Saturday, January 27, 2024

Saturday's Critters # 528

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 month behind, I am still trying to catch up. These images start with an early morning Christmas day walk to the lake. 


1. Our walk was on a fire road that leads to the lake and a view of the Bald Eagle's nest.  We didn't see an Eagle on the nest but there was an adult Eagle in one tree and a juvenile across the lake. 





2. This Bald Eagle was calling to another Eagle that flew away from the tree.  






3. Dec 29th, our walk was to our back part of the lake. We were happy to see a large flock of Canada Geese and 20-30 Common Mergansers.  We were a distance away and the Mergansers were still spooked and flew further across the lake. 




Below is one male Common Merganser with three females. The male has more white on it's body and a green head. I cropped this photo, I wish it was a clearer photo they were a good distance away. 





4. Just a few of the Canada Geese seen at the lake.






5. Along the fire road we watched a flock of Eastern Bluebirds, I was surprised to see a large group hanging out together.  Below are the Male Bluebird on the left and the female is one the right. 





6. On New Year's day I like to record the first bird I see, it was the Blue Jay. After putting out some peanut nuggets on the deck railing, the Blue Jays were the first bird I saw along with the Dark-eyed Junco, Tufted Titmouse and the White-throated Sparrows.






7. Jan 2nd, our walk to the front part of the lake. We saw 3 Bald Eagles, 2 in flight and one sitting in a tree. A big flock of Robins were seen along the fire road. 





8. I was able to snap a few photos of the Robins, they were flying back and forth across the fire road as walked close.  




Jan 24th, was our grandson Mason's 2nd birthday, we were happy to be there to celebrate on the actual day.





Here is a Saturday's Critters badge if you would like to add it to your post.





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.

115 comments:

Mae Travels said...

Eagles, bluebirds and bluejays are all great birds to start the New Year! I wish you a great year in birding — and thank you for all the critter posts in the past and present.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com

magiceye said...

Beautiful captures of our feathered friends!
Have a great weekend!

Cloudia said...

Thank you Eileen

GreenComotion said...

I am so fortunate to see the Eagle through your eyes. Lots of great details in the second photo. The designs on the plume of the Blue Jay are also very pretty. Thanks for hosting, Eileen. Have a Happy Weekend!!

roentare said...

Eastern bluebird is my favorite.

italiafinlandia said...

Happy Birthday to little Mason!
Thanks for sharing the beautiful Bluebirds, my favourite in this post.
Happy weekend and happy new walks and captures!

Irma said...

Hello Eileen,
Beautiful series of photos from your walk at the lake.
The bald eagle and its young are wonderful to see.
Also very beautiful are the Mergansers and the Canadian geese.
The Eastern Bluebirds and the Blue Jays do not occur in the Netherlands, I am happy that I can see them here in the photo.
I wish you a nice weekend.
Greetings Irma

rupam sarma said...

Awesome collections of photos,

Happy belated Birthday Wishes to Lil Mason :) Greetings

Rostrose said...

Dear Eileen,
first of all, happy birthday to Mason! My grandson Jamie is now 2 years and 2 months old. A delightful age - we went to the zoo with Jamie the day before yesterday and I will show photos of that in the next post. Today only a few birds in our garden and the surrounding area. I'm also very happy about your bird sightings - the eagles are so wonderful and then I'm especially happy about the colorful smaller birds like the bluebird, blue jay, robin etc. In my post you'll see that there are also beautiful birds in our country, but most of them are discreetly "dressed" in brown, gray, beige or black 😉
All the best from Austria, Traude

Iris Flavia said...

A month behind? I´m still stuck in November! ;-)
The Eagles look majestic and ohhhh, the Bluebirds are very cute. And the Blue Jay, what a welcome to a new year!
Oh, the cute-terrible two´s! Very sweet.
Have a great Saturday!

chica said...

Essas caminhadas de vocês rendem maravilhosas fotos!
Adorei ver o pássaro azul!
E parabéns pro teu netinho que completou 2 anos! Que amor! Bom festejar juntos!
Lindo fim de semana! beijos, chica

Marit said...

Hello Eileen,
It's a beautiful sunrise in your new header! The Blue Jay have a wonderful color. The Bald Eagle is very pretty too.
Take care, and enjoy your weekend!

Shiju Sugunan said...

Beautiful captures! The eagles, geese, and bluebirds are stunning. Happy belated birthday to Mason too!

Jo said...

Hello dear Eileen, thank you for this meme ; I've added my post. How great that you record the first bird you see on New Year's day. Thank you for visiting my blog so regularly. Have a lovely Saturday. Jo

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Eileen I ld love the colour of the Jay and Bllue birds. How your grandson has grown Seems like yesterday when he was born. Thanks for hosting and commenting and I hope you have a wonderful wekk ahead

MadSnapper said...

love the blue birds, so cute and those robins are beautiful as are the sweet grand sons.. happy saturday. I am off to walmart.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Well, of course, the best picture today is your wee fellow!!! But the birds are good too... YAM xx

David M. Gascoigne, said...

