Saturday, April 1, 2017

Saturday's Critters #172

Saturday's Critters #172


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 sightings from a visit to the Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park near Gainesville, Fl. This park was fantastic, where can you go where you see alligators, wild horses, bison or buffalo, thousands of Sandhill Cranes and more wild birds all in one place.




I have to admit the numerous gators around were a little scary, I was glad they were on the opposite side of the water.


They are able to come up on the trail and there were warnings to keep your distance from the wild animals in this park. Can you see the gators laying on the ground across the pond? There is nothing stopping the gators from walking up on our side of the trail. This is a park and not a zoo, the animals are wild and free to roam. The La Chau trail is 2.5 miles starts out with a boardwalk and then goes out to a lookout tower.




There had to be a thousand or more Sandhill Cranes and possibly one Whooping Crane seen on the day we went to this park.


I have to work on my flight shots. Besides the Sandhill Cranes on the grounds we saw hundreds of them in the sky.





Buffalo or are they called bison roam this park.


A pretty sighting of a Cattle Egret.


A few Killdeer were seen off the trail.


I made a collage of the birds sighted at this park:
Top row: Anhinga male and female, Mockingbird and a Great Blue Heron
Second row: Little Blue Heron, Great Blue Heron, Blue-winged teals, Wilson's Snipe.
Third row: Yellowlegs, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron.
Bottom row: various shorebirds, Sandhill Cranes, Shoveler, various Teals and ducks.


The wild horses roam free along with the buffalo.


The wild horses and some Sandhill Cranes.


A very distant look at the Sandhill Cranes and one brighter white Crane that may possibly be the Whooping Crane. It was seen at this park on the day we went.


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.

66 comments:

  1. What a great place to visit. Those are some big gators they have at the park. I was at a state park in Texas with lots of gators and I had to increase my watchfulness when one of the logs I was standing suddenly sprinted from by my side to the water. It wasn't very big but it was big enough.

    I always love that you are so in tune with nature and know the names of all the birds.

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  2. I am stunned by the variety of birds on the eastern side of the country. I wonder why we have less here on the west coast. We certainly have fewer nature reserves and parks, but our variety is a lot less too. Love the cranes - I think they rank right up there with Herons as my favorites - to see that many in one place would be amazing. And the egret - and my oh my those alligators - that would keep me from wandering too close. Love the collage of all the birds. Happy weekend ahead.

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  3. Springtime with your header photos. lovely ones today, just not so sure about the gators.I would rather stay in the car!!!

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  4. Beautiful shot of the Cattle Egret. Alligators are scary! Wonderful collage of critters. Have a beautiful day!

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  5. What a fantastic place to visit!
    Have a wonderful week-end!

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  6. wow, how would I love to go there. So much wildlife even in a park. Love it and, Eileen, thanks for sharing :)

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  7. What a fabulous park to go and see.So many birds and other critters. A wonderful post Eileen. Thanks for hosting and have a great weekend.

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  8. Good Morning and Happy April, Eileen. Those wild horses are so gorgeous. Those gators kinda give me the creeps, too! Thanks for sharing such an interesting park. Happy weekend.

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  9. Hello,

    Lovely post! I love to see buffalo, and the beautiful white cattle egret! So many different birds in nature, amazing :)
    Happy Weekend!

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  10. Hari OM
    Bison... &*> ... Lovely range today Eileen! YAM xx

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  11. Wow Eileen this place is teeming with wild life! Great photos of the gators and ponies and your shot of so many different kinds of birds is super!
    Thanks for hosting and have a lovely weekend.

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  12. Thanks most sincerely for the gorgeous critters you always show us in your stunning shots, darling Eileen !

    Wishing you a lovely end of your week

    XOXO Dany

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  13. Muito lindas ,mais uma vez, tuas fotos de hoje! Lindo fim de semana, feliz ABRIL! bjs, chica

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  14. ...what a mix, from buffalo to gators, with a lot in between!

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  15. Hi Eileen,
    Beautiful series of photographs and collage.
    Beautifully photographed, the alligators I find scary
    Best regards, Irma

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  16. Hi Eileen. A great location to see such a wide variety of wildlife.

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  17. What diversity! That had to be a great place to visit. I love your colorful header. Hope you have a good weekend.

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  18. It's lovely to have places like this which allows animals to roam.
    Thank you for sharing your photographs.

    Happy April Wishes

    All the best Jan

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  19. It is comforting seeing all your birds, knowing that spring is creeping up the continent!

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  20. We've always loved driving up to Payne's Prairie! Wonderful when you see the wild horses. It sure makes for some careful walking when there are so many wild critters! Enjoy your weekend. Are you getting snow? Hugs, Diane

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  21. well today you have outdone your critter supply. wow

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  22. Beautiful shots of the wildlife, Eileen. Have a great week and thanks for hosting.

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  23. What a great place to visit. There are some farms near us that raise Bison and Alpaca. I love to watch them.

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  24. Eileen, nice variety, especially the Cattle Egret. Thanks for sharing.

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  25. A lovely place to visit. But not for me. I guess I don't know enough about them, but I doubt I would be able get out of my vehicle if I new gators were roaming around. Love the Egret shot.
    Enjoy your weekend Eileen,
    Andrea

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  26. Hello Eileen, happy April first and April Fool's Day! You posted some lovely shots again this morning. Enjoy your weekend!

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  27. that cattle egret was a favorite - but the skies filled with sandhill cranes was a close second. this looks like a must see place when visiting florida!!! many thanks for hosting eileen, have a wonderful weekend!!!

