Saturday, February 4, 2017

Saturday's Critters #164


Saturday's Critters #164

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.

Sharing some birds and turtles from Lake Mirror in downtown Lakeland. A pretty female Mandarin Duck.




A soft shelled turtle, look at that nose.



More turtles at Lake Mirror, Lakeland Florida



 Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, White Ibis and more.


Black Swan at Lake Mirror


Koi fish at the Hollis Gardens @ Lake Mirror in Lakeland Florida.


A Red-tailed Hawk on the Lakeland Electric sign.



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.

69 comments:

Mostly.Nature said...

Nice photos! That soft shelled turtle has rather porcine facial features :-) Are those Black swans breeding there or just part of a waterfowl collection?

Ohmydearests said...

The turtles are so interesting and the mandarin duck is so beautiful ! Have a beautiful weekend!

Nancy Chan said...

A delight to visit and enjoy lovely critters photos. That is a pretty female Mandarin Duck and she knows that she is pretty! I like the Black Swan too! Have a beautiful weekend, Eileen. And thank you for hosting.

NatureFootstep said...

love the little Mandarin female. A species I have only seen one bird of, a female far away. She´s a beauty. :)

John eos shooter said...

BEautiful pictures, love the turtles! Gr. John

Phil Slade said...

Good Morning Eileen. The duck is real pretty - good choice of word. And if the duck is pretty then the turtle is very handsome. The bird on the sign looks really tiny. Guess it must be a huge sign?

Thanks for the chance to join in today.

Marit said...

Hello,

Wonderful photos! The Mandarin duck is so pretty, and the Black Swan too.
Happy Werkend!

Tony McGurk said...

I've never heard of a soft shelled turtle before. I've learned something new

Hootin Anni said...

I haven't seen one of those turtles here in a long time. Used to see them quite often. Love the mandarin duck.

chica said...

Sempre me encanto por aqui,lindo demais! Ă“timo fim de semana! bjs, chica

Cranberry Morning said...

Good morning Eileen! I find that turtle face and nose so interesting. Turtles are always fascinating. That's a great photo of the egret, heron, and ibis. Are they often found together like that?

Little Wandering Wren said...

Hi Eilleen - your turtle is awesome if a tad scary! Happy Saturday and thank you for hosting.
Wren x

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos, Eileen. That first picture is my very favorite!
Wishing you a lovely Saturday.

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

So nice to have a place rich in wildlife, including exotics such as that sweet Mandarin Duck. In New Mexico a small flock of Mandarins of unknown origin suddenly appeared at a State park. They never reproduced and all had disappeared within a few years. I must admit that their beauty exceeded that of our native Wood Ducks.

Linda aka Crafty Gardener said...

Lovely critters for this week. Love the header photo, forgot to mention that previously.

Suzan said...

Great shot of the soft shelled turtle Eileen!!! They don't usually come out of the water!!! The sliders love to bask in the sun!!! Mirror Lake certainly has a wonderful collections of our fine feathered friends!!!

diane b said...

The up close turtle nose is funny

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

Great post, Eileen. The turtles were amazing!
Thank you for hosting.

Jenn Jilks said...

It is a shock to see all the greenery and critters! I keep forgetting that the rest of the world doesn't have -17 C. temperatures and snow!!!!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

Look at the snorkel on that turtle! What a great photo! You sure see a lot of different birds at this pond. What a wonderful place to spend time. I need some help with my ids today! Hugs, Diane

Lynne said...

LOVED the close ups . . .
I felt Mandarin Duck was so real, clear, I could touch.
Happy Critter Day!

Jeevan said...

The Lakeland seems to attract number of birds and water creatures... Superb shots and the turtles look harmless

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Great shots- the turtle looks like a monster, just a bit!

MadSnapper said...

the two turtles photos and the sweet duck should be in Natl. Geographic

carol l mckenna said...

Gorgeous wildlife photography ~ so professional ~ showing gems of nature ~ thanks,

Wishing you a Happy and Peaceful weekend ~ ^_^

HappyK said...

Great photos. Yes, that is some nose on that turtle. I've never even heard of a soft shell turtle.

Lowcarb team member said...

Lovely collection for us to look at today Eileen, thank you.
I think my favourite is your first one, although your turtle one is a bit special too ...

Have a lovely weekend

All the best Jan

GreenComotion said...

Hi Eileen-
I have never seen a Turtle's face up, close and personal like in your photo ever before. Great photos!
Thank you for posting.
Have a Happy Weekend!
Peace :)

Linda W. said...

Lots of wildlife! Love the turtles.

Al said...

Nice series of photos - I love those turtles. I've got an unfriendly critter linked up this week.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

There are few creatures that I don't adore. The face of the softshell is one. Ick. I hate to be judgmental ... you know. But, really

ha ha

Debbie said...

amazing soft shelled turtle!! i don't think i have ever even seen a picture of one - they are weird looking!! gorgeous mandarin duck!!!

