Thursday, December 17, 2020

Happy Thankful Thursday!

 Happy Thursday!

It is another day to experience the beauty of nature. Life is beautiful, soak it in and be grateful.  

1. I am always thankful for pretty sunny days! These days, hubby and I can get outdoors for a walk.  On this day we drove to the Loch Raven Reservoir, it is a reservoir that provides drinking water for Baltimore City, Md. For the past week,  two rare Grebes ( Western Grebe and possible  Clark's Grebe) were being seen at this reservoir. Of course I missed seeing the Grebes, but we enjoyed our outing.

 


2. We saw  a group of Hooded Mergansers and some Canada Geese just sitting at the top of the smaller dam.


The best things in life are the people we love, the places we've been and the memories we made along the way.


3. Hooded Mergansers, second smallest of the Merganser species. The male has the black bordered fan like crest, a white head patch. Below the crest is seen raised and lowered. The female has the brown crest and somewhat of a brownish body. They have a narrow bill.



4. It was a pretty blue sky day, the dam below somewhat hidden by the bushes along the road.

 

 


5. At times these birds disappeared diving underwater, I never could count them.

 

 


6.  This is a view of the water below the dam and a sunburst, not the best photo. But, I am always attracted to the sunburst images. 




I will share some more views of Loch Raven and more birds on my Saturday's Critter post. 

 I wish all ... peace, love and happiness this holiday season!

As long as Covid numbers are still going up, I remain thankful that we continue to stay safe and healthy.  I hope everyone stays healthy and safe. 

Go outside and breathe deeply.  Enjoy every moment. 

Take care and stay safe! 


Live simple and be happy!  😊 Keep smiling!

Thank you to Jutta for hosting Nature Thursday

Thank you Michelle for hosting Thankful Thursday 

Thank you Yogi the host of   Skywatch Friday
 


Thank you for visiting and for your nice comments on my previous post. Have a happy day!!  😊



 

 

84 comments:

  1. Sempre tão lindas tuas fotos! Bom passar aqui! Lindo dia! beijos, chica

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  2. Hello Eileen,
    Beautiful photos, and I'm glad to see the sun in them. Here it rains today as always.
    Happy Thursdaý!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Marit!
      I hope you have some sunny days!
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  3. Loch Raven could well be in the highlands of Scotland! Hooded Merganser is a very attractive duck.

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    1. Thank you David!
      Yes, the Hooded Merganser is beautiful!
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  4. Hi Eileen!!!... Beautiful pictures of thes lovely birds... Have a great weekend ahead... Stay safe

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  5. Too bad you didn’t get to see the rare grebes. I’ve never seen any kind of them. I love mergansers!

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    1. Thank you Marie!
      The Mergansers are pretty, I enjoy seeing all of the ducks.
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  6. Damn, That Is Impressive - I Mean, Thats An Impressive Damn - Enjoy Your Weekend And May You Discover The Shadow People While Out And About - Big Hugs

    Cheers

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    1. Thank you for the visit!
      The sun is out, we may see some shadow people.
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  7. Beautiful photos and I'm so glad you had another nice day to get out in nature. Stay safe!

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  8. Hi Eileen, too bad you didn't get to see the Grebes, but you got to see some really nice Hoodies...Hope your upcoming weekend is sunny and warm.

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    1. Thank you Sondra!
      I have seen the Western Grebe "out" west. Seeing them in Maryland would be a rare state bird?
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  9. What a lovely day for a walk by the reservoir. For some reason ours is completely hidden away and you can't get near it...the one that feeds water to Asheville is close to Black Mountain. Our local town water must be from another source, because it actually tastes better. I've never seen a Merganser, so will keep my eyes out if ever any come down this way. Thanks for your good wishes, and may you continue to be in good health, and spreading joy to so many!

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    1. Thank you Barbara!
      The reservoir is a good place to see the ducks in the winter.
      I hope you get to see the Mergansers someday.
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  10. The hooded Merganser is such an odd and beautiful bird! And I plan to get out on a trail this afternoon and take some deep breaths! I hope you can too soon! You are probably in the snow now! holiday hugs!

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    1. Thank you Diane!
      I had to come inside for a break in shoveling, it is heavy snow.
      Enjoy your walk! Take care, have a happy day!

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  11. ...fabulous ducks, I'll trade you some geese for a couple of them.

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    1. Thank you Tom!
      We have too many geese here, sorry! LOL, you can keep your geese.
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  12. Very nice. It's so good that you go out and take advantage of that glorious sunshine! Beautiful photos. Happy day to you!

