Saturday's Critters # 518

Welcome to Saturday's Critters!

Hello and happy Saturday!

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃 🦃🥧

 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!

On Oct 9-11th , hubby and I went on a short getaway. First we took a short detour off of Rt 50 to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge Maryland. Then we headed to Chincoteague Island Virginia, the Chincoteague Island National Wildlife Refuge, Tom's Cove and the Assateague Island National Seashore. 

1. These are images from our drive at the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge. At Blackwater NWR, we took the short Marsh Edge trail. 

We saw and heard these Terns, they were so loud. I think they were fighting over a fish?  Back in the car and on the wildlife drive, I found a juvenile Bald Eagle sitting in a tree, monarchs were flying next to our car, a White-tailed Deer walking off into the wood and the Tickseed  Sunflowers were plentiful along the drive. 

 

The Tickseed Sunflowers looked pretty, the yellow flowers were seen all along the wildlife drive. 

2. Further along the wildlife drive, we saw the Yellowlegs, numerous Great Blue Herons, Canada Geese and an Egret. 

3. We saw two Mallards, one is hidden in the grasses hanging out with the Canada Geese.  

4. Looking straight on, the Great Blue Heron looks a little silly. 

5. After driving a total of 4 hours or more, we arrived in Chincoteague. We took a walk on the trail to the pony overlook.  On the way I saw this tiny Sika deer, it is so cute. At the pony overlook I found one Tricolored Heron and the ponies of course. 

The Sika Deer is a small member of the elk family, they have dark brown to black coat. They have short snouts and small ears. The Sika Deer were introduced to Maryland's Eastern Shore and in Virginia. I am assuming this was a juvenile Sika Deer, it just stood and stared at us while we were on the trail. 

A distant look at the Chincoteague Ponies. 

Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets are mixed together, a few times I think I saw the juvenile Little Blue Heron which is also white.  

6. On the road to the beach, we see lots of Egrets. Further up the road we see the Double-crested Cormorants hanging out, we caught the sun setting at Tom's Cove, a small group of Black-bellied Plovers  (just a guess) and there were 3 Great Blue Herons flying over the cove. 

7. On the shore of the cove, I was watching a group of what I believe are the juvenile Black-bellied Plovers.  There is a closer look at two in the mosaic above bottom left image. 

8. The end of day one, we watched the sun setting over Tom's Cove in Chincoteague Island NWR. 

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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.

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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.