Saturday, February 1, 2014

Saturday's Critters #9

Saturday's Critters #9

Hello and happy weekend everyone.  It's time for my Saturday's Critter party.  I hope to see you and your critters there too. Do believe that the groundhog can predict the weather for the next 6 weeks?  I am wishing for an early spring and WARM and SUNNY days ahead. For now, I am sharing some snowy and icy scenes from my yard and our lake.


During last week's snow event my yard was a host to a Common Grackle party. At one time there had to be fifty of these piggy blackbirds. They took over every one of my feeders and made a mess.


Their eyes are yellow in color and they have a long tail.


They are not one of my favorite birds but, they do have some lovely colors. Above one head looks blue and the other bird's head looks greenish and I see a little maroon or purple color on the wings. 






The shot above was taken during one of my hubby's daily walks to our lake..He did not even see the deer until I pulled the photo up on the computer.  Poor Bambi did a split on the ice. I believe since he has photos taken in the same area the next day the deer was safe and was able to move off of the frozen lake.



I cropped the photo above, once I saw the deer laying on the ice. This is the original photo. I hope your enjoyed my Grackles and Bambi on ice.





Thanks for joining up for this week's critter party, I appreciate the support, visits and the nice comments.

 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.

70 comments:

DIMI said...

Good morning Eileen!!!What a beautiful bird!!Lovely snowing winter images from your yard!The poor deer!I hope it's safe!Thank you for hosting!Wish you a happy new month and a nice weekend!Hugs!
Dimi...

Anne (cornucopia) said...

Great photos! The stark winter background and snow falling in the foreground makes a nice contrast against these birds. I'm not a big fan of them, either, but they look beautiful in these shots! I'm glad to hear the deer was okay.

katerchen said...

schlimm wie die Tiere leiden Eileen
Rehe sind im Garten nicht meine Freunde,aber so bricht es mir das Herz
einen LG vom katerchen zum Wochenende

Irma said...

Beautiful photos, Eileen.
This species we have not in the Netherlands.
Here also no snow.
Poor Bambie fall on the ice.
Nice weekend, greetings Irma

Hootin Anni said...

Grackles and Bambi on Ice...love the reference. And great photos Eileen.

Hootin' Anni
and
Anni @ I'd Rather B Birdin'

NatureFootstep said...

Your blackbirds are very pretty even if they seem cold in your shots today. And poor bamby. Just like the Disney movie but not that fun.

Thanks for hosting and I hope the weather gets warmer.

inge said...

Loving the snow in the pictures. The blue on the bird is so unusual I have never seen it on a bird in Ireland. Have a lovely weekend

Phil Slade said...

I know those grackles aren't the most popular birds in back yards Eileen but they do look pretty beautiful against the snowy scenes.

Thanks for hosting the critter party and like you I'm looking forward to a warm and early spring.

Icy BC said...

The grackle are not my favorite bird either, but like you I like the colors on them. Happy weekend!

Elizabeth Edwards said...

gorgeous colors. i seem to enjoy the birds that most do not ... the vultures the black birds. guess why i love the poem "the Raven" ... so pretty, enjoy the day! ( :

Anonymous said...

You captured the blue feathers of the Grackle and the force of the wind driven snow beautifully, Eileen.
Hope the Deer was able to escape safely.

EG CameraGirl said...

Grackles are not mu favourite birds either. I would like them better if they didn't arrive in such large numbers and then eat everything in sight.

diane b said...

Poor bambi it would be cold for him/her. Great shots of the hungry, messy birds. They are colourful and brave to weather the snow storm.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

Oh my gosh poor Bambi!! Kind of a cute picture though :)

aspiritofsimplicity said...

We get grackles here and I do not like them overly much either. I suppose that they have their place though...They have a hard time with the tube feeder I use.

Rajlakshmi said...

wow... beautiful captures :D

DeniseinVA said...

