing around on the computer and watching White Christmas for the umpteen time, feeling a little blah and hoping I am not getting sick.



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

Birding the Cemetery

I am linking up with  Green Day and Camera Critters and I'd-Rather-B-Birdin.

First, I must say my prayers goes out to all the families involved in the Newtown tragedy. It is so sad!

A couple of weeks ago I was on one of my wild goose chases. I was not really looking for wild geese but I was looking for the reported White-winged Crossbills. They are showing up all over Maryland due to this being an irruptive year.

 It happens that the Crossbills were seen in some hemlock trees at the cemetery where my grandparents are buried. So I was actually able to visit my grandparents grave and look for the birds at the same time.

The Crossbills seem to love these hemlock trees.

The reason why they love the trees is because of the seeds from these tiny pine cones.

If the Crossbills were there, they must have been hiding from me. But, I did see a lot of geese. So my wild goose hunt was successful, LOL.

I saw that there were a lot of Canada Geese at the cemetery pond.

I saw a Great Blue heron  was also hanging around the pond.

I saw a lot of gulls flying over the pond.

I saw a  Mockingbird hanging around the Hemlock trees along with a few Cardinals and Bluejays. The Crossbills were not seen but I will continue my quest to see the Crossbills this winter.

 Hubby thinks it is strange I will go birding in a cemetery but I feel really comfortable there. I do not think my Grandparents would mind if I visit them and look for birds at the same time. On this day I actually took my lunch and sat in my car watching and looking for Crossbills on the hemlock trees.




 To see more beautiful photos and cute critters please visit:   Green Day and Camera Critters and I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the gracious host Fiona of Green Day, Misty Dawn of Camera Critters and to Anni of I'd Rather-B-birdin.  Thanks for visiting my blog and post. I wish everyone a very safe and happy weekend.