Saturday, August 20, 2016

Saturday's Critters #140

Saturday's Critters #140

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 assume the birds have nothing better to do in the Florida weather than to just hang out and stay cool. These are more birds we saw at the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive.

The Little Blue Heron seem to be one of the more common birds we saw on this day.



White Ibis has a cool looking bill color.


Great Blue Heron with an Egret in the background. This Heron almost blends in with the sticks all around.


There were a lot of Barn Swallows hanging out near a bridge, I believe their nest was under the bridge. One bird look different below do you see it?

Update: Thanks to Ken for the id of my unknown bird below. It is the Bank Swallow.




The Swallows are sweet birds, I love seeing them flying around doing what they do best catching the bugs. As always thanks for the visits and the nice comments. I also thank everyone who is linking up and sharing their critters.. Happy Saturday, have a great weekend!










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

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

78 comments:

GreenComotion said...

Amazing captures, Eileen.
I particularly loved the camouflage of the Blue Heron.
Thanks for hosting Saturday's Critters.
Have a Happy Weekend!
Peace :)

Nancy Chan said...

That is a cute little blue heron among the reeds. I wonder whether these swallows are the same as those whose nests are being harvested and eaten...

Unknown said...

Great birds! The swallows are adorable. Enjoy your weekend, Eileen!

DeniseinVA said...

You saw some great bird life on your Florida trip Eileen. Great photos as always. Happy weekend!

Powell River Books said...

Seeing an Ibis must have been exciting. Our barn swallows have fledged but they have come back each night to sleep on our clothes line under the porch. We can walk right past them and they don't budge a bit. - Margy

Jocee said...

Beautiful pics. Good spotting with the Great Blue Heron, I'm sure I would have missed it. Enjoy your weekend :-)

Breathtaking said...

Hello Eileen!:) Wonderful post and bird captures. I love the images of the sweet Barn Swallows, the odd one out, must think he's a Swallow too!:)) I can never get that close to them. Love the cool shot of the White Ibis with the bright orange beak, and the Great Blue Heron is masterfully disguised amongst the branches and twigs.

Jo said...

Hi Eileen, I love the white ibis. Its bill caught my attention immediately. I also noticed the different-looking swallow. Thanks for hosting this meme. Have a great Saturday. Jo

Ohmydearests said...

Morning Eileen! A beautiful selection of photos! The heron is very well camoflaged! Have a beautiful day!

Sara - Villa Emilia said...

Beautiful and interesting birds, Eileen! The Swallows are indeed sweet birds. It's fascinating to observe their flying around.
Thank you for hosting. Have a wonderful weekend!

Jutta K. said...

Eine großartige Auswahl von Wasservögeln und anderen Vögeln!
Ich bin immer wieder begeistert von deinen Fotos !
♥liche Grüße aus Deutschland

Sue said...

Good Morning, Eileen
Loved seeing your pics. I haven't seen our usual Heron down the road this year and miss his presence.
Have a terrific weekend!

NatureFootstep said...

gret shots as usual. Love the look of the White ibis. And, yes, I see the brown barnswallow :)

Thanks for hosting!

Marit said...

Hello,

Very beautiful photos! The Blue Heron is so pretty!

I wish you a nice weekend!

Gayle said...

Camouflaged indeed. I didn't see the great blue until the second time. Happy Day.

Forest Dream Weaver said...

What a brilliant shot of the Heron among the sticks - and beautifully composed. Love the happy gathering of Barn Swallows!
Thanks again for hosting and sharing.

Happy weekend Eileen!
Ruby

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

Nice shots of the herons and swallows! That one with the brown back looks as if it has a smaller body and suggestion of a brown band on its white breast. on basis of size I favor Bank Swallow over immature tree or rough-whinged. Right now we are seeing hundreds of Barn swallow passing through, generally southbound.

chica said...

Lindíssimas todas,adorei ver! Ótimo fim de semana,beijos,chica

Phil Slade said...

Good morning Eileen. It's amazing how that Little Blue Heron can merge into the green of the reeds. A wonderful bill on the ibis - it's huge and colourful.

Looks like a brown martin in amongst your swallows. I'm not sure which species you get where you live.

Thanks for thre opportunity to join in today, and have a lovely weekend.

Irma said...

Hi Eileen,
Beautiful pictures of different birds.
Perfect photographed.
Best regards, Irma

Tom said...

Lots of feathered friends!

MadSnapper said...

awesome Heron camouflage. these are all wonderful and my favorite is the cammo and the Ibis.. beautiful shots

Christine said...

Hello Eileen! I loved the Ibis and its brightly coloured bill! My daughter also enjoyed looking at your bird photos and gasped, 'These are good!' High praise from a 12 y.o.! I have a lot to live up to! LOL!
Thanks for hosting!

Prunella Pepperpot said...

So many gorgeous birds Eileen!
The little blue Heron is just so cute and I love all of those Barn Swallows.
I was just saying to my husband the other day how few birds and butterflies seem to be around our area this year. I hope it changes for the better fairly soon! He bumped into a wildlife enthusiast and they said it was to do with the weather, I do miss seeing them all.
Have a truly wonderful weekend and thank you so much for hosting :)

TexWisGirl said...

the little blue is pretty. love the swallows all sitting together.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

These birds really do blend in to their environment. Makes them hard to see but fun to spot. We've had swallows flying around at our house all week! Enjoy your day! Hugs, Diane

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Always great shots Eileen - but I must say I particularly favour that white ibis frame today!!! Here's to a good weekend. YAM xx

21 Wits said...

YGood, happy morning to you Eileen, our photos sure brighten my morning. It's been a sad week in our home.

Brian King said...

Really nice! The Little Blue Heron is beautiful!

The Yum List said...