Good Morning Eileen, beautiful captures of Grackles and Bambi. So happy to hear Bambi made it back to land. We are still making our way through Florida but are turning north now :)

Anonymous said...

Good Morning, Eileen. Nice to join you again this week. I love the colors in this bird. Glad Bambi is safe, too.
Hope you have a nice Saturday.

TexWisGirl said...

poor deer! can't imagine that was comfortable at all!

love the grackles, even though they do go through feed like a horde. but they are sharp-eyed beauties!

Montanagirl said...

Your snowy Grackle photos are so pretty. We get those birds here too - LOTS of them. I'm not a fan of them, they take over everything. Glad Bambi made it off the ice.

magiceye said...

Beautifully captured!!

Brian King said...

Beautiful shots of the grackles! We usually get a few during the winter, but not this year. As long as they don't break through, deer can generally get themselves up and across the ice. That's a rare shot!

Ranten said...

As always beautiful bird photos!

Noushka said...

Your Blackbirds are superb Eileen!
Head and neck are so colorful!
I hope the deer was fine in the end it looks terribly miserable...
That is a terrible weather you are having.
On the contrary here, it is much too mild and awfully wet!
Enjoy your sunday!

Debbie said...

those grackles are such bad boys at the feeders BUT i always see a hint of "purple" if the sun hits them just right!!

and that poor deer, what is he thinking. i sure do hope that ice doesn't crack!!

have a wonderful weekend, it's going to be a warm one!!

Amy Burzese said...

Great critter post, Eileen. It sure does look cold. I hope the deer is OK. Thanks for hosting!

carol l mckenna said...

wonderful shots of the grackles ~ and glad the deer is safe ~ Ground Hog Day? Just another myth probably ~ but fun ~ Happy Weekend to you ~

carol, xxx
www.acreativeharbor.com

Rajiv Sankarapillai said...

Wow, beautiful post :)
Amazing pics !
Thanks
Rajiv
www.magnificentdewdrops.blogspot.com
www.magicalpresent.blogspot.com

Snap said...

Poor Bambi! I love the images of the Grackles -- so pretty for such pesky guys!

Ela said...

Beautiful birds and poor Bambi !
Have a nice weekend !

Gail Dixon said...

I agree with you that they are annoying, messy birds to have at the feeders, but their colors are beautiful. Lovely shots of them in the snow. What troupers! Thanks for hosting the meme!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful shots! I've seen plenty of deer, but I don't believe I've ever seen one laying on ice before.

Louisette said...

So beautifull birds, Eillen, wonderfull shots

Lynne said...

Isn't that such a beautiful blue on the Grackle?
Nice pics Eileen!

Rajesh said...

Beautiful birds. I just love them.

Al said...

Those grackles are pretty, but somehow they look fierce. And poor Bambi - I guess that was a learning experience!

Roses, Lace and Brocante said...

Beautiful images Eileen,
Your blackbirds are much prettier than ours which are only black!!!
Poor Bambi - I'm so happy to know he got up again!

Helma said...


Magnificent these birds and the blue color I really rare nice :-)
The deer I find quite pathetic as on the ice, but you birds make back a lot of good.
Sincerely,
Helma

Crafty Green Poet said...

that first photo of the grackle is wonderful! The rest are lovely too, poor little bambi falling like that!

Unknown said...

Poor Bambi! The grackles are beautiful even if they make a mess. Enjoy your weekend, Eileen!

Little Wandering Wren said...

I can relate to these critters - I'm the one with the green hair colouring in need of a quick touch of of my roots and the Bambi on ice, flat on the floor, when it's not even snowy outside! Beautiful shots especially knowing Bambi was ok.
Wren x

lina@happy family said...

So glad to know the cute deer was safe. Wonderful birds!

Pat said...

GRackles are handsome birds, but they can be pesky!

Our photos said...

What a beautiful birds!

