Nature is grand

I have a list below of memes I am joining for this week, and to save time I am doing one post for all. They are all fun memes to participate in...I hope you can join in with the fun  and check out some of the participating posts. Special thanks to all the wonderful host and their memes, I hope you have some time to check them out.

"If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere." Vincent Van Gogh


This is finally the last of my Washington trip photos. On this gray day we were leaving La Push and heading south on Rt 101 near the coast. Before taking our rental car back to the Sea-tac airport we made a few stops along the way. One stop at the Grays Harbor Nat'l Wildlife Refuge near Aberdeen Washington and then the Nisqually Nat'l Wildlife Refuge near Olympia Washington.

"The sea, once it cast it's spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." Jacques Yves Cousteau

Driving down the coast and below the resort at Kalaloch we stopped to view the beaches and the amazing numbers of Surf Scoters.

To really see this image it is best enlarged. All the small black dots are the Surf Scoters. It had to be the largest count of Scoters I have ever seen. There were more Scoters (a sea bird)  up and down the coast. It was an amazing sight to see, especially if you are a birder.

Above are some birds, the tree lined boardwalk and moss covered trees
scenes from the Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge near Aberdeen Washington.

Grays Harbor NWR Great Blue Herons spending time with the gulls.

Above are some images from our short visit to the Nisqually Wildlife refuge. I wish we had more time here. They have a boardwalk that is 4 miles.

A scenic view at Nisqually, the boardwalk, wetlands and sky.

For Tom's meme The Barn Collective I am sharing the twin barns at the Nisqually NWR. The two huge barns were once dairy barns built back in 1934 and the wildlife refuge was once called the Brown Farm. The forest here is a rare natural occuring deciduous riparian forest found in Washington.

I hope you enoyed the images and post. I appreciate your visits and nice comments. Thank you! Have  a happy day and new week ahead!


As always thanks to the wonderful group of hosts listed below.

Thanks to Tom for hosting The Barn Collective.

Thanks to Judith our  host of Mosaic Monday

Thanks to Monica for hosting NF Trees

Thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes

Thanks to the hosting team of Our World Tuesday!

Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday

Saturday's Critters #102

Saturday's Critters #102

Happy Saturday, it's time to share your critters and post. Any kind of critter will do, even a new or old post.. I appreciate everyone who is linking in with this week's critter party.

I am sharing our visit to the Susquehanna River in Maryland to see the Bald Eagles. In November there can be hundreds of migrating eagles stopping at this spot at the river and Conowingo Dam. There can also be hundreds of people and photographers showing up to take photo of the Eagles.

Above one of the many juvenile Bald Eagles.

Perched on the dam three adult Bald Eagles and one juvenile.

How many eagles can you find in the photo above? To help out the count there are 4 eagles flying toward the rocks where the other eagles are perched. There are also some Black Vultures in the shot above.

I hope you enjoyed my eagles and photos. Thanks as always for visiting my post and for the nice comments. Have a happy day and safe weekend.

An InLinkz Link-up

To see more beautiful birds and cute critters, check out these two memes below.

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

Thanksgiving Skies

I am linking up with Skywatch Friday  and Good Fences
I hope you can join in on the fun and share your fence scenes and pretty skies.


HAPPY Thanksgiving everyone!

I am not sure who will be blogging today on Thanksgiving Day in the USA. But, I prepared this post in advance just in case. I wanted to say how thankful I am for my hubby, son and family. I am thankful for almost a year now (DEC 31st) being retired after working a total of 43 years full and a little part time included. I am thankful for a roof over my head, food on our table and all the simple pleasures in life that do not go unnoticed. I am also thankful for my blogging friends who visit and leave their wonderful comments. Blessings to you all!

Various gulls at the Ocean City inlet, Nov 15th.

Gull posing on the dune fence at Assateague.

A gorgeous day to be at the beach..

American Oystercatcher on the Assateague National Seashore, Nov 15th

Indian River Park, Delaware, Nov 15th

The moon and a contrail seen while at Ocean City, Md. I hope you enjoyed my images.. Thank you for stopping by and most all for the nice comments. Have a happy day and weekend ahead..

To see more pretty skies from around the world please visit  Skywatch Friday
and check for more fence shots at Tex's Good Fences

Thanks to Theresa @ The Run*A*Round Ranch for hosting Good Fences and thanks to Sylvia, Yogi  and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday.    I wish everyone a happy day and weekend ahead..