The blue heron seems to be hiding in the grass - playing a game of hide and seek maybe ;-)

tiptoethruphylsgarden.blogspot.com said...

The barn swallows are so fast & hard to photograph,but you got great shots! I always love to see the herons,thanks for sharing,have a great Sat.!phyllis

Sharon Wagner said...

The heron really does blend in. Sometimes, they'll be by the water, right by you, and you won't even know they're there. Until they fly off in a flurry of wings.

Anonymous said...

Hello Eileen and thank you for hosting. We are finally settling into our new house after moving and I am happy to join in the fun today. I love that 2nd photo of yours today, especially. Wishing you a nice day.

Jenn Jilks said...

You are such a birder!!!! Happily not a cat-hater, either! sigh...

Lea said...

Amazing to see how well that Heron blends in with its surroundings!
Thanks for hosting this very enjoyable meme

carol l mckenna said...

Fantastic bird photography!

Happy Weekend to you ~ ^_^

Small City Scenes said...

An interesting set of birds. I like the Swallows too. They have a nest up in the barn loft where the garlic is drying so we co-exist.
MB

Magia da Inês said...

As garças são sempre graciosas, mas esse bando de pássaros está incrível!!!

🌿✿゚╮Bom fim de semana!
✿⊰ه° ·.Beijinhos.🌾 ه° ·.

Linda W. said...

Great photos of the heron, and I do love that ibis bill!

Uppal said...

Such a cute photo of swallows in different moods!

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Lovely shots, Eileen.

I saw the odd bird with the swallows...and thanks to KCS, I know what it is!
~

Lynne said...

Loved the heron photo . . .
So beautiful . . .

Linda said...

Dear Eileen, what a delight it is to see your beautiful photos this morning!!! I love every one of them! Thank you so much for sharing, and I hope you are having a great weekend! :)

ellen b said...

It's always a pleasure to view your photos of nature. Hope your weekend is going well!

photodoug said...

Eileen, great collection of birds. Thanks for sharing.

Bob Bushell said...

I love the Swallows, they make a day so much brighter. And, what a picture of a Heron, fantastic.

Maude Lynn said...

I love barn swallows, but they make a dreadful mess nesting on my porch!

Seraphinas Phantasie said...

Marvelous photos of the heron, Ibis and swallows. Gorgeous !
Have a great weekend, Eileen.
Best, Synnöve

Gosia said...

swallows are great birds . Love from Poland

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Lovely selection of birds in this post on thank you very much for hosting

Aritha V. said...

Top: White Ibis!

Country Gal said...

Fantastic photos Eileen . Thanks for sharing , have a good weekend !

Inspired By June said...

Happy Saturday, Eileen! Wonderful captures. Swallows always remind me of masked bandits!

Anonymous said...

Nicely composed. Thank you for this treat

HappyK said...

I didn't even notice the heron at first, he blended in to well.
Like the swallows. Lovely photos.

Sandi said...

Eileen, these shots are extraordinary! You must have the patience of...wow, I can't even think of anyone! Haha

Good work. I feel like I am there.

RedPat said...

That Great Blue Heron really blends in! Love the Little Blue guy too!

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Wow - great pix. Love how the Great Blue Heron is hiding among the sticks. I'd never seen the smaller blue heron - great to see it. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Stewart M said...

great set of pictures - love all those swallows.

Cheers - Stewart M - Darwin, NT

Zizi Santos said...

Maravilhosas fotos de pássaros!
adorei todas!

infelizmente não tenho participado
não tenho fotos

tenha um feliz domingo
Zizi

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

The Heron's are always a treat to see, but I have to say, the "Bank Swallows" are something I've not -- Great photos, Eileen!

krishna said...

those pictures of birds are really wonderful.. a feast of eyes...

I'm your newest follower..

please vibist: http://from-a-girls-mind.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

The GBH does have good camouflage for its environment.

Linda said...

Lovely birds! They make good use of their bills.

diane b said...

Your ibis has a nice orange beak ours are black

Francisco Manuel Carrajola Oliveira said...

Excelente trabalho e boas fotografias.
Um abraço e bom Domingo.
Andarilhar

Crafty Green Poet said...

lovely birds, specially the swallows

Claire MW said...

Lovely photographs as always. I especially like the ibis - we don't see those around here at all. I took some water bird photographs earlier this week but I'm still working on IDs. I'll blog about them soon!

Ela said...

Wow ! Wonderful post and fantastic photos !!
Happy weekend !
Greetings

baili said...

Great job dear found those huge birds unique never saw them before
Thank you for revealing the beauty of nature

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

awwwwww sweet swallows

Liplatus said...

Here in Finland migratory swallows went on a journey of about two weeks ago. Fly to warm to Africa.

Great deals on bird pictures!
Swallows are beloved birds for me, they will bring the summer.
Make the chicks here in Finland.

Thanks for the challenge!
Have a nice Sunday for you!

This N That said...

Great shots , Eileen..Love the orange billed Ibis..No critters to share this week!!

Anni said...

LOVE the swallow images!!! And the little blue herons...we don't see them very often here. So, that was a special treat.

Thanks so much for stopping by and linking in this weekend at I'd Rather B Birdin'...it's always greatly appreciated.

Lowcarb team member said...

Lovely photo's to look at and enjoy.
The second one is my favourite.

I think when it's hot the best thing any of us can do (including feathered friends) is to "hang out and stay cool."

All the best Jan

Lois said...

All of the birds are so pretty! I don't think I've ever seen a Bank Swallow before.

Alexa T said...

Amazing big and little birds seen so lovely from up-close! as always, such beautiful nature shared with us! Greetings and a very good week!

orchid0324 said...

Dearest Eileen; Wow, what GORGEOUS series of great birdies♪ Yes, love the White Ibis's cool looking bill color☆☆☆
Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*

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