Saturday, November 24, 2018

Saturday's Critters #258

Welcome to Saturday's Critters !


If you love all God's creatures like I do and also like to blog about them and take critter photos this is where you can share your critter post. Link up your post and share your critters, join in with my critter party ! You can share any kind of critters the real ones, pretend ones, statues and paintings, a new or old post!

I still have some more birds we saw at the Edwin B. Forsythe NWR in New Jersey.  Birds seen were the male and female Wood Ducks, House Finch, Clapper Rail and we saw a large flock of Brant Geese, Mallards, American Black Ducks, Brant Goose, Great Blue Heron, 


The male wood duck is a beauty! 



This looks like the female wood duck below. 


A male House Finch. 


You really have to look for the 2 Great Blue Herons chasing each other in this photo below. The tree colors are beautiful. 


Pretty sure this is the Clapper Rail, another great reason to be at the refuge during low tide. These secretive birds come out into the open looking for things to eat in the mud. 


Sorry, my photos of the Brant Geese are not the best. They were too far away, I wanted record a photo to show I did see them this day.



I am not sure about this Sparrow, possibly a SeasideSparrow? I do see a little line of yellow above the eyes. Any help is appreciated. 


This Great Blue Heron had a fishing spot all to himself until these ducks came by and would not leave. They swam up and down in front of the Heron.  They were Mallards and some Black Ducks. 


Lots of shorebirds, I am guessing Dunlin and maybe some Plovers? The taller birds could possibly Black-bellied Plovers?




Below Eastern Box Turtles and Praying Mantis.  I went years without seeing a Praying Mantis, on this day I saw two Mantis right on the path to the visitor center.



I appreciate and thank everyone who links up their post and for all the wonderful comments !









Here is a list of my linky parties;

Also visit:  I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the gracious host: Anni.



Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

59 comments:

Joyful said...

I love all the photos. The red colours in the trees are magnificent and I can see the 2 herons you spotted and captured. The little sparrow is cute though I'm not sure what kind it is exactly. I'm partial too to the tortoise. Very pretty markings on it's shell. Have a wonderful weekend Eileen. xx

Shiju Sugunan said...

Wow! Interesting birds and critters.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

That area is certainly a wonderful place to visit with lots to see and photograph Eileen. Thanks for hosting. Have a great weekend.

NatureFootstep said...

love the woodducks but never seen this one. They are so beautiful. Also never seen a mantis for real. Would be cool to see them move :)
Nice shots.

Nancy Chan said...

The tree colors are indeed beautiful! Some are colorful, some are not so colorful but the birds are all beautiful. Great shots of the turtles and praying mantis. Have a wonderful Saturday and a blessed weekend!

Irma said...

Hello Eileen,
Wonderful series of photos.
The first and third photo are my favorite.
Do you want to place my link, I still can not.
Best regards, Irma

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari Om
As ever, I am in awe of the variety you get into your lens, Eileen! Have a restorative weekend! YAM xx

Anu said...

Hello Eileen! Great photos! The wood duck is really beautiful and the tree colors are wonderful.
Thank you for hosting Saturday’s Critters.

chica said...

A natureza sempre tão bem trazida por ti e captada nas tuas fotos!Adorei! Lindas fotos! beijos, ótimo fim de semana,chica

DIMI said...

Hello Eileen!
Such a lovely spot for birdwatching!
Great series of pictures and great captures of all those beautiful birds and critters!
Stunning photos of the wood duck,the House Finch,the Clapper Rail and the cute Turtles !
I like especially the photo with the shorebirds! Thank you for sharing!
Have a lovely Saturday and a great weekend!
Dimi...

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

Great birds at such a wonderful refuge! Can't help much with IDs of the peeps. The sparrow is very dark for a Savannah as I remember, at least those along the northern coast, but it does have the Savannah Sparrow facial markings. I remember hearing the song of the Seaside as being like a Red-winged Blackbird. Back then we called it a Sharp-tailed Sparrow.

MadSnapper said...

such a sweet little sparrow and I love the last collage. I agree, wood duck males are amazing, like painted ducks....

Stone Cottage Adventures said...

TURTLES! I love turtles! Thank you for hosting this lovely party. Your photos are always a treat to see. -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

Minoru Saito said...

Hi! The wood duck of the first photo is very cute. Thanks for sharing.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

I would hazard a guess at Seaside Sparrow, Eileen, but I will check my various references later and will post another comment if I think differently. I haven’t seen a Clapper Rail in several years so I envy you this sighting! Have a great weekend. David

Jenn Jilks said...

I love crowd sourcing information! I haven't a clue.

I love that about the katydids. Two in one day. It's peculiar how that happens.
Have a great weekend! We've got our grandies, and we're having a blast. Bedtime at 9 for me, though!

Jeanie said...

All beautiful, Eileen but that male wood duck is a real stunner. And of course you k now I love the herons!

Tom said...

...wood ducks are among my favorites. thanks for hosting.

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

A great collection of some wonderful critters, Eileen! I love the colour of the Autumn foliage too.

Marit said...

Hello Eileen,

Beautiful photos of the male wooden duck! The colors are so pretty.

Happy Weekend!

My Desktop Daily said...

PS: Thanks for hosting, Eileen.

Marie Smith said...

Beautiful shots. Great variety by the water! The herons are some of my favourites!

Brian King said...

Beautiful photos of the wood ducks and finch! Love the GBH!

