Sunday, March 17, 2013

Assateague Island, Maryland

 I am linking up with   Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!




These shots are from last weekend's visit to Assateague Island National Seashore. Hubby and I  enjoyed our weekend away and I took lots of photos.


 Above is a scene from Assateague Island, the Assateague wild ponies, and a couple of Yellow Rump Warblers.


The Yellow Rump warblers were seen all over Assateague Island.




 Above is the larger shot of the Brant Geese.



 Above is a flock of Brant ( which are small geese) , another Yellow Rump Warbler and bottom right is a female Bufflehead.


I am not the best at id-ing gulls but I think this one is a Herring Gull. Larger in size than the Ring-billed Gull.


On the day before we were able to walk out on the boardwalk, on this morning the tide was high and water was up to the parking lot. 


These Ruddy ducks were a distance away so this shot is fuzzy from cropping. They are cute ducks with their stiff and raised tail feathers. The male has a white cheek and a blue bill. The female has a single dark stripe on its cheek.


 Above is a cropped shot of the female Ruddy duck.

Thanks for stopping by and of course I always appreciate your comments. Join in on the fun and for more wonderful photos please visit  Mosaic Monday and more from  Our World Tuesday
 Thanks to our host: Mary our host of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy and Jennifer.  Thanks also for stopping by to see my post.  I wish everyone a happy week!

74 comments:

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Wooooo---glad you could walk out on the boardwalk the day before... Amazing how high the tide can get...

Great pictures of your birdie friends. Does your hubby enjoy birding as much as you do? He's so good to go with you to all of these places.

Love the little warblers.. I had one at my feeder one year during the winter.. That was the only time.. Such pretty little birds.

Hugs,
Betsy

Gail Dixon said...

Looks like a wonderful getaway and a wide assortment of wildlife. The gull shot is fantastic! Like sparrows, there are so many different types it makes it difficult to ID them correctly. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Phil Slade said...

You have so many lovely places to visit Eileen and all of them seem so full of birds and empty of people. Just the sorts of places I like too. Love those Yellow-rumped Warbler pictures but I must say I prefer the old Myrtle Warbler name for such a pretty little bird.

TexWisGirl said...

sweet little butter butts. :) would love to see a ruddy.

Regina said...

Wow how amazing and beautiful!

Hi Eileen. Happy St Patrick's day.
Enjoy and have a great new week.

xo
Regina


Bob Bushell said...

A beautiful day out you had, and a nice selection of birdlife. That is a Herring Gull, well worked out.

Pamela Gordon said...

This looks like a wonderful place to walk and see lots of wildlife. I like the yellow rumped warblers. I don't think we see them here but maybe I've just missed them. The tide is really high there. I wonder why? We are getting snow squalls and sunshine here this afternoon and it's cold and windy! Brrrr. Have a good week Eileen.

Anonymous said...

I love this island! Visited when I was a kid and SO wanted my dad to get me a pony....lol! You have a lovely blog! :)

Suzan said...

What a wonderful get away! Is this the island where they bring the horses over to the mainland once a year the thin out the heard? Very nice.

Celeste said...

What a wonderful, wild place. I had never heard of it so thank you for sharing your visit, it looks beautiful.

Carole M. said...

such a beautiful getaway Eileen; peaceful, scenic. You had it all happening with birdlife as well; nice photos you shared with us

Vee said...

It looks a bit brisk down your way, too. I hadn't realized how many varieties of sea gulls there are until you mentioned it. I only know of the ones who hang out at McDonald's. ☺ Lovely photos, Eileen.

The French Hutch said...

Your weekend getaway last weekend was a beautiful place to enjoy so many natural habitats. I love the water snaps, and the ponies grazing with the water in the background is stunning. Love the ducks floating on the water, one of my favorites! Beautiful as always Eileen.
Love that Irish Blessing!!!!!

Have a great week, wherever you are enjoying nature.
~Emily
The French Hutch

Debbie said...

lot's of really great pictures, eileen, i was surprised to see the wild ponies!!

i wrote down the name of this place, if it's not too far, i would love to visit!!

DIMI said...

Dear Eileen,what a lovely places to visit!Full of beautiful birds!!Love the wild ponies!!Exellent shots and photos! Happy St Patrick's day!!
Have a wonderful weekend!!
Dimi..

Maria said...

Beautiful vistas, you live in a fabulous place!

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Lots of great photos - Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
Thanks for stopping by. I can't take credit for the beautiful glads - bought them at the farmers' market. I have never tried to grow them, myself.
Have a great week!

Leslie's Garden said...

Eileen, what an adventure you're living. And how wonderful that you take us along, too! Loved all your shots, but my favorite is the third shot with the little grassy fingers and the ducks against the pretty blue water. It's a postcard!

Brightcetera said...

You have a very nice life Eileen! Thank you for taking us on your trips. :)
I always enjoy your photos.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Gardening in a Sandbox said...

A yellow rump warbler would be a new bird for me. A lovely little trip for you and your hubby. Valerie

Anonymous said...

Magnificent shots ~ Love the wild ponies and all ~
enjoy ^_^

SquirrelQueen said...

What a beautiful place for a weekend getaway. You got some really great shots of a variety of birds and ducks.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

A Garden of Threads said...

I have never seen yellow rump warbler. Happy St. Patrick's Day and have a wonderful week. Jen

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Gorgeous shots of one of my favorite places we ever visited. Gotta' keep an eye on the tide tables thats for sure!

George said...

It looks as if you had a great time at Assateague Island. You certainly got some marvelous pictures. I'm surprised at how high the tide got on your second day.

Beth said...

