Saturday, January 3, 2015

Saturday's Critters #55

Saturday's Critters #55

Happy weekend everyone and Happy New Year! I am glad to see you sharing your critters.. Any kind of critter will do, even if you have an older post it will do.. I appreciate everyone who has linked up in the past and for those who are linking in on this week's critter party. And of course I always appreciate my blogging friends stopping by just for a visit..

Also, I hope you can check out the post at Anni's I'd-Rather-B-Birdin.  You should also check out Misty Dawn's Camera Critters.

These shots are from last weekend's walk at Loch Raven Reservoir..


A mixture of Canada Geese, Ringed-necked Ducks, Gadwall and possibly some other ducks..


Rows of Coots.. I was amazed at how many Coots there were, I could not fit them all in the photo..


This could be a Hairy woodpecker but I am not sure sometimes the angle and distance can throw off the size of the bird. To id you are supposed to look at the beak and head size..



An InLinkz Link-up

I wish everyone a happy & healthy New Year!


Thanks to Tex Theresa aka Tex, I was able to add this link up button and thanks to  Jennifer for creating my photo badge.





Again I thank you for linking up to the critter party. I also appreciate the visits, comments and the support of my blogging friends................... Have a happy weekend!
To see more beautiful birds and cute critters, check out these two memes below.

Please visit:  I'd-Rather-B-BirdinThanks to the gracious host: Anni.  Also check out Camera Critters. Thanks to Misty for hosting this fun meme.

65 comments:

DeniseinVA said...

Great photos Eileen, and thanks so much for hosting.

Lynne said...

Always a treat . . .

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

WOW!I have never seen that many Coots together in one place before.Have a great weekend and thank for hosting.

NatureFootstep said...

Now, we are on the right side of New Year and it is not too long until the geeze returns to us. That´s a nice thing to think about.
Have a great weekend :)

Uppal said...

Just posted my take for Saturday critters. Eileen, Your pictures are always,beautiful and well composed!

Jocee said...

Lovely pics, especially the last one, whoever he turns out to be :-)

Sonja said...

It's always rather amazing to see Coots in a raft - ours do it too.

Jo said...

Hello Eileen, Happy New Year to you and thanks for always hosting this meme. I'm amazed at the many coots you have on that Loch. Great post altogether. Have a great day. Jo

Unknown said...

That's a lot of birds. I love the woodpecker. Have a wonderful weekend, Eileen!

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

I love the big rafts of birds - and the woodpecker is wonderful. We seem to have very few woodpeckers close enough to photograph.

orchid0324 said...

Dearest Eileen;  OMG!!! Look at the SO MANY Coots there☆☆☆ Definitely the grand view to see, my friend♡♡♡ And geese and ducks are adorable, I cannot tell the difference, haha.

Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*

Phil Slade said...

Good Morning and A Happy New Year Eileen. Thank you also for embarking on another year of hosting your Saturday link-up, it is much appreciated.

You found a great selection of geese and ducks there at the lake and to see so many coots together is amazing. Can't help definitely with the pecker but I suspect it is Hairy,

Irma said...

Hello Eileen,
What a beautiful pictures.
The last one is my favorite.
Have a very good weekend.
Best regards, Irma

Hootin Anni said...

Those are awesome photos Eileen. Oh, and I do love the name of the reservoir!!

Elaine said...

Nice woodpecker shot! I'd guess a Hairy too, but really hard to tell the Hairy and Downy from a distance.

chica said...

Dá para encher os olhos de tantas belezas por aqui! bjs, tudo de bom,chica

Little Wandering Wren said...

Looks like that was a great walk last weekend! Thank you for hosting again.
Had a whoop whoop moment this week when I knew I'd have a post for Saturday's Critters!
Wren x

Sue said...

Looks like you had some pretty weather for your outing.
Have a nice weekend, Eileen

eileeninmd said...

Thank you, Sue! I appreciate your visits and comment. Happy weekend!

diane b said...

Ducks galore!

oldthings said...

Dearest Eileen so lovely the first post of this year ! I wish to you and your family all the best for the new year ,love, healthy ,joy and many -many smiles !

Jutta.K. said...

Happy New Year and allways succsess with your cahallenge.
Your photos are great.
Greetings from germany

Naquillity said...

those canada geese look so content to be on the cold water. i simply love the woodpecker pic. it's adorable. so good to be back with Saturday Critters. hope all has been well in my absence. have a great day~

MadSnapper said...

Harry the Hairy Woodpecker is precious and i love that view

Linda Kay said...

That is a beautiful bird, whatever he is. And what a gaggle of geese!

Jenn Jilks said...

It's fascinating how they gather to migrate. Great photos, as ever!

TexWisGirl said...

love the flotilla of coots! :) thanks for hosting, eileen!

Debbie said...

it looks like a hairy to me, larger beak!! I love woodpeckers, they have such beautiful markings!!!! thanks for hosting Eileen, happy 2015!!!!

