Blackwater skies

Linking up with Skywatch Friday 

These cold winter weeks seem to be flying by as usual.. We are having snow showers off and on, sometimes every day.   This is one winter I will not forget. I will remember the Arctic Vortex, the snowfall has to be one of the largest in years and record breaking lows day after day. Please bring on the heat, Bermuda high, anything that will warm us up.

 The sunrise sky on the way to Blackwater.. I like the layers of clouds and colors.

 A pretty sky at Blackwater NWR. The name Blackwater comes from the tea-colored waters of local rivers darkened from water that drains thru peat soil marshes.

 Blackwater NWR has 27,000 acres of freshwater impoundments and brackish tidal wetlands. Blackwater is host to three recovering species, the endangered Delmarva Squirrel, the delisted Peregrine Falcon and the delisted Bald Eagle.

 I know this looks like a photo I used on a post below but it is not.. The Juvenile Eagles were flying this way and that way. And I was trying to follow them with my camera, not the best I was happy with the shot above.

 Blackwater NWR is known as as waterfowl sanctuary for birds migrating along the Atlantic flyway. The large flocks of Snow Geese and Canada Geese were all over the Blackwater NWR and on the eastern shore of Maryland.


Thank you for visiting my post, I hope you enjoyed my birds and skies. Please stop back and join in with my Saturday's Critter party.

To see more pretty skies from around the world please visit  Skywatch Friday

Thanks to Sylvia, Yogi  and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday!   I wish everyone a safe and happy long weekend.

Bald Eagle

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

I wanted to share more of the adult and juvenile Bald Eagle photos from our trip to Blackwater NWR.

On the closeup you can see some white close to the beak and on the top of its head.

The is the juvenile Bald Eagle I shared on my previous post. And the same bird as in the photo above. I was told it maybe be a third year juvenile Bald Eagle.

The shots are above are my zoom in shots of this Bald Eagle perched in the tree.

Juvenile Bald Eagle and a Red-tailed Hawk. From the visitor center parking lot I was able to watch this juvenile Bald Eagle chasing this Red-tailed Hawk. It was quite the chase! The hawk gave up and went into hiding..From my photo I could see the dark area on the tail and wings..

 To id the hawk I had to crop the larger shot above and now you can make out the brownish belly band on the Red-tailed Hawk.

The Blackwater NWR does not disappoint  if you want to see a Bald Eagle.. The day before we were there a Golden Eagle was sighted..Also great news on the Blackwater Eagle's nest the day we were there one of the eggs hatched. And as of today two eaglets are in the nest...Here is a link to the cam: Friends of Blackwater_Eagle Cam


Thanks for stopping by my post and for all the nice comments.

Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.  Thanks to our host Michelle our host Stewart.  Happy Birding and have a wonderful week!

Birding is Fun

February 24, 2014

Today my post for February is up click here for my Eileen's Birding is Fun  I would love if you could visit me there. Just click on the link above.

My post for  Birding is Fun is a review on my Great Backyard Bird Count. I shared some of the birds I counted and the link information on the GBBC.

Thank you and I always appreciate your comments.

EileeninMd

Blackwater NWR, Cambridge Md

  I am linking up with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday 

 On Saturday, hubby and I took a daytrip to Blackwater NWR in Cambridge, Md.  It is a nice drive thru rural areas of  Maryland's Eastern Shore.

A closeup of the juvenile Bald Eagle, Adult Bald Eagle and a juvie Bald Eagle in flight.

A pretty scenic shot of Blackwater National Wildlife refuge. In the distance you can see some of the diamonds glittering in the water.

A flock of White Pelicans with some swans, a scenic shot of Blackwater NWR, Tundra Swan with Northern Pintail ducks and Canada Geese.

 Snow Geese in flight and a view of the distant Blackwater NWR visitor center and the the Snow Geese.

 It was cool to see the Sow Geese lift off the ground, they moved just a bit.

 Two Northern Shovelers, Tundra Swans and a few Common Mergansers. I just love the green, white and rusty colors on the Shoveler. A very pretty duck.

A couple of pretty Great Blue Herons..

We had a great morning and afternoon, driving the wildlife drive three times.  Seeing different sights and birds along the way.. On the way home along Rt 50 we found a new place for our Maryland Crabcakes..the Harris Crab House at Kent Narrows.. DELICIOUS..