September Violets said...

That female mandarin duck is so cute. She looks like she's smiling. Loved the photos from Circle B as well! Glad to see you're enjoying your time down south.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

That Lake (in the middle of a City) is so incredible. I loved visiting it. Thank you so much for hosting.

Anonymous said...

If I didn't know the size of the turtle- from close up it looks a bit intimidating! A beautiful park to have all these water critters there!

RedPat said...

I really like that soft Mandarin Duck! She looks so gentle!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

Thanks for stopping by and helping with the id of some of mine! What would I do without you!!! Hugs, Diane

Small City Scenes said...

Here I am better late than never---Your images are always very interesting. Weird nose on the soft shell.
MB

photodoug said...

Eileen, nice collection, especially the swan. Thanks for sharing.

Anni said...

Thanks so much, Eileen, for adding your post link at I'd Rather B Birdin' this week. Your participation is always appreciated.

Anonymous said...

This is like going on vacation...visiting this wonderful place with you!...:)JP

orchid0324 said...

Dearest Eileen; Your duck has different color, naturally p:-) I'll check the species of them, sometimes I'm surprised seeing some varieties of them friendly together.
Oh My, seeing the nose of the picture of soft shelled turtle made us laugh o(^o^)o
Elegant black swan (love the feather, reminisce the ones we could see) and Happy to see Koi ♫♫♫

Thank you so much for hosting, Have a wonderful Sunday and new week.
Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend, xoxo Miyako*

Bob Bushell said...

Beautiful Ms Wood Duck Eileen.

krishna said...

The black swan is majestic..

Christine said...

Wonderful photo of the little Mandarin duck and I'm sort of jealous of the lovely warm sunny florida weather you are enjoying as we are battered with storms!
That is one weird nose on the soft shelled turtle!
Thanks for hosting and enjoy your weekend!

Anonymous said...

Wishing you a great day brings pleasure to our eyes. So have a great great day.

21 Wits said...

Hello Eileen, happy Saturday to you! That is one incredible close up of the turtle, very nice, as are the other photos! I really am missing nice warm weather without snow and blowing wind! You are in a wonderful place!

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Wonderful photos - the composition of the hawk on the sign is fabulous! Happy week ahead.

rupam sarma said...

Hello, Lovely pics. Greetings.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

That nose on the turtle is something else. Black swans look so elegant.

Linda said...

That's quite a collection! Love the black swan!

Lady Fi said...

Such lovely critter shots.

Sussi said...

I have never heard of a soft shelled turtle before. Great shots!

Ela said...

Wow !! I really love your beautiful critters !!
Happy weekend, dear friend !!

Magnus said...

Just wonderful photos Eileen!

Betty Manousos said...

great series of photos, eileen. i love those turtles.
hope you have a wonderful day! xo

Stone Cottage Adventures said...

Turtles hold a special place in my heart. How pretty is that mandarin duck! Thank you for hosting this great party! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

I'll be co-hosting a couple of link parties myself this week. If you have time, I'd love for you to join the fun at my place. ;-) No pressure, of course!

This N That said...

Love the Mandarin Duck..She looks like a toy..Great shot of the Turtle..I should go visit the local Black Swans again..Happy Sunday..

Suzanne said...

Hi Eileen. Very nice pictures. You really came across a band of soft shelled turtles, the picture looks so friendly and warm! They do have funny noses! Have a great week ahead!

The Yum List said...

Thanks for the close up on that turtle. I have never seen nose like that.

Michelle said...

That duck is so sweet, but that soft shelled turtle! Yikes!

Seraphinas Phantasie said...

Hi Eileen,
marvelous photos of the birds and the turtles. You catched them all very well.
Have a great week ahead, my friend.
Best regards, Synnöve

Existe Sempre Um Lugar said...

Boa tarde, as fotos sĂ£o maravilhosas a mostrar a natureza que nos oferece a beleza, de todas qual a mais bela?
AG

Black Jack's Carol said...

What wonderful critters, Eileen. I have never before seen a soft-shelled turtle nor have I seen a Black Swan. the photos are extraordinary! I am sorry to post so late, but will try to do better. Many thanks for being such a wonderful host!

Deb from frugal little bungalow said...

I have never seen either of the first two before...amazing photos !!

Ana Freire said...

Another stunning sequence!
I love all the photos, especially those with the cute duck, and the other with the black swan!
Great work, Eileen!
Kisses!
Ana

Liz said...

Lovely birds and turtles! I didn't realise you also had Black Swans.

Rose said...

Wow, this a jackpot area for wildlife!

Pat Tillett said...

Very nice! That little duck in the first photo is so darn cute...

Saturday's Critters! # 575

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