Happy Monday!

 Wishing everyone a great day and a happy new week!

"Live each day better than our last."

Kylemore Abbey, Ireland May 2023

"Breathe in the future, breathe out the past."

 "We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone."

Comments off, enjoy your day!

Saturday's Critters # 497

 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 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!

A break from my Ireland photos, I am trying to catch up with my yard birds and flowers, local walks on the fire road and to the lake which is pictured as my header photo. 

The week of June 12th,  I found my hummingbird feeders down on the ground and emptied. I was not sure what was happening, maybe a raccoon or as it turned out our neighbor saw a black bear in our yard on evening of the 14th around 8pm. It has been making the rounds at various neighbor's yards and bird feeders. I wish I was able to see it, now I am looking out my windows in the evening and bringing in my feeders. 

1. A White-eyed Vireo, White-tailed Deer, Prettyboy Reservoir, Eagle's Nest, Common Loon, wild azaleas, more deer and wildflowers.

2. The Common Loon is not often seen at our lake, I was happy to see this one a good distance from the lake shore where I was standing. It was amazing to hear the loon call, a very cool sound. 

3. The Eastern Bluebirds are back again using a different nest box, today I saw the male divebomb a squirrel that was on my deck railing. 

4. Our Rhododendrons, various Clematis, Siberian Iris, Catmint, Columbine, Lantana and a white Waterlily. 

5. A pair of Double-crested Cormorants, Great Blue Herons, Canada Geese and the Belted Kingfishers. 

6. A pair of Great Blue Heron with a group of Canada Geese. 

7. A Belted Kingfisher couple, the male is offering a small fish to the female on the left. 

8. Tiger Swallowtail butterfly, Columbine is still blooming and lots of Clematis, my yard birds are the Great-crested Flycatcher, House Wren, Cardinal, Ruby-throated Hummingbird and a Chipping Sparrow. 

9. This Ovenbird was upset to see us walking on the fire road, he came and started fussing at us just for walking by.  You can see the agitated adult raise their Black-bordered Orange crown. 

10. These birds sing loudly, I can hear them all around my yard. 

11. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, these birds are small and have a cute sound.  I usually hear them more often than I see them, they move around quickly.

I hope you enjoyed my yard birds and the birds I see around my neighborhood.  

Thank you for sharing your critters and post!

Thanks to all my visitors and for your past and present comments. Stop back to see any replies to your comments. I appreciate everyone who loves and respects wildlife. Thank you for linking up a critter post.

Here is my linky:

 I am linking up to Heidrun's Mosaic Monday  I hope you can stop by and visit Heidrun and check out the Mosaic Monday post. 

Happy Monday!

 Wishing everyone a great day and a happy new week!

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

Kylemore Abbey Nature trail. 

"Escape and breathe the air of new places."

 "We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone."

Comments off, enjoy your day!

Saturday's Critters # 496

Welcome to Saturday's Critters!

Hello and happy Saturday!

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads!

 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!

May 8-9th, Ireland continued, this day we left Westport, stops along the way at the holy mountain Croagh Patrick and St. Patrick statue overlook, the Great Famine sculpture and arriving later in the day in the town of Clifden. 

1. Croagh Patrick is name of a religious site and mountain in the Republic of Ireland, we walked up the trail just as far as the statue of Saint Patrick, Eurasian Robin, invasive fuchsia, Great Famine Monument, cows, Murrisk Abbey, Barn Swallow and more cows. 

The striking coffin ship, emigrants fleeing the famine.

2. The Eurasian Robin was one of my favorites birds to see in Ireland.  They are so darn cute! 

3. The Barn Swallows were flying around the  Murrisk Abbey, there was a cow farm right next door to the ruins. 

4.  The cows were a friendly bunch of critters, some walked over close to the fence. 

5. Love this cute face, I think he/she wanted a treat.  

6. These are some scenes taken during a walk from our Clifden hotel. There was a pretty cascade, the Chaffinch was hanging around the water, a sweet lamb and sheep and horse on the hill, some wildflowers.

7. A pretty male Chaffinch.  

8. The little lamb was adorable, I love the black face and legs.

9. Sheep on a hill with trees leaning to the side, possibly from the wind.

10. The horse was in the same field with the sheep above. 

11. This bird kind of gets lost standing on the rocks with leaves hanging down around it, I am sure it is a Grey Wagtail. 

 

Thank you for sharing your critters and post!

Thanks to all my visitors and for your past and present comments. Stop back to see any replies to your comments. I appreciate everyone who loves and respects wildlife. Thank you for linking up a critter post.

Here is my linky:

 I am linking up to Heidrun's Mosaic Monday  I hope you can stop by and visit Heidrun and check out the Mosaic Monday post. 

Happy Monday!