Brian King said...

That is a lot of coots! I thought our flocks were big. Beautiful photo of the woodpecker!

rainfield61 said...

I am seeing geese everywhere now.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Eileen I love all your birds and the great raft of coots especially. Happy New Year and thanks for hosting ....

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

I'm guessing Hairy Woodpecker too, Eileen.

Let's hope we all have a great new year of critter pics!
~

Andrea @ From The Sol said...

Things look much different by you ... our lake is all ice and though we had some open water for awhile because of some unusually warm weather, it is frozen again. Once it freezes the birds leave to find open water. They don't go south necessarily ... they will find a dam on a river that has small areas of open water. You are lucky to have so many birds to watch.

Andrea @ From The Sol

Linda W. said...

Love the woodpecker! Hey, I have a critter post that I'm going to try and get on my blog today. So I'll be able to participate in your meme! :)

DIMI said...

Hello Eileen!!
Great post!!Wow!!So many Coots !!And the view is breathtaking!!
Great captures!Gorgeous pictures with my favorite the woodpecker!
Have a happy weekend!
Dimi...

Sheila at WolfSongBlog.Com said...

Enjoyed seeing the Geese, Coots and other ducks! We haven't seen many ducks at all; sure hope it is just where we have traveled here in Florida these last few months. Happy Birding! Happy Saturday!

Bob Bushell said...

Brilliant images Eileen, all in need of water.

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

Nice collection of waterfowl. I see some Gadwall in there. If you take that woodpecker's bill and push it in it will poke out the back of its head-- ugly thought but sure sign of a Hairy.Happy New Year!

Pat said...

That's a great shot of the woodpecker. Looking at the length of that beak. I'd say Hairy too.
I've never before seen so many coots flocking together. Cool capture!

Bethany Carson said...

Looks like a lot of birds are enjoying the lake!

HappyK said...

Always enjoy looking at all the birds. You sure do get some great shots.

Crafty Green Poet said...

lovely photos, and a beautiful woodpecker whichever species it is!

Crafty Green Poet said...

oh I see some gadwall there too....

Betsy Brock said...

I get the Hairy and Downy mixed up quite often! He's a cutie, whatever he is!

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

Idyllic place

Anni said...

Eileen, it's always a pleasure to have you join at the Bird D'Pot.

Thanks for sharing your link today!!

Cloudia said...

So enjoy these walks together, E


ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
<3

Helma said...

Hello Eileen,
I have my kestrels but linked with you.
Have a great weekend.
Greetings, Helma

Mike said...

Beautiful shots. I think that's a Hairy Woodpecker, too. I think the beak is too long for a Downy.

Hannah said...

The woodpecker is cute, they do look a lot alike. The long strings of coots are amazing, they would be fun to watch.

Our photos said...

Very nice ! I love the woodpecker.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

There are Lesser Scaup and Gadwall in amongst the ducks in the first picture.
HAPPY NEW year,

Stephanie said...

Beautiful images!

Black Jack's Carol said...

Hello Eileen, I will add my contribution later this evening though I don't have any unusual sightings. Perhaps, I'll go back to some old files as you suggest. I miss the outings we used to do before Bill sold his truck. In the mean time, I enjoyed your Ring-Necked Ducks and Geese milling about together. We usually only see three or four Ring-Necked at a time here. And, I always love to see woodpeckers. They are special for sure! Many thanks for hosting.

Saun said...

Great shots! I have lots of bird pics to post from our trip to Florida so I should make it every Saturday.

Linda said...

Happy new year! We've been seeing huge flocks of Canada Geese. I enjoy seeing them fly.

Linda said...

Dear Eileen,

You have made my day with your splendid photos!!! Thank you so much for sharing this beauty.

Noushka said...

I won't help you out with this bird's ID!!
But I enjoy discovering birds we don't have here :)
That many coots is incredible, we rarely more thant 60/70 at one time.
The weather has gotten much better in my area so I spent much more time out than in front of my computer ;-)
Keep well Eileen, hugs from France!

Huggybear said...

Birds galore. Funny name - "coots". We have Coots here but they are not birds!
Cheers
Colin (Brisbane,Qld)

EG CameraGirl said...

I think it's a Hairy, Eileen as Downies have smaller beaks.

eileeninmd said...

Thank for commenting! Do you have a blog Huggybear?

Huggybear said...

NO

Elizabeth Edwards said...

neat birdie times. what fun!! looks cold though. brr!! ( :

Ela said...

Eileen, your shots are wonderful ! That's fascinating to watch the birds on the water !
Have a nice Sunday :)

A Colorful World said...

Wonderful photos...especially the close shot of the hairy woodpecker. Hope you are having a great week. I tend not to link in unless I have critters other than birds because I don't trust myself to have time to visit everyone on all three memes within days. I'm so far behind with all my comments too! :-) I don't think I will ever catch up...maybe by the end of the year! :-)

Saturday's Critters # 571

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