Welcome to Saturday's Critters!
Hello and happy Saturday!
I have some more photos from our late February getaway to Maryland's Eastern shore. On the way home from Ocean City, Md we stopped at Blackwater NWR for a ride on their wildlife drive. These photos were all taken from our car.
1. As soon as we entered the wildlife drive we saw the Canada Geese and Tundra Swans were sharing these wetlands.
Click on photos for larger viewing.
2. Below are the Canada Geese in front but just past the geese is a group of Ring-necked Ducks. You can see the ducks better if you click on photo for a larger view.
3. The Mallard Ducks seem to be a common sight on these wetlands.
4. I was amazed at how many Tundra Swans were seen on this day, they migrate north for the spring/summer season.
5. More Tundra Swans mixed in with the Canada Geese.
6. A pretty male Northern Shoveler.
7. The Great Blue Herons can always be seen at the wildlife refuge. They may have a rookery nearby.
8. Another view of more Tundra Swans.
9. There may be a controlled burn in the distance but there are even more Tundra Swans on the river and nearby wetlands.
We saw a few eagles, the trail in the forest is closed while the Bald Eagles are nesting. I hope you enjoyed our visit to Blackwater Wildlife Refuge located in Cambridge Maryland.
Thanks to all my visitors and for your comments. Stop back to see any replies to your comments. I appreciate everyone who loves critters and has linked up their critter post.
Here is my linky:
1.
Also visit: I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the host Anni.
Happy Saturday to you too. Great shots of the feathered critters from the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge. Thank you for hosting.
ReplyDeleteThank you Nancy!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your weekend!
Yes I certainly enjoyed seeing all the birds you saw at Blackwater Wildlife Refuge . I am amazed at the amount of Swans there were That image os the Shoveler is fantastic Eileen. Thanks for hosting, stay safe and havae a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteThank you Margaret!
DeleteI was surprised to see so many Swans in one spot.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
Good population of Tundra swans. You got some great pictures, I like the Northern Shoveler and the Ring-necked and Mallard Ducks.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment and visit!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your weekend!
Northern Shoveler has interesting beak. I thought it's a common duck at first, but I enlarged photo. Very nice. Have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteThank you Klara!
DeleteThe Shoveler's bill is huge compared to other ducks.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
Excellent shots. Eileen. Specially like the Northern Shoveler.
ReplyDeleteMB
Thank you MB!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your weekend!
Amazing number of swans, indeed. They are multiplying also here in Finland. The Northern Shoveler is a cutie, with its funny bill.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your outings and the upcoming weekend! Stay well!
Thank you Luisella!
DeleteThe Shoveler's bill is funny looking.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
wow, that´s a LOT of swans and geeze! I certainly would have loved seeing it. And the Northern Shoveler, I hope there will be some in my part of the land this season. There is more water this spring so, maybee......
ReplyDeleteIt is never fun to see burns even if controlled.
Hope you get a great week.
Take care!
Thank you Monica!
DeleteI hope you see some great Spring birds moving in.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
Hello Eileen,
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos! There are huge numbers of the Canadageeses. It must be special to see so many of them.
Happy Weekend!
Thank you Marit!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your weekend!
It seems fitting to see Canada Geese and Tundra Swans together, both heading for Canada's northern breeding grounds, although I suspect that at least some of the geese are non-migratory.
ReplyDeleteThank you David!
DeleteYes, we see the Canada Geese here year round, some do not migrate.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
Excellent captures of all the critters. Beauty everywhere in nature, enjoy! Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for hosting.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bill!
DeleteNature is beautiful!
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
Lovely pictures of the birds! Happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteThank you Ranten!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your weekend!
They are with so many, beautiful pictures!
ReplyDeleteThank you Marianne!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your weekend!
i have a couple of times seen 3 or 4 canadian geese, but never flocks and never even seen a single wild swan. these are amazing
ReplyDeleteThank you Sandra!