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  28. Payne's has been on my to-visit list. It's a bit of a drive for me, but clearly I've been missing.

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  29. Nice place indeed! Good variety of birds as well as the big reptiles and mammals. Makes me want to see more of "my" State.

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  30. Eileen ~ what a great place that horses and bison roaming free ~ lovely collage of the various birds (as I am not a birder) It is great to see ~ great variety and always wonderful photography ~ thanks,

    Wishing you a Happy Weekend ~ ^_^

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  31. Fantastic photos, especially the Alligators, special. Have a nice weekend Eileen.

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  32. Yes, those gators are pretty unnerving! Beautiful shots of the egret, wild horses and other in that wonderful park!

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  33. Eileen-I would be scared to death of those gators! Yikes.
    But I love the photos you got. Looks like an enjoyable outing.
    Have a good weekend

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  34. That is quite a pro, Eileen! I'll be back next week with a critter. Already have my pic!

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  35. Wow, that's a nice place ! I love your photo of the wild horses !

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  36. Hello Eileen! Such lovely birds and buffulos or bison, wild horses, too!.. it must be lovely to see so much and such an interesting place to visit! What chance! many thanks as always! thank you for sharing all of these with us! Best regards and a very wonderful Spring in April! Alexa

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  37. Wow! What a packed post. Thank you for sharing with us what surely was a spectacular outing.

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  38. Such a gorgeous and captivating place, Eileen! I love everything in your photos!

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  39. I think the alligators need to stay on the other side of the water . . .
    Quite the collection you have in this post.
    Bison and birds and cranes and gators and wild horses and more .
    Amazing what you bring to us . . .

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  40. Love the birds and horses, but I would be scared of the gators.

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  41. The gators are very scary indeed but I love the cranes. We have a lot of them around here, they are considered a symbol of the changing seasons because of the migratory habits.
    Amalia
    xo

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  42. Stunning wild life pictures. Gators sunning was scary indeed!

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  43. For some reason now, I have a thought...."Where the Buffalo Roam". My goodness what a grouping of alligators tho. A bit scary but still quite awesome. As well as the Florida's tropical birds seen. This is marvelous Eileen...

    For all of us birders at I'd Rather B Birdin', I thank you for sharing this post!!

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  44. what an amazing place to visit! what a great diversity! makes me want to go there. oh, buffalo! they say that they can smell water five miles off, and in winter find edible grass under twelve-inch snow. magnificent creatures!
    thanks for your wonderful post.

    have a happy month of april.
    enjoy your day! xo

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  45. Hello Eileen!:) A fabulous selection of wildlife images. Lovely to see all the different birds, horses and Buffalo. This place is every nature lovers dream. Love the Egret Photo, and the Gators. Have a great Sunday!:)

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  46. Wow and amazing Eileen! I would be in awe in seeing so many Sandhill Cranes in one place -- And seeing so many alligators would be just plain scary! ;-)

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  47. That appears to be a wonderful park Eileen. Fantastic that the alligators are free to roam like that even if it keeps all the visitors on their toes What a brilliant bird list for your visit too. And all those Sandhill Cranes is something to dream about. Thanks for allowing me to join in today, and enjoy your week ahead.

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  48. What a lovely place to visit and observation of nature !!
    Fantastic collection of photos !!
    Have a happy Sunday !

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  49. No lack of critters there..wonderful place to take a camera..great shots..

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  50. Hi Eileen. This is quite a park! You really have to watch your step, don't you? Great shot of the gators, didn't get too close for comfort? And, that's exciting...to come across the horses and buffalo! Have a wonderful week!

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  51. I really don't think that I'd like to get that close to an alligator. ;-)

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  52. Great sightings of all the different critters Eileen. Having gone through the Everglades and seen all the wildlife there, the gators especially made me nervous being so close to them but it was such a great experience.

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  53. Wow! I had no idea there were buffalo there. I always pass by this area on I-75 on my way to Orlando. I think I need to stop next time!

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  54. Hi Eileen, Congrats on another excellent Saturday's Critters. I enjoyed all your photos. I thought, wow, those gators are amazing! That shot sure is unique. You sure did a great job on the collage of birds! I hope you have a happy week ahead. Thank you for sharing!

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  55. Hi Eileen-
    What an awesome place to visit!
    Perfect snaps.
    Glad the gators were on the other shore :)
    Thanks for hosting.
    Have a Happy Day!
    Peace :)

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  56. The crocs up north make me nervous as well. Made me glad I was on a decent sized boat.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  57. I enjoyed all of these birds and Bison and horses. I think that you did a fine job with the Sandhills flying. Don't you just love hearing their song ;) I also peeked at your Caracara images shares in your new post and WOW those are wonderful too.I wanted to also note that the image of the Killdeer,from my monitor, it would make a really neat painting application as well, it has a lot of good textures. Hugs for your week my friend, take care~

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  58. Dearest Eileen; What a varieties of critters you found; Yes, fantastic place♪ I was fascinated by Killdeer which we cannot see here. Learned that scientific name is "Charadriidae" through pc :-)
    I enjoyed GORGEOUS collage♡♡♡
    Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend, xoxo Miyako*

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  59. Wow ,like always your capturing is fantastic my friend!
    these photos hold eyes for looong

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  60. Wow!!! This definitely goes on my 'must go' list. Thank you.

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  61. The gators would be scary to me as well!

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  62. So many birds, so little time! It has been such a blessing to see them on your blog! Not that I don't want to go see them also! Cause I sure do now! But maybe without the gators? That would be ideal... Ha!

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Have a happy day, Eileen

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