 Wishing everyone a great day and a happy new week!

"Time flows away like the water in a river."

Aasleagh Waterfall on the Erriff River, Leenane County

"Your feet will bring you where your heart is."

"We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone."

Comments off, enjoy your day!

Saturday's Critters # 495

 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 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!

A break from my Ireland trip and photos. More of Ireland will be shared again soon. Today I am sharing some photos from our walk on the C&O Canal trail in Potomac Md and at the Great Falls Nat'l Park.  

1. In the mosaic below are the Prothonotary Warbler, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Eastern Bluebird, wildflowers, turtles, Great Blue Heron, Double-crested Cormorants, Mallards and Blue-winged Teal.

2. The Prothonotary Warbler, is about 5 1.2 inches, he was singing loudly and heard way before I was able to find him in the tree top. This bird nest in trees and there are nest boxes set up along the canal trail.  

3. The male Prothonotary Warbler is a bright yellow with dark wings. 

4. The Green Heron is seen every year in about the same spot close to the Riley's Lock parking area. 

5. The Green Heron, one of my favorites. The breeding adult has a rust colored neck, a dark cap and a green back. 

6. The Slider Turtles are enjoying the sunshine, resting on the rocks. 

7. The Black-crowned Night Heron was seen on the canal side of the C&O canal trail.  

8. The Great-Blue Herons have a rookery in the trees that line the Potomac River.  

9. The Double-crested Cormorants nest along the river, a group of Cormorants is called a "gulp".  

10. We saw at least 4-5 Blue-winged teal on the river. 

11. A view from the Great Falls overlook. 

Thank you for sharing your critters and post!

Thanks to all my visitors and for your past and present comments. Stop back to see any replies to your comments. I appreciate everyone who loves and respects wildlife. Thank you for linking up a critter post.

Here is my linky:

I am also linking up to Anni's blog party found here I'd Rather B Birding   Anni always has some beautiful birds to be seen on her blog, check it out! Also, I am also linking up to Heidrun's Mosaic Monday  I hope you can stop by and visit Heidrun and check out the Mosaic Monday post. 

Happy Monday!

Wishing everyone a great day and a happy new week!

"Add a national park to your bucket list, I promise you won't regret it."

Great Falls National Park, Potomac Maryland

"One of the great things about national parks is that they belong to everybody."

"We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone."

Comments off, enjoy your day!

Saturday's Critters # 494

 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 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!

May 7th and 8th, these images are from the first two days of our tour. We spent the first night in the town of Westport in County Mayo on the west coast of Ireland. The evening we arrived in town we were booked on a 90 minute cruise in the Clew Bay, checking out the 365 islands, seal colony, views of the John Lennon's island, the Inishgort Lighthouse and the holy mountain of Croagh Patrick.

1. Scenes from the boat ride, the coast line of Westport, Eurasian Oystercatcher, the seals, a Great Northern Diver, the lighthouse and cattle on the hillside. 

2. The Rook was seen on a parking lot on the way to Westport. 

3. Our hotel for the night in Westport, had the same name as my grandson Wyatt.  It was a nice place, had a pub and restaurant attached. 

4. The Pied Wagtail, I ended up seeing this bird every day during our travels.  They must be a common bird seen in Ireland. 

"Thanks to everyone who commented about this bird and it's id."

5. The Carrowbeg River runs through the town of Westport. 

6. Mixed reactions to this bird, at first I thought a Coal Tit and someone else mentioned a Great Tit.  Apparently one has two side bars and the other does not two side bars? 

Another thank you for all who helped with the id, the Great Tit.

7. I also have had mixed reactions to the bird below a White Wagtail or the subspecies the Pied Wagtail.  Does it depend on the the bird having a gray back or this darker black back?

8. The Westport House, a historical house we toured. There was a dungeon in the basement, the grounds were lovely, I like the chandeliers and decorative ceilings. The sheep were grazing on the land and there were swans on the lake. 

9. A view of the lake and the Westport House. The Swan paddleboats were sitting there waiting for action. The house built in the 1730's and owned by the Browne Family, the dungeons have ties to the Grace O'Malley the famous pirate queen.

10. A real Mute Swan was on the lake too. 

11. A Song Thrush seen on the grounds of the Westport House. 

Thank you for sharing your critters and post!

Thanks to all my visitors and for your past and present comments. Stop back to see any replies to your comments. I appreciate everyone who loves and respects wildlife. Thank you for linking up a critter post.

Here is my linky:

I am also linking up to Anni's blog party found here I'd Rather B Birding   Anni always has some beautiful birds to be seen on her blog, check it out! Also, I am also linking up to Heidrun's Mosaic Monday  I hope you can stop by and visit Heidrun and check out the Mosaic Monday post.