We have one more day of sunshine and warm weather and then the forecast is calling for more of the Artic Vortex and snow.....will this winter ever end? I hope everyone has enjoyed their weekend..

Thanks for visiting my blog. 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.  I wish everyone a happy week ahead!

Saturday's Critters #12

Saturday's Critters #12

These are some more of my yardbirds that showed up to be counted last weekend for my GBBC- the Great Backyard Bird Count. Lately our electric blinks or goes out for awhile so I created this post early. The weather forecasters are calling for rain and heavy winds on Friday..which could mean our electric goes out and stays out..I hope it doesn't but just in case I wanted to schedule this post for my critter party on Saturday.. If you do not see me commenting..you will know why..

Update..Looks like the storm passed by with no damage..I may still be away from the computer for awhile today..but I will catch up with comments and visits.

Blue Jay with a mouthful.

American Goldfinch..poor thing..looking up and is thinking snow again..REALLY.

Carolina Wren..I've been seeing two of these cuties hanging around my deck..I think they already claimed one of my birdhouses as their own..

Tufted Titmouse, they are having fun chasing each around the yard..

Song Sparrow stopped by for the count along with the White-throated Sparrows and some House Sparrows.

Thank you in advance for linking up  and joining in on Saturday's Critters.. I always appreciate the visit and comments..

An InLinkz Link-up

To see more beautiful birds and cute critters

Also please visit:  I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the gracious host: Anni of I'd Rather-B-birdin. Also, sharing with Camera Critters. Thanks to Misty for hosting.

 Thanks for stopping by and  I wish everyone a happy weekend.

A few Woodpeckers

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes



It is not often that I get to see the Hairy Woodpecker at my feeders. I think this cold weather and snow has brought this female Hairy Woodpecker to my suet feeder.  I could tell right away that this woodie was the Hairy and not a Downy woodpecker.. The size is larger, the head is larger and the bill is longer and thicker.

One the left is the Hairy and on the  top right a male Downy and bottom right is the female Downy.

Above is the male Downy and on the right is the Hairy Woodpecker. I was trying to get a shot showing the bill. But, the Downy was not cooperating. I think the photos above do show the head size and the overall size of these two woodies.

I've been thrilled to see the female Hairy each day for the past 4 or 5 days of my GBBC.



The woodpecker is one of my favorite birds, I am lucky to see these two woodies, along with the Redbellied woodpecker, the  Northern Flicker, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and the larger Pileated Woodpeckers in my yard and neighborhood.


Thanks for stopping by my post and for all the nice comments.

Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.  Thanks to our host Michelle our host Stewart.  Happy Birding and have a wonderful week!

Around the yard_ Feb16

  I am linking up with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday 

The Great Backyard Bird Count is happening from Feb 14-17. I have been participating in this count for years now.  It is easy to take a few minutes and count the birds you see in your yard, favorite park or preserve. It is  joint project sponsored by the Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The GBBC  has also gone global click here for info on how to get started http://gbbc.birdcount.org/get-started/


It just so happened Feb 14 was just one day after one of the biggest snow storms we have had in a few years..I am sharing some photos of my yard, neighborhood and the birds I counted for the GBBC.

After spending a few days in the house due to the bad weather I had a case of cabin fever. I had to take a walk down the road to check out the snow in our neighborhood

My deck.... these photos were taken 5 days apart.

Our neighbor's dog Marlow comes to visit Goldie Girl.. Marlow has so much energy.  He is a young pup compared to my Goldie Girl.

Above are some of the birds I counted for my Great Backyard Bird Count..top row is a Hairy woodpecker with a Cardinal, two Goldfinches with a Mourning Dove and a female Cardinal. Middle row is a male Cardinal, male Redbellied Woodpecker and a White-Throated Sparrow. Bottom row is a White-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin and a male Downy Woodpecker.

So this has been my world this week..a major snow event and participating in the GBBC a citizen project. I hope you enjoyed my post..does any need any snow?? I have plenty here..

Thanks for visiting my blog. 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.  I wish everyone a happy week ahead!

Saturday's Critters #11

Hello, I am happy to see some new blogging friends linking up with my Saturday Critter party..  I do appreciate all my blogging friends.  If you have a critter post new or old, I hope you will link up and join in on the fun.

February 14-17 is the Great Backyard Bird Count.. It is a Citizen Science Project organized by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. If you are interested in counting your birds and reporting the numbers of birds here is the link and more info  gbbc.birdcount.org . It is fun to do and fairly easy. I have been participating for years now.