Awesome post, Eileen! You have reminded me of the Misty of Chincoteague book about the wild ponies. Thanks for triggering a fond childhood memory.
Hugs, Beth

podso said...

Beautiful photos come from you each week! Thanks!

Clara said...

Hi Eileen!
I love the photo of the duck floating in the water. Thank you for sharing and have a Happy Saint Patrick's Day.
~Clara

orchid0324 said...

Dearest Eileen,
Wow, Assateague Island National Seashore is really wonderful place to visit♡♡♡ Always love to see your gorgeous pictures and thanks for the lovely quote♬♬♬

Sending you lots of love and hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*

Karen said...

Hi Eileen, you got some really great bird shots, I like especially the one of the gull. Birds and water make for great shots. Have a nice week.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Thanks for sharing wildlife that is new to me, I would have been so fascinated to see the wild ponies.
Judith

Lynne said...

Always great photos from you Eileen . . . I really liked the little Yellow Rump Warbler . . . very sweet . . .

Pondside said...

How lovely! It has been many years, but I remember with pleasure many visits to Assateague and to Chincoteague.

Leave It To Davis said...

Wow, much more water and there wouldn't be a beach! Pretty birds.

Kathie Brown said...

I love seeing Assateague Island as I read all the Marguerite Henry books about this place when I was young. Happy St. Patrick's Day to you Eileen!

AVCr8teur said...

It looks like a paradise! It would make me nervous to walk out to the boardwalk not knowing when was high tide.

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

A wonderful place to take time to explore and enjoy. I can imaging the gentle lapping sound of the water by looking at your photos.

Montanagirl said...

I always look forward to visiting your blog, so I can see what you've been taking photos of! I'm never disappointed. You had a nice outing.

betty-NZ said...

Lovely photos, especially the wild horses.

Anonymous said...

Stunning photography :)

Naturegirl said...

Nice peaceful walk and I love the close up of the gull. I see them out on Lake Huron freezing icey water but they sure love it!
Still a bit of snow here and MORE is coming this week.
smiles Anna

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

it is illegal to hunt birds in parks, but the fine doesn't deter people

Anonymous said...

Well, where to start ~ love the wild horses and all the animal shots and well ~ you just create wonderful photos ! Enjoy ^_^

Optimistic Existentialist said...

LOVE the warbler pic!! I hope you had a great St. Patrick's Day Eileen!

Debra at HOMESPUN: http://www.thehomespun.com said...

So many lovely shots here! : )

inge said...

Belated happy saint Patrick's day what a wonderful escape full of interesting wildlife lucky you

Our Neck of the Woods said...

I love the warblers and the geese. So cute! Glad you had a nice time :)

sandy said...

Very lovely photos and interesting information! I had not known there were wild ponies still running around! Looks like you had a fun outing!

Lew said...

Delightful shots of the birds! Does the boardwalk normally get covered at high tide?

EG CameraGirl said...

Beautiful place to birdwatch!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

This is the best time to visit Assateague Island, Eileen, as I know from experience that in summer the mosquitos are horrible there! We were almost eaten alive on a vacation trip to that area and had to leave early. It's a shame, as the views of wildlife are so wonderful! You captured such good shots of all of them.

Sylvia K said...

Wonderful captures as always, Eileen!! I do love the beautiful birds! Looks like you had such a fun trip!! Thanks for sharing it with us!! Hope you have a lovely week ahead! Enjoy!

mick said...

Great photos of a beautiful place. I have read about it but it sure would be lovely to see it.

Jenn Jilks said...

You are a fabulous photographer! I love them all. Joyful seeing open water!!!!
Cheers from Cottage Country!

Rajesh said...

Beautiful shots from the island with such lovely birds.

Anonymous said...

What lovely shots! The picture of the submerged board walk is great and oh, what adorable fuzzy horses.

Ginny Hartzler said...

Wonderful pictures! And though I am a birdwatcher, most of these birds I have not seen. MY, that is a long bill on the Ruddy duck!!!

Ebie said...

I see lots of gulls too, and now I realized, that there are different colors of beaks. Nice to know.

P.S. I joined the Audobon Bird Walk in our area. Birds are hard to photograph!

Arija said...

I bet you enjoyed it!! Such tranquil landscapes and so many wonderful birds, how could one help but enjoy it.

Kusum said...

Lovely collage!

Jill Harrison said...

sometimes weekends away can seem much longer when we are doing something that we enjoy with the one we love. It looks like you have had a wonderful week.
Have a great week Eileen and thank you for stopping by my blog today.

Gattina said...

What a beautiful place ! and fantastic bird pictures !

magiceye said...

Beautifully captured!

Have a lovely day!

Indrani said...

You get wonderful sights to photograph. Very well framed captures.

Unknown said...

Great area!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Zenserly said...

I love the Herring Gull shot so much and that duck swimming looks so content and happy! :) lovely series of inspiring photos...

Nancy said...

Nature is just bursting out where you are Eileen. Beautiful!

jane said...

Love your pictures and your descriptions - what a beautiful little duck the Bufflehead - cute name! - Jane UK

Leovi said...

Wonderful nature photos to celebrate St. Patrick's! Excellent photos!

Rebecca said...

Great series of photos... Love the warbler :)

Diann said...

What gorgeous pictures Eileen! I love the one with the warblers!

Fun60 said...

Looks a fantasic place to spend a weekend surrounded by nature.

Rohrerbot said...

We just found our first gull yesterday here and it was pretty exciting. I'm learning the differences but as with sparrows, gulls can take a bit of time to ID. Tricky some of them! Nice water shots!

Carver said...

Such a beautiful place and you photographed it so well.

Happy Monday!

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