DeleteI do love seeing the huge flocks of geese and swans in the winter months.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
Tão lindas tuas fotos sempre! Como vai teu netinho? Aproveitando bem pra curtir e brincar com ele? beijos, lindo fim de semaa,chica
ReplyDeleteThank you Chica!
DeleteOur grandson Wyatt is great, he is precious. We are keeping a distance until we are fully vaccinated.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
...I don't think that I've ever seen a Northern Shoveler or Tundra Swan. they sure are neat. Thanks Eileen for hosting and I hope that you are have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteThank you Tom!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your weekend!
Wonderful photos. Loved the post.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend. Stay well.
Thank you for visiting and for the comment!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your weekend!
It's such a relief to see the critters out and about here!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing yours and hosting! Have a great one!
Thank you Jenn!
DeleteYou are seeing lots of critters there.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
Hari Om
ReplyDeleteto see birds en masse is always mesmerising, I feel - you got some fab shots! YAM xx
Thank you YAM!
DeleteSeeing the huge flocks of birds is amazing.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
To see so many Swans and Canada Geese is just amazing! Sure makes for an exciting day. We have the control burns here too and they help keep things under control. Enjoy your weekend! Thanks for the fun party!
ReplyDeleteThank you Diane!
DeleteYes, the burns are needed to clear out the non-native grasses.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
These swans dwarf the geese. Wow. How fortunate you are to see them and in such numbers.
ReplyDeleteThank you Marie!
DeleteI was happy to see all the birds. :)
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
It would be wonderful to live near this place just to be able to see all the migratory birds passing through.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rose!
DeleteI wished I lived closer to this refuge.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
Fantastic shots Eileen. I don't recall ever seeing so many birds in one place. Have a great weekend and thanks for hosting! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Martha!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your weekend!
Wonderful photos as always ~ Have never seen so many swans in one place ~ awesome! Xo
ReplyDeleteLiving moment by moment,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Thank you Carol!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your weekend!
Lovely captures, Eileen. Now that Spring is springing in your neck of the woods, I am sure you'll be out and about a lot more.
ReplyDeleteThank you Nick!
DeleteI hope to get out for more walks, if only the rain and wind would stop.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
A huge flock of Swan!! They are fun to observe especially in breeding season as they become very territorial and start with all sorts of antics...Enjoy your weekend.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sondra!
DeleteIt is cool to see all the swans migrating.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
oooooh i did enjoy and all of this from the comfort of your car?? i enjoy seeing the tundra swans, i don't get them here and have never seen one (and that's a lot!!). i also never saw my shovelers this past winter, i usually do - awesome capture, it is a beautiful duck!!
ReplyDeletehave a great weekend eileen, although it may rain a bit, and many thanks for hosting!!
Thank you Debbie!
DeleteThe Tundra Swans are native birds for this area. I like the Shovelers too.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
PS: Thank you for hosting, Eileen!
ReplyDeleteThanks again nick!
DeleteHave a great new week ahead!
Fantastic! Great to see all these birds and always am grateful for the share. Thank you Eileen, have a super weekend :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Denise!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your weekend!
That Shoveler photo really shows off its colors. What an amazing collection of Tundra Swans!
ReplyDeleteThank you Ken!
DeleteThere were a lot of Tundra Swans. More than I could ever fit in one photo.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
Tundra swans are very majestic birds.
ReplyDeleteThank you Red!
DeleteThey are beautiful swans.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
I see many a Canada Goose here with Mallards, and the geese look so big but if a Tundra Swan were to appear...they are huge! Thanks for sharing these beautiful wetland birds. Hope you have a great rest of the weekend.
ReplyDeleteThank you Barbara!
DeleteThe Tundra Swans a big birds.
I hope all is well, take care!
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
HI Barbara,
DeleteI have enjoyed seeing your post, I am sorry I am not able to comment on your blog.
Good morning Eileen! What lovely nature moments, you've captured the essence of spring breaking its way into our lives. This possibly my most favorite season of all. New beginnings to discover. Enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteThank you Karen!