Around the yard

I have a list below of memes I am joining for this week, and to save time I am doing one post for all. They are all fun memes to participate in...I hope you can join in with the fun  and check out some of the participating posts. Special thanks to all the wonderful host and their memes, I hope you have some time to check them out.

I am sharing some of my yardbirds and some Autumn trees and lakes scenes from our walks in our neighborhood. I do not have to go far to see the beautiful birds and pretty scenery it is just outside our door.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

"I am grateful for what I am and have. My Thanksgiving is perpetual." Henry David Thoreau

 Above are some of my yardbirds seen in the month of October. First row: Ruby Crowned Kinglet, White-throated sparrow and the Chipping Sparrow. Second row: Dark-eyed Junco, Pine Siskin on thistle sock, another Pine Siskin. Bottom Row: White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, a stunned White-breasted Nuthatch that flew into my kitchen window.

The sweet Dark-eyed Junco, known as snow birds arriving in the winter months.

I love to the hear the White-throated Sparrow's song usually early in the morning or late in the day..

Hubby and I often take walks on the fireroad in our neighborhood and walks to our lake. The fall trees were gorgeous this year, so many pretty colors.

A colorful reflection on the lake.

The reds near sunset, gorgeous color and reflections. I hope you enjoyed my & hubby's images and post.  I appreciate your visits and nice comments. Thank you! Have  a happy day and new week ahead!

A special thank you to the host of the following memes.

Thanks to Judith our  host of Mosaic Monday

Thanks to Monica for hosting NF Trees

Thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes

Thanks to the hosting team of Our World Tuesday!

Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday

Saturday's Critters #101

Saturday's Critters #101

Happy Saturday, it's time to share your critters and post. Any kind of critter will do, even a new or old post.. I appreciate everyone who is linking in with this week's critter party.

Sorry, still showing some vacation photos, I may have one more day of pic's to share. These are some various birds and critters seen on the day of drive to the coast and Cape Flattery. We stopped at the Warmhouse Restaurant in Neah Bay for a late lunch. We also walked on a beach called Hobuck, we saw they also have nice cabins for rent.

A wind blown Great Blue Heron.

I am drawn to any dog I see while on vacation, this one was running on the Hobuck beach with his/her human.

Hobuck beach surfers, a black doggie and a gull.

One of my Washington State lifers. The Greater White-fronted Goose seen out the window of a restaurant in Neah Bay.

They are cute geese.

Another shot from the Neah Bay restaurant of a seal resting on the marina pier.

It is not often I am able to get some barn images so when I saw this cool elk on the field I had to stop for some photos. For Tom's THE BARN COLLECTIVE  seen our drive to the Cape Flattery in Washington..a herd of Elk seen in a field near the barn and farm.

Luckily no one was behind me on the road so I was able to pull over to take these shots of the herd of elk and the barns.

More barn and elk images for Tom's Barn Collective.

I hope you enjoyed my critters and birds. I am so happy you are participating with my critter party or if you just dropped by for a visit. Thanks so much for the comments too. Have a safe and happy weekend..

An InLinkz Link-up

To see more beautiful birds and cute critters, check out these two memes below.

Also visit:  I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the gracious host: Anni.  Also check out Camera Critters. Thanks to Misty for hosting this fun meme. Also, for this post I am linking up with  Tom's @ The Barn Collective Thanks to Tom the host

Three Crabs, Sequim

I am linking up with Skywatch Friday  and Good Fences
I hope you can join in on the fun and share your fence scenes and pretty skies.

For my Skywatch Friday and Good Fences I am sharing some more scenes from Washington state, the sunrise in Port Angeles and the sunset at Sequim. I hope you enjoy, we had a great trip with wonderful memories.

The sunrise and moon were taken one morning in Port Angeles.

Below is the view of the Dungeness Bay at Three Crab Road  in Sequim Washington. I read that this was a birding hotspot so I had to check it out while I was in the area. As you can see in the photo below there are a thousand or more American Wigeons, two Bald Eagles on a stump sticking out the water in the distance. It was a great spot to watch the sun setting.

The lighting was not the best for photos, but seeing the all these ducks was an amazing sight.