It is very encouraging to note the regularity with which you see Bald Eagles. They really have made a fine recovery.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you, Sandra!  The Blue birds are my favorite too.
Take care, have a happy day and great weekend.

Tom said...

...Eileen once again your have a fabulous post and you left the best for last. Happy Birthday Mason!

Jenn Jilks said...

Mason is a cutie!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Mae, for your critter post link and your comment!
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you for your critter post and your comment.
I do love seeing our feathered friends.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Cloudia, for your critter post and your comment.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you for your critter post and your comment!
It is always a treat to see the Eagles.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Roentare, for your critter post and your comment.
I do love the Bluebirds, they are my favorites too.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Luisella, for your critter post and your comment.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Irma, for your critter post and your nice comment.
We do enjoy all the nature we see on our walks.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you for your critter post and your comment.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Traude for your critter post and your comment.
Our grandsons are growing so fast. I am sure your Jamie enjoyed the zoo visit.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Iris, for your critter post and your comment.
Mason is a sweetie, I would say the term terrible two's does not fit for him.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Chica, for your comment and your visit.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Marit, for your critter post and your comment.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Shiju, for your critter post and your comment.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Jo, for your critter post and your comment.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Margaret, for your critter post and your comment.
Mason's first two years have flown by, too fast.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Yam, for your comment and your visit.
We do love our sweet grandson!
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you David, for your critter post and your comment.
Yes, I am so glad the Eagles are doing so well here.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Tom, for your critter post and your comment!
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Jenn, for your critter post and your comment.
Mason is a sweetie.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

Marie Smith said...

Happy birthday to your little sweetie! Love the eagles especially!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Marie, for your visit and comment. It is always a treat to see the Eagles. Mason is a sweetie. Take care, have a great weekend.

RedPat said...

I love seeing all your birds, Eileen. Those shots of the Blue Jay really stand out. Such handsome birds. Happy Birthday to Mason.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you RedPat, for your link and comment. The jays are pretty birds. Take care, have a great weekend.

William Kendall said...

The eagle is a beauty.

21 Wits said...

Good morning Eileen, it's too funny two Blue Jays just flew onto my birdbath as I'm posting this morning as beautiful as the Blue Jays you posted here today. I have my birdbath right outside my window where my desk and computer are! Great photos and what lovely nature and we here in Minnesota are so far experiencing such a weird winter, in fact our grass is almost all in view right now, and most of it is green. Strange right? Take good care and enjoy your weekend!

Red said...

You found a good variety of birds. Surprised to see so many mergansers. I guess I never see flocks of mergansers here as it's breeding season.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Great photos you got on your outings. I love seeing bald eagles in nature and you have several. Great sightings of the water fowl and I love your crystal sharp photos of the the blue birds. Congrats to your grandson on his second birthday.
And thank you so much for hosting.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I love the birthday fun! What a sweet little boy with such a happy life! Love the banner with the soft colors and those dusky blues of the bluebird too. Happy weekend and thanks for the party! It's the highlight of my week!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you William! The Eagle is a beauty! Have a great weekend.

John's Island said...

Hi Eileen, You have some neat traditions like recording the first bird you see on New Year’s day. Neat pics of the Blue Jay! The Mountain Bluebird is my favorite, a close second is the Eastern Bluebird. Looking at your Bluebird photo … it’s a wonder for me how nature choses to color its creations … the blue head on the male and grey on female is an example. Amazing that Mason is 2 already 😊 It seems like yesterday I was congratulating you on his birth. Happy Birthday Mason! Thanks, Eileen, for hosting and sharing. John PS Happiness is being a grandparent.

carol l mckenna said...

Lovely walk and photos ~ great area you live in ~ Favorite is the bluebirds ~ thanks,

Happy Birthday to your grandson ~ Wow! 2 years old ~ just beginning ~ hugs,

Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Karen, for your critter post and your comment!
I am seeing lots of Blue Jays here, they arrive as soon as I come out with the bird food.
We had a nice day yesterday 66° and sunny. The weather has been strange.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Red, for your comment and your visit.
We usually see the Mergansers here in the winter months.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Yogi, for your critter post and your comment!
I always love to see the Bald Eagles, no matter how may times I see them.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Diane, for your critter post and your comment!
The Bluebirds are lovely, always a great sight to see.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

ellen b. said...

Happy 2nd birthday to your little grandson! Glad you could celebrate him on his day. Love the bluebird and the shots you got of him. Here we are at the last Saturday in January! Yikes. Have a great day, Eileen.

DeniseinVA said...

Happy 2nd Birthday to your grandson Mason. He is a darling, so adorable! Two lovely traditions, walking on the fire road and also taking a photo of the first bird you see on your deck, both on Christmas Day. It was a lovely walk and all those sightings, fantastic! Thank you for sharing them Eileen, always an enjoyable visit for me to see what your camera lens sees. I also wanted to add how much I enjoy the photos you post on other days. I didn’t want to forget to tell you that today. Have a great weekend!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you John, for your critter post and your comment!
I loved seeing my first Mountain Bluebird, I remember the spot too. I was sitting at a bench at Old Faithful in Yellowstone. Mason's first 2 years went by so quickly. Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Carol, for your critter post and your comment.
The Bluebirds are a beautiful sight to see.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Ellen, for your comment and your visit.
January is flying by, hard to be February is next week.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thanks so much Denise, for your nice comment. Hubby and I do enjoy our walks, we are lucky to live so close to the lake. Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

Your comments came through Eileen! Thank you! I'm getting an error message on some of mine too!