My yard has been very active with the Cardinals, how many do you see? Also seen in the photo are some WT Sparrows and the Dark-eyed Juncos.

I will be doing my count in my backyard, even though you can count just about anywhere there are birds. In the shot above are the male Cardinal, female Cardinal and a Carolina Chickadee.

I sprinkle bird seed along the deck railing and throw some down on the deck for the ground feeder birds. If you look closely and even enlarge the photo you will see more birds along the railing. They in the tree, on the deck and feeders.

Above on the far left is a Junco, Sparrow, Cardinal and a few more House Sparrows and a White-throated Sparrow. Thank you for joining my Saturday's Critters and I hope you enjoyed my post.

An InLinkz Link-up

To see more beautiful birds and cute critters

Also please visit:  I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the gracious host: Anni of I'd Rather-B-birdin. Also, sharing with Camera Critters. Thanks to Misty for hosting.

 Thanks for stopping by and  I wish everyone a happy weekend.

Snow, Snow and more Snow

Linking up with Skywatch Friday 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!! 

Lately we seem to be having some kind of weather event, whether it be snow or freezing rain. Our temperatures have been very cold and whatever snow we had first never had a chance to melt. As I type this post it is snowing once again and we have about 10 inches of new snow from overnight.  These shots are from last week's ice storm..

A frosty winter wonderland.

Our street, the pine trees lost a lot of branches from the ice storm. On this day I had to stay home from work, the roads were icy and there were trees across the road every couple of feet.

Hubby's shot of our lake.

A closeup of the moon

Blue Jay on our icy weeping cherry tree. The birds do not seem to mind the cold weather. I have been keeping the feeder full and water in my heated birdbath.

Hubby's shot of some Canada Geese on our lake.

Another section of the lake, mostly frozen..


Thank you for visiting my post, I hope you enjoyed my birds and skies. Please stop back for Saturday's Critters. My post will be on the Great Backyard Bird Count.

To see more pretty skies from around the world please visit  Skywatch Friday
and to see more of the winged critters check out NF Winged

Thanks to Sylvia, Yogi  and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday! Thanks to Monica the host of NF Winged.   I wish everyone a safe and happy long weekend.

Jays,Crows & Kin

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes


I am diving into my archives for this post which includes the Jays and Kin in the Corvidae family..Some photos of the Blue Jay are from my backyard and other shots are from my travels.

The two shots above are from my backyard. The Blue Jay is a regular year round visitor in  my yard.  It loves peanuts in and out of the shell. They are loud and always announce their presence on my deck. They are able to imitate a hawk sound so well it really fools me and my little birds.

The Stellar Jay was a common sight during our Washington State travels.. It has a sooty black head and crest, blue wings and tail.

Sorry, for the quality of this shot above but it is the only one I could find of the Gray Jay I was while traveling around Wyoming and Montana.  I need to do some checking on my back up files for a better shot of the Gray Jay. It is a beautiful bird, it is dark gray above and pale gray below. This Jay does NOT have a crest.

The Clark's Nutcracker was seen at Bryce National Park. This bird has a long bill, gray body with black wings.

 And the (Corvidae) Corvid family also includes the following

 The Common Raven has a heavy bill, long wings and tail. The Raven seems to be a more common sight in the western part of the USA.

These Ravens were seen in the Bryce Nat'l Park in Utah.

The Black-billed Magpie was a common bird seen in Yellowstone Nat'l Park. They were usually hanging around the parking lots. They have a black head and breast, white belly and an elegant long tail.

 The Corvid family includes a list of Crows. Above is the American Crow seen in my backyard. The American Crow is overall black, also has a heavy bill, broad wings shorter than the Raven. Somewhere I may have a shot of the Fish Crow seen during my travels.. I wish I had labeled my older photos, to save a lot of searching. 

I am missing a few or more Jays for my lifer list.. Some day it will be nice to see some of the other Jays like the: Brown Jay, Pinyon Jay, Mexican Jay and my favorite the Green Jay.  There are also three Scrub Jays: the Western Scrub Jay, Island Scrub Jay and one I have seen the Florida Scrub Jay. Did you know there were so many Jays?

Thanks for stopping by my post and for all the nice comments.

Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.  Thanks to our host Michelle our host Stewart.  Happy Birding and have a wonderful week!