One of my lifers above was the Anna's Hummingbird. The birds ( Anna's hummingbird and the Oregon Junco)  above were seen in a Sequim neighborhood we were visiting.

A reflection of the sky on the Dungeness Bay, Sequim Washington. It may not be much of a fence, but the area was fenced off and a warning sign posted to stay off the property.

Another beyond the rope fence look  at the Wigeons on the left and the next two shots of a few Dowitchers behind the rope fence.

For my skywatch, a golden sunset with the Dungeness Lighthouse, Cormorants & gulls and the duck silhouettes at Dungeness Bay, Three Crab Road.

A beautiful sunset in Sequim, Washington. I hope you enjoyed my images and post. Thanks for stopping by for a visit and for your nice comments. Have a happy day and weekend ahead.

To see more pretty skies from around the world please visit  Skywatch Friday
and check for more fence shots at Tex's Good Fences

Thanks to Theresa @ The Run*A*Round Ranch for hosting Good Fences and thanks to Sylvia, Yogi  and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday.    I wish everyone a happy day and weekend ahead..

La Push, Washington

I have a list below of memes I am joining for this week. They are all fun memes to participate in...I hope you can join in with the fun  and check out some of the participating posts. Special thanks to all the wonderful host and their memes.

I am sharing more images from our trip to Washington State on this day we left Port Angeles and headed to the resort on the coast at La Push, Washington.

With time to spare before checking into our next hotel, we stopped at the Hoh Rainforest. We had time for another walk on the trail before going to the Quiluette Ocean Resort near La Push Washington.
Above some scenes from the morning of Oct 6th, the sunrise, top right are the Ring-necked Ducks, Male Elk walking down the road, fall colors and leaves, Varied Thrush and bottom left a Sparrow.

 One of my favorite birds from Washington the Varied Thrush..

Neat looking tree and moss seen at the Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park. The ferns growing in the moss on the tree were pretty.

Our Quiluete Oceanside Resort room at the 1st beach in La Push. We stayed in one of the motel rooms, they also have cabins and the full service RV parks.

The view of 1st beach from our balcony. Olympic National Park on the Pacific Ocean has the three beaches named 1st, 2nd and 3rd beaches along with the Rialto and Ruby beaches.

Above our some of the birds ( Black Turnstone, Belted Kingfisher, Bald Eagle)  I saw from our table at the River Side restaurant which is also owned and operated by the Quiluete Tribe. I hope you enjoyed my post and images. As always I appreciate your visits and nice comments. Thank you! Have a happy day and new week ahead!

Thanks for visiting my post and as always I appreciate your comments.

Thanks to Judith our  host of Mosaic Monday

Thanks to Mersad for hosting Through My Lens.

Thanks to Monica for hosting NF Trees

Thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes

Thanks to Sue for hosting Wordless Wednesday

Thanks to the hosting team of Our World Tuesday!

Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday

Saturday's Critters #100

Saturday's Critters #100

Hello, we have reached # 100 for my Saturday's Critter linky party.  Thanks so much to everyone who has been with me since the start of Saturday's Critters. I appreciate all my blogging friends who have linked up and joined in with all the critter fun. Who doesn't like critters, they are all so cute! Thank you again to the visitors and for the nice comments.

EDIT: I am linking up with Favorite Fotos thanks to Lydia at Where the Wild Things Were

I am sharing some of the birds and Humpback Whales we saw during our Port Angeles Whale Watching trip during our Washington State visit.

A group of Common Murre being led by a single Rhinoceros Auklet

In the mosaic above is the Rhinoceros Auklet, a common bird seen near the coast of Washington State.

Whale Watching Port Angeles

It was exciting to see 4-5 Humpback Whales during our whale watching trip on Oct 5th.

A young Humpback Whale seen playing with the kelp during our whale watching trip out of Port Angeles, Washington.

The Common Murre were common birds seen in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This Strait is the body of water between Washington State and Victoria British Columbia Canada. You can see the two red spots on the map included above where our whale watching tour was based.

Another main attraction beside seeing all the whales were the Harbor Seals, Elephant Seals and Sea lions at the Race Rocks  & Lighthouse which is closer to Canada than the USA.

The Race Rocks Reserve includes the marine animals, sea birds and fish. Above the rocks are covered with various Cormorants, mostly the Pelagic Cormorant.

An InLinkz Link-up

To see more beautiful birds and cute critters, check out these two memes below.

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