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

HI Eileen I love this bird with the snow falling. I have linked this week. I have not linked before because I thought it would be too complicate but whatever way you have done it, it was very easy. You must be a bit of a wizard on computer. Thanks.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

gotta say...I like critters, whether they fly, crawl, or run. And you take gud pictures of 'em

HappyK said...

What a great looking bird. Those eyes are something else.

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Oh poor Bambi...my heart broke when I saw that and I think I told you that when the Grackles come to my yard, the dogs and I scare them off...they are such bullies...they usually head over to the huge farm fields closeby...:)JP

Unknown said...

Great shots of the birds! I also like the deer shot on the lake even if it was accidental!

Stephanie said...

Wonderful series of shots. I just jotted down on my calendar to remind me to join in on the Critters post for next Saturday. I keep forgetting.

Anonymous said...

It is hard to see the beauty in grackles, but you managed it! Poor little deer, I am glad he was OK after all...it is so much fun to find something you didn't know was there when you download your pictures...like a little extra gift.

I will link to critters next week...but whether I'm here or not, it is a wonderful meme and I thank you for hosting it.

George said...

The Grackle looks as if he was enjoying the wintry weather as much as I do. I hope Bambi is okay after his skating adventure.

Linda said...

I hope the little deer learned his lesson and stays off the ice from now on!

Linda W. said...

Great bird photos. Love all that snow. The groundhog can send winter to the west coast since we haven't had it yet!

Karen said...

I think Grackles are handsome birds (and Starlings too). Great shots of them!

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Poor bambi! It looks cold and windy up your way.

Magia da Inês said...

¸.•°♡♡♫° ·..Os pássaros são muito charmosos. As fotos estão muito bacanas.

Ótimo mês!
Bom domingo! Boa semana!
°º✿♫ Beijinhos.
º° ✿✿ ♫° ·. Brasil

Minoru Saito said...

Hi,Eileen. Nice captures. Your photos are very beautiful. I think it's very nice that the der escaped from the frozen lake.
Wishing you a wonderful Sunday.

Nancy said...

Those grackles are quite beautiful in the snow... and glad the deer was okay. xo

♥ Łucja-Maria ♥ said...

We hope that this year's groundhog predict an early spring.
Winter is difficult for the animals.
Birds look great.
Greetings.

Betty Manousos said...

great series f bird photos, eileen.
and thanks for hosting this wonderful meme.
happy sunday! xo

forgetmenot said...

Eileen, Your critters are great! What a shot of that poor deer on the ice. I assume he eventually gained his footing. Always nice to visit your blog and see your great pics. Have a terrific week. Mickie :)

Maude Lynn said...

That first shot is a stunner!

Celeste said...

Poor Bambi, I hope he made it off the ice safely.
Have a great weekend and stay warm.

Giga said...

Twoje zdjęcia ptaków są śliczne. Nasz kosy nie mają takich kolorów. Mam nadzieję, że sarnie nic się nie stało. Pozdrawiam.
Your photos are beautiful birds. Our blackbirds do not have such colors. I hope that doe nothing happened. Yours.

Jeanne said...

The grackles in your shots are really lovely. Texas, where I live , is INFESTED with these birds in the winter time. There are thousands of them everywhere, especially seeming to be at the mall in every single tree near every car that is parked. Not very pleasant birds.

amanda said...

Those are the most striking birds!
I've never seen or heard of a grackle before. Great photos!

I've also never seen a deer laying on the ice before.. and we have plenty of deer & lakes around us! We've seen them swim, but never laying on the ice.

vivi ka said...

I enjoyed Saturday's Critters. I hope my post to be ready in a few hours! Beautiful bird and wonderful scenes!
Have a great new week ahead!

Anonymous said...

Poor deer. All the animals are slipping and sliding around here too. I really hope that darn groundhog is wrong about six more weeks of winter, but we've got snow right now.

oldthings said...

Dearest Eileen ,nice photos as always !!! I take part to your beautiful Saturday's Critters #9 .
Have a wonderful week !
Olympia

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