DeleteSpring is a great time of year, seeing beautiful new beginnings.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
Hello |Eileen. You have so many birds on that wetland that it must be very difficult for anyone to take regular counts. But then I imagine that February will be a peak month with much smaller numbers by now (and different species). I rarely see a Shoveler nowadays so I enjoyed looking at your close capture. Good news too that the walking trails are closed when the eagles nest. I think that is a great idea and one that we in this country should adopt for some species so as to help their breeding success.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link today Eileen. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Thank you Phil!
DeleteYes, I am glad the trail is closed, even though it is one of my favorite trails. I do not want to see the Eagles disrupted or harassed. Take care, enjoy your weekend!
Wow Eileen, that is an amazing amount of swans! Great photos! I love the one with the 2 Canada geese over the Tundra swans!! I went for a hike yesterday by a duck pond, hoping to see some...out of luck! None there!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Rain!
DeleteYou never know what you will see, I am glad you had a nice walk.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
That's a lot of Tundra Swans for sure. We happened upon a very large group of Canadian Geese that all decided to fly off at the same time. So fun to see. Hope you are having a nice weekend!
ReplyDeleteThank you Ellen!
DeleteI always enjoy seeing the large flocks of birds flying by or on the ground.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
I'm amazed at the number of Tundra Swans that you saw, Eileen! I don't think that I have ever seen such a large group of birds.
ReplyDeleteThank you RedPat!
DeleteIt is amazing to see these huge flocks of birds.
Take care, enjoy your weekend!
Hi dearest Eileen!
ReplyDeleteOh, so many tundra swans! I am very impressed with the large amount - and I hope the fire was actually controlled. You are offering us very nice waterfowl impressions again! I think I've never seen a Northern Shoveler before.
All the best from Austria,
Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2021/04/marillen-erlebnisweg-und-gottweig.html
Hello Traude!
DeleteThank you for visiting and for the comment!
Take care, enjoy your day! Have a great new week!
I adore rambling around with you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Cloudia!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your day! Have a great new week!
Hello Eileen, I have been away from Blogger but back now again. It's so great you got a trip in in February. I love your waterbird images. Thanks for hosting this meme. I am linking to you. Have a great week. Jo
ReplyDeleteThank you Jo!
DeleteIt is good to see you posting again!
Take care, enjoy your day! Have a great new week!
Yes we love everything in the nature/world because of they are God's creatures. Pictures are great! Happy Day.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting and for the comment!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your day! Have a great new week!
I have a great fondness for herons. I haven't seen any yet this year, but they should be back soon.
ReplyDeleteThank you William!
DeleteI love the herons too!
Take care, enjoy your day! Have a great new week!
Wow what a treat to see all those swans in one place!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Karen!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your day! Have a great new week!
Me encantó ver tantas aves. Besos.
ReplyDeleteThank you Teresa!
DeleteTake care, enjoy your day! Have a great new week!
Nice visit! I've only been there one time because that pesky bridge is such a bottleneck.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda!
DeleteIt is a pain to drive across the bridge, they are doing a lot of work on it.
Take care, enjoy your day! Have a great new week!
Oh my goodness Eileen... those numbers is swans are incredible!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for a most wonderful series of images shared ...
~Anni @ I'd Rather B Birdin'
Thanks Anni!
DeleteIt did look like a record number of Tundra Swans.
Have a happy day and a great new week!
Hope the controlled burn doesn't affect the visiting birds, and you got beautiful photos of the flock of birds! Have a nice week ahead
ReplyDeleteThank you Jeevan!
DeleteTake care, have a great new week!
Thank you for hosting, Eileen!
ReplyDeleteThank you Nick!
DeleteTake care, have a great new week!
The Shoveler is an especially handsome bird. Oh, I do hope that is a controlled burn. The creatures must wonder, too.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for visiting and for the comment!
DeleteTake care, have a great new week!
Hi Eileen...A lot of birds... Beautiful pictures... Happy Sunday and week ahead 😊
ReplyDeleteThank you Ana!
DeleteTake care, have a happy day and a great new week!
Amazing pictures and wildlife Eileen. Lovely place to visit.
