Thursday, July 18, 2019

Shenandoah Nat'l Park

Happy Thankful Thursday


On July 9th-10 hubby and I took an overnight trip to Shenandoah Nat'l Park. We spent the night in nearby Harrisonburg Va. We picked 2 days when they were calling for cooler and less humid weather.  In 2 days we hiked a total 10 miles, we saw lots of birds, butterflies and some deer. My photos are below with a caption explaining the photo. I hope I identified the birds correctly. 


Below is the view from the Pass Mountain overlook, we took a short loop trail at this parking lot. The next 2 photos show the pretty sky during the first day of our Shenandoah trip. 



The Indigo Buntings were plentiful in the park. 


We also took a short walk on the Compton Gap Trail where we saw this pretty sure this is a Blue-headed Vireo on the nest.


A juvenile Scarlet Tanager or maybe a female?


A deer seen off the Compton Gap Trail.


I am not positive about this flower's id, I was thinking it looked like white Bee Balm.


Bee Balm and a Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly.



A mosaic with images from the Big Meadows, we saw lots of Milkweed, daises, Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on milkweed,  unknown bush with yellow blossoms, Thistle, Song Sparrow and a female Brown-headed Cowbird. 




Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly, not sure of the orange flower id?


Some wild daisies on the Big Meadows @ Shenandoah Nat'l Park.


On the Limberlost Trail, we heard a lot of American Redstarts, Hooded Warblers. This is a guess, I think it is an Eastern Phoebe. 





A pretty male Eastern Towhee seen off the Limberlost Trail.


Below is from our walk on the Limberlost Trail. 





I am thankful for the wildflowers. 
I am thankful for nice hiking weather. 
am thankful for all your visits and comments. 


Thank you Michelle for hosting Thankful Thursday
Thank you to Yogi the host of   Skywatch Friday



Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!

57 comments:

  1. Wow, stunning pictures of nature!:)

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  2. Belos resultados fotográficos nesse passeio teu e do teu marido! Lindo demais tudo que vi! beijos, chica

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  3. Lindas estas fotografias, gostei bastante e aproveito para desejar a continuação de uma boa semana.

    Andarilhar
    Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa
    O prazer dos livros

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  4. My wife's sister lives in Harrisonburg, VA. I am glad to see these natural features, since I met some of the worst bigots of my life there and do not have fond memories.

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    1. Hello, I am sorry your visit was ruined by some not so nice (bigots) people. I am afraid our president is making it worse, it is now ok to hate. Shenandoah Nat'l Park is a beautiful park, luckily I have not met the nasty people. Thanks for the comment.

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  5. What a great get-away especially with all of the Nature around you, Eileen. The Shenandoah Valley and park are beautiful...I do miss what VA had to offer...:)jp

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  6. I will pick the Vireo in the nest as my favourite image, but all are nice...
    Thanks for sharing.
    Have a nice day!

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  7. Hari OM
    As ever, you give us visual delights! YAM xx

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  8. Thanks for sharing beautiful photos from your trip.
    Loved the post.

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  9. What a wonderful place for a wander! So many birds I hadn’t seen before!

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  10. Great photos. What a beautiful area to go walking in. I'm glad you found a time period where the weather was cooler. I had wanted to go for walks during the Fourth of July long weekend, but the weather was too hot here in CT, so I didn't go. The heat continues, so my planned hikes might have to wait until September at this rate.

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  11. Beautiful blue sky and so clear. You did right to go on a less humid day.

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  12. I love flutterbys.

    I've traveled THRU the valley, but have never been able to stop. I gotta do that one day. It'll be hard, because between here and there are the Southern Appalachians.

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  13. The plant with the Fritillary Butterfly looks like Butterfly weed to me - Asclepias tuberosa.
    Beautiful photos of the birds and flowers!
    Love the view from the overlook!
    Have a wonderful day!

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  14. oh dear 10 miles within two days are OUTSTANDING i must say!

    beautiful park and gorgeous wildlife ,so stunningly captured

    this is always great to taking trips on less hot days my friend ,stay cool and BLESSED

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  15. All that green, how nice. A beautifu place to walk and enjoy nature and birds.
    Have a wonderful day!

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  16. it's always nice to get-a-way for a few days, that's how we like to vacation!! great birds eileen, i don't see any of those here. the butterfly is a beauty, i am starting to see all kinds here now!!

    your pictures are beautiful, and i like the shaded path!!