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  13. I agree with being thankful for sunny days ad being able to walk outside in them. I have not seen the hooded guys in real life, only photos. the Loch is a place I wound enjoy

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  14. Nature does show its beauty everytime we seek it. Beautiful photos of all the birds.
    Have a wonderful day and stay safe.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Bill!
      Nature is all around us!
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  15. Hi Eileen, "The best things in life are the people we love, the places we've been and the memories we made along the way." Wow, so true, and a perfect thought for the day. May I use it in one of my future posts? I so admire your location which allows you to get out and capture some great photos. The sunny day and all the critters ... just looks great. Another thing I admire is your ability to put together the collages. Excellent! Thanks, as always, for sharing. Take good care, stay safe, and be happy :-) John

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    1. Thanks John! You are so kind, I found the anonymous quote online so of course you can use it.
      I appreciate the visit and comment today. Take care, stay safe! Have a great day!

      Delete
  16. Hooded grebes are so pretty! How many times have I gone on a wild grebe chase? :) There was supposed to be a Western Grebe at a small lake near me and I looked for it but couldn't find it either.

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    1. Thank you for the comment!
      I have not been lucky at finding the rare sightings lately.
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  17. What a beautiful walk and lovely photos.

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  18. A beautiful area to take a walk and absorb nature. Gray and cold here! Yuk! I don't mind the cold, but I do like sunshine. Thanks for linking up today!

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    1. Thank you Michelle!

      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  19. It is so nice to be able to get out and about. I am sticking close to home since I don't have any big parks like that nearby.

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  20. Hello, I liked the Hooded merganser in your post.
    The place is very beautiful and offers nice views.
    Wishing you peace and happiness too! Stay safe.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for commenting!
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  21. Loch Raven looks like a lovely place!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Vera!
      It is a lovely area!
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  22. The mergansers are so pretty.

    Love the photos of the dam too.

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  23. This was a fun day to be there from the looks of these photos. I could use a day like this. I like the sunburst photo, too.

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  24. Sure looks like a perfect place to go walking. As always enjoy all your photos.

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  25. Mergansers are my favorite. I adore them!

    Happy Week!

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    1. Thank you Jeanie!
      The Mergansers are pretty!
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  26. Thank you Eileen, for sharing the photos from the Loch Raven Reservoir. Beautiful scenery and I especially enjoyed seeing the Hooded Mergansers. Enjoy the rest of the evening and tomorrow and the weekend :)

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  27. beautiful captures!! the hooded mergansers are one of my favorites but i find them so difficult to photograph. the are so skittish and always so far away!! i love being outdoors and have definitely been lacking on my outdoors time!! i am always thankful when i do get outside in nature!!

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    1. Thank you Debbie!
      It seems like the ducks are always far away.
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  28. So beautiful photos.
    Happy Weekend. Greetings.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the comment!
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  29. Wise words, I live a lot on memories (of travels) these days...
    Interesting dam! And, ohhh, the sun. Have a happy holiday season. Lockdown here. Numbers go up.

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    1. Thank you Iris!
      Stay safe!
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  30. Lovely collection of water bird photos! Glad you are staying safe.

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  31. Replies
    1. Thank you for the visit and comment!
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  32. Replies
    1. Thank you for the comment!
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  33. Thank you for your thoughtful, caring comment on my post about my mom. I enjoyed your photos of all the water birds, there are none where I live, so this is a treat.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Inger!
      I appreciate your comment and visit.
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  34. Replies
    1. Thank you for the visit and comment!
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  35. magnificent photo walk with you ~ ^_^

    Live each moment with love,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  36. Beautiful photo walk with you ~ (commented before but google indicated an error) ~ Happy Weekend to you ^_^

    Live each moment with love,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, I have troubles commenting with blogger.
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  37. Another great outing from you. Your love with nature just shines through all your posts.

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  38. Lovely photos, Eileen! The photo of the brilliant sun is just gorgeous! Merry Christmas, dear friend!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the visit and comment!
      Take care, have a happy day!

      Delete
  39. Really nice place to visit, lovely scenery.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Amy.
      Merry Christmas to you and your family!
      Have a great day and a happy weekend!

      Delete
  40. Beautiful blue sky. I'm attracted to sunburst images too!

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  41. Your images are lovely Eileen. When the sun comes out after a few days of rain and grey skies I always want to get out for a walk. Have a very Merry Christmas. xx

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