Debbie said...

the 4th pictures is stunning, i loves autumns colors!! so nice to see that you captures a male wood duck, i only saw a female this past week - i am hoping she is not alone!! the male wood ducks are gorgeous and always such a thrill to see!!!

i can't help you out on the sparrow and our geese, even the brant geese, hang out right on the shoreline. yours is a nice picture!!

it indeed looks like a great fishing spot for the great blue heron!!!

Sami said...

Beautiful photos Eileen. You are so privileged to see so many different animals. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for hosting :)

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

The Wood Duck is always neat to photograph and you got some amazing pics. Love that Praying Mantis and the tortoise! What a great day! Enjoy your weekend! Hugs, Diane

Bill said...

Great shots, Eileen. The wood duck is my favorite. Thanks for hosting and have a wonderful weekend.

Phil Slade said...

Hi Eileen. I do like your north American Wood Duck. Shame we don't get them over here. That does look like a Savannah Sparrow and I can't help with the small waders, but yes Grey Plover (Black-bellied)

Have a good weekend. Thanks for the link-up.

carol l mckenna said...

Love the little sparrow ~ creative shot! Wonderful series of nature photos, Eileen!

Happy Day to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Red said...

Lots of beauties here besides the male wood duck.

Lynne said...

Still a bunch of fall in your world . . .
Birds, ducks too . . .

Sondra said...

All great photos...Amazing plethora of shorebirds!! What a lonely world it would be without birds!! I will never forget my first wood duck sighting it was in an ephemeral pool after heavy rains in dense tree cover...so weird. I don't even know how he landed in it with all the trees. I think your sparrow is a Savannah? Have a good weekend!!

Aritha V. said...

I love your "sparrow". What a nice little bird. I thought it was a savannahgors.

Barbara Rogers said...

Great birds, turtles and mantis photos! A nice critter walk with you this morning, thanks. Barb

William Kendall said...

The wood ducks are quite a sight to see! We have some of them here, but tend to stick in the countryside.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

2 or four legs, fins, or wings...love 'em all.

Nice captures of a bunch of em

ShannonW said...

You capture nature and wildlife in such beautiful photos. I thoroughly enjoy seeing your posts.

krishna said...

Love the fall color picture!

RedPat said...

I always love to see a Wood Duck. That is a great place for birdwatching, Eileen!

KB said...

I don't have any critters to share this week but I enjoying seeing yours

italiafinlandia said...

Certainly the male Wood duck is a beauty.
Thanks for sharing these beautiful birds.
Have a restful Sunday!

Our photos said...

Wow, very nice ! I love the wood ducks !

Anonymous said...

I adore water fowl...and wood ducks are among my favs!...:)JP

HappyK said...

The male wood duck always looks like a wooden carving to me. It is the perfect name for them.
I like the box turtles, haven't seen one for a while now.
There are so many different kinds of sparrows and they all look so alike to me.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Thank you for this beautiful post and for hosting! A beautiful walk. of course I love all the birds and had to smile about the praying mantis. When I saw my first one (well into middle age) I was as excited as a child! one of those things you read about but almost didn't believe existed 'for real' until you actually see them. (I was the same about fireflies == when I was even older. Since we don't have them in the pacific Northwest).

GreenComotion said...

Great close-up of the Finch - particularly enjoyed this photo.
Thanks for hosting.
Happy WE, Eileen!
Peace :)

Linda said...

My favorite is the heron with the ducks. Thanks for hosting.

Gattina said...

The ducks prove again that in animal's world the male is the beauty while with humans it's the opposite (Hope no male will kill me now) I like the turtle, they are so special animals !

Sussi said...

Lovely!

John's Island said...

Hi Eileen, Sure enjoyed your photos from your visit to Edwin B. Forsythe NWR. That third photo is just exceptional! Wow! Thanks for sharing another fine Saturday's Critters. Wishing you a happy week ahead! John

This N That said...

I sure can't help you in identifying birds... You're much better at that than I am. Lovely series of birdies and ducks ,herons and other critters.. I hope you are enjoying this beautiful day. Thanks for hosting.

Bob Bushell said...

Oh, you are great photographer, the birds are stupendous, I love them all.

21 Wits said...

Good morning Eileen, Have I told you lately, thank you for hosting. I'm a day late, (per working) off today! Your photos, critters, their habitats and your words are always a treat, and I find myself all week gathering photos just for this! Enjoy your day!

Maria Rodrigues said...

Hi Eileen,
Wonderful photos.
Have a nice week
Greetings
Maria
Divagar Sobre Tudo um Pouco

Tanza Erlambang - Every Day Issues said...

yes, the male wood duck looks so colorful.

have a great day

diane b said...

So many different birds in one place. I love the colourful male duck.

Lea said...

Beautiful birds and pretty Autumn scenes!
I love turtles, and praying mantis are fascinating critters.
Thanks for hosting!

Lowcarb team member said...

Lovely selection here, and I think the colour of the Autumn foliage is beautiful.

All the best Jan

Anni said...

Thanks for being so patient with me while I was on a holiday break! I LOVE having you share your blog with us at I'd Rather B Birdin'!

LOVE the wood ducks! They're scarce here in South Texas.

Saturday's Critters! # 575

  Welcome to Saturday's Critters!  Hello and Happy Saturday!  If you love all God's creatures like I do and also like to blog about ...