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  17. Gorgeous photos. That is such a beautiful area. We were in that vicinity back in the spring.

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  18. This is a beautiful place....I would enjoy being there.

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  19. Shenandoah a place full of history.
    Grat photos. Tha park looks like a paradise for the birds and the other animals.

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  20. Thanks for taking me along on another trail...and your photos are much better than any I would make. I would guess the orange flower to be a version of milk-weed...it can come in different colors.

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  21. I could see this being your Saturday nature post, it's so filled with natural beauty. And yes, very grateful! Happy week!

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  22. It looks like you had another wonderful trip, Eileen!

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  23. Love to see this area through your lens Eileen, absolutely beautiful!

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  24. What a fabulous place to hike. We've traveled in that area but not spent enough time hiking. I love the little bird on the nest...so so sweet! Love it all...birds butterflies and deer oh my!

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  25. How nice to take a mini trip, and find so many beautiful things to photograph! Love the pictures; you're a much better photographer than I am. :)

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  26. That blue-headed vireo photo on the nest is just incredible! We visited Shenandoah National Park years ago when our boys were little. We stayed in Luray, VA. It is a beautiful place! Lots of nature to view.

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  27. Wieder bezaubernde Natur Fotos.
    Ein schönes Wochenende wünsche ich.

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  28. Hello Eileen!

    Beautiful images. Indigo Buntings are very pretty. I love to see the Bee balm and the beautiful black Eastern Swallowtail.
    Have a nice day!

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  29. Beautiful photos! I'd love to spend some time there.

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  30. Shenandoah NP looks like I need to put it on my bucket list. Such vistas and a variety of wildlife, birds, flowers, and butterflies.
    You have an amazing talent at photographing the birds and identifying them. For me the birds take a lot of patience to get a good photograph of them
    Amazing vistas to be seen there.
    And best of all you shared it all with us.
    I hope you have a good weekend. Today is my Friday. I am home early though because our air conditioner is having intermittent problems and in Oklahoma you need A/C.

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  31. Looks like a gorgeous Park. My favorite shot is the Vireo in the nest. What a treat to see!!

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  32. It takes a good eye to pick up all the flowers and critters. Many people would just miss them.

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  33. Love the butterflies, the Towhee and the wild flowers....nice pictures.. you wouldn’t want to do that hike this weekend!

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  34. Looks like some good hiking! We are heading to Asheville in a few weeks. Hope we get as good of scenes as these. Thanks for linking up, Eileen.

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  35. So nice to see the park and the birds and flowers! I love the Blue Headed in the nest so sweet!! Your orange flower is called Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) One of my favorites, and the butterflies really do love it.

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  36. It's hard to beat the natural beauty of Shenandoah - gorgeous photos. Thanks for sharing!

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  37. Lovely pictures. I always love to visit the national parks, state parks. they are always beautiful.

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  38. Beautiful views and trails as well as all the lovely birds and butterflies that you saw and captured well. Looks like you had great weather for your trip.

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  39. Your butterfly photos are beautiful! Looks like you saw a lot of wildlife.

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  40. Your visual feast is alluring.More power to you!

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  41. Wonderful photo of the vireo on the nest. Lovely view too and the indigo bunting is such a beautiful colour

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  42. Very much appreciated post! It's so lovely.

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  43. I don't think I could hike that many miles, maybe 3. LOVE that indigo and the two butterflies are AWESOME shots

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  44. Hi Eileen, Your bird photos are worth way more than a thousand words! Love the butterflies! Neat spot to visit and thank you for sharing your photos. Wishing you a happy weekend ahead! John

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  45. Me encanta el color Indigo y la mariposa de la imagen 7. Todo el post es una maravilla Eileen, los dos días han resultado fantásticos.
    Buen fin de semana.
    Un abrazo.

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  46. Love the birds.
    Love the plants and flowers.
    Love the views.

    Lovely post, enjoy the remainder of Friday and have a happy weekend.

    All the best Jan

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  47. Wow! What a treasure trove of wonderful nature photos ~ love them all ^_^

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

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  48. What a wonderful park and beautiful nature
    I like the view in the first picture

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  49. Oh my gosh the blue bird is it a bunting you called him, how sweet he is. All your shots are beautiful, but some like the butterfly you caught such detail! A very pretty place indeed. Thanks for bringing us there too!

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  50. You were rewarded well on your hike with wonderful things to see. Love the Indigo Bunting.

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Have a happy day, Eileen

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