ReplyDeleteHugs diane
Thank you Diane!
DeleteTake care, have a happy day and a great new week!
Hello Eileen, So sorry I just forgot to comment when I linked up. Having read all the comments, I'm just as much in awe of seeing so many Tundra Swans all in one place, as everyone else. Its an incredible sight both of the swans and geese. All wonderful images, and I really like the close up of the Shoveler. Thanks for hosting.
ReplyDeleteHello Sonjia, it is so kind of you to comment on the post and swans. It was wonderful to see so many Tundra Swans together in one place, some were spread out through the wildlife refuge. Take care, stay well! I wish you a happy day and a great new week!
DeleteBeautiful Tundra Swans images Eileen.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bob!
DeleteHave a great new week!
It was a good idea to enlarge the pictures. I have never seen that many swans in my life. Thanks for sharing and also thanks for commenting on my posts so faithfully.I can only wish I was that good to my blogger friends. But I do care. Have a wonderful week ahead.
ReplyDeleteHello Inger
DeleteI was surprised to see so many Tundra Swans that day, it is an amazing sight to see. I appreciate your visit and comment. Take care, have a happy new week!
Thank you for sharing these lovely photographs from your late February getaway, it looks a very nice place to visit.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have had a great weekend, my good wishes for the new week ahead.
All the best Jan
Thank you Jan!!
DeleteTake care, have a happy day and a great new week!
beautiful images.... love "a pretty male Northern Shoveler."
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful Monday
Thank you Tanza!
DeleteHave a happy new week!
Beautiful
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting!
DeleteHave a great new week!
Eileen btw...I live just over an hour away from the Hopewell Rocks. I plan to visit again this summer. It's a magical place on the Bay of Fundy. I used to go there a lot as a teenager when I lived in Moncton...I always felt a special energy from that place. Thanks for reminding me of its beauty! When did you visit?
ReplyDeleteHello Rain,
DeleteThe photo was from my archives, maybe taken over 10 years ago. It was a fun trip, we stayed in a park that had tiny little cabins. I like walking on the beach during the low tide, it was magical. Thanks for the comment.
It's fun to see the geese return, isn't it? An oh, what joy to see the swans!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jeanie!
DeleteThe geese are here year round, but the swans were migrating. A fun sight to see!
Have a happy new week!
I will have to remember this wildlife refuge, when we are traveling from here to Chincoteague. We pass through Cambridge. I will have to allow time for a drive through the refuge. Your pictures are fantastic.
ReplyDeleteHello Linda,
DeleteIt is a little drive from Rt 50 in Cambridge but well worth the visit. The wildlife drive is great, winter time there are lot of Canada Geese, Snow Geese and the Tundra Swans and other ducks. Then there are the Bald Eagles, Waders and shorebirds, sometimes the White Pelicans are there. We see something every time we are there. Thanks for the comment. Enjoy your day!
I think these birds near the water are amazing and your photos are great showing their color!!...jp
ReplyDeleteThank you JP!
DeleteHave a great day and week ahead!
So nice to see the birds enjoying their swim.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Thank you Amalia! Have a happy day!
DeleteMucha vida nueva. Preciosos los cisnes.
ReplyDeleteBuen miércoles. Cuidaros.
Un abrazo.
Thank you Laura!
DeleteThe Swans are beautiful.
Have a great day and happy week ahead.
I love this drive Eileen. There is something so special about seeing different species of birds together that way ... and incredible to see so many of them. What a wonderful place.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sallie! It is a great wildlife drive, we always see something.
DeleteHave a great day!
Eileen - migrations are a fabulous time for bird-watching! Great shots!
ReplyDeleteThank you Angie! Yes, it is fun watching the large flocks of migrating birds.
DeleteHave a happy day!
Wow, How mesmerizing to see such large flocks of swans. In my city's park we can see many swans swimming in the lake there. I remember enjoying seeing them when I was little. Your kindness of hosting this link page sometimes makes me remember these days ;))
ReplyDeleteLot's of thanks to you from Japan, Miyako*