EricaSta said...

Thank you for the nice comment. And of course I'm happy to return the favor. The young eagle is of course the absolute highlight, dear Eileen. Photographing a young bird with the camera is a special moment. I say that because I already find it difficult to capture the blackbirds, blue tits or sparrows photographically here in the garden. But the other birds, especially the blue jay, have also been captured fantastically in scenes.

Thank you for this wonderful post about
MosaicMonday

Warm hugs from Heidrun and Happy Birthday to your grandson

Debbie said...

what a nice christmas present that the eagle visited!! i rarely see them here, although i do know they are around!! i was out yesterday and today in the rain and saw a lot of loons and mergansers. they were fun to see but the pictures did not come out very well!! gorgeous captures of the blue birds, another bird i rarely see!! happy birthday and good wishes to that sweet little mason, he is adorable. my michael had white blonde hair just like mason's when he was little!! many thanks for hosting eileen, have a great weekend, it will be a good one if you are a duck!! hahahaha

Michelle said...

I like seeing your eagle shots. We have one nesting close to our farm. They are gorgeous creatures.

Lea said...

Great photos of the birds! I especially like the Robin photos.
I enjoyed seeing the grandson photos, too.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Angie's Recipes said...

Love bald eagle...have never seen one over here. You took some really great pictures of nature.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Hi Eileen! I finally remembered that I have a critter (horses) in my blog post this week and glad to join in. I love all your photos --my favorites are the bluebird, blue jay and robin! It will be awhile longer for us to see robins as it has been very cold the past few weeks and most birds have stayed south. Today it is sunny and warm in the 50s so the magpies are back. Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Heidrun, I appreciate your link and comment. I do love photographing the birds and nature I see, I am afraid the photos are not always perfect. Take care, have a happy weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Debbie, I appreciate your link and comment. My son had light blonde hair when he was young too, it is getting darker now. Yes, we are expecting rain later tonight and tomorrow. It will be a wet football game in Baltimore.
Take care , enjoy your day and weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Michelle! It is a treat to see the eagles nesting nearby. Have a great weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Lea, for your link and comment. Take care, have a great weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Angie, I do enjoy my eagles sightings. Have a great weekend.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Pat, for joining in with the critter party. I do love the horse images on your post. We are warmer today too but rain is on the way. Take care, have a wonderful weekend.

Aritha V. said...

Happy birthday to your grandson, Eileen. And I love all birds blue....

HappyK said...

Love all the birds. I can't even pick out a favorite.

Lowcarb team member said...

Hello Eileen
Lovely to see the photographs from your Christmas and New Year walks.
My two favourite birds are the Eastern Bluebird and the fabulous Robin.

Of course then you included the adorable photographs of Mason's second birthday.
The two years have simply flown by haven't they.
Lovely that you could be there on the day to celebrate with him.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

All the best Jan

Linda said...

Happy birthday to Mason! How special to see Eagles on Christmas!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Aritha, for your link and comment.
The blue birds are beautiful.
Take care, have a great day and a happy new week!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Karen, for your comment and your visit.
I love all the birds too!
Take care, have a great day and a happy new week!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Jan, for your comment and your visit.
Mason's first two years have flown by!
Take care, have a great day and a happy new week!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Linda, for your link and comment!
Take care, have a great day and a happy new week!

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

I'm late to the party. I loved reading about and seeing your encounters with the eagles. What an abundance of water birds!

Jeanie said...

That's a lovely way to spend Christmas! And you were well rewarded with some beautiful sightings (love that eagle!). And the bird photos are splendid.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Ken, for your link and comment. Happy Sunday, have a great week ahead.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Jeanie! I would like to make our Christmas walk a tradition for hubby and I. Happy Sunday, have a great week ahead.

Black Knight said...

Happy birthday Mason!
Great shots.
I miss the Canadian Geese that until last year live on the Bolsena lake. Where are they now? Will they come back in spring?

Inger said...

I began writing that I love the eagle calling, but then I realized that I just love all your photos, the blue birds may be a favorite, but then they are all gorgeous.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you for the comment and visit. I hope the geese return to your Bolsena Lake. Take care, have a great day and a happy new week!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Inger, for your comment and your visit.
The Bluebirds are my favorites too.
Take care, have a great day and a happy new week!

Jim and Barb's Adventures said...

When we were fishing the other day, there was an osprey perched above us calling and calling. It was so cool to watch and hear.

Teresa said...

Siempre geniales tus publicaciones. Muchas felicidades para tu precioso nieto. Un abrazo.

Little Wandering Wren said...

I cant believe you are celebrating a 2nd birthday already! Big Hugs! Oh how I would love to have those little blue birds in our garden, we do get Blue Tits but nothing as exotic as your spottings! Have a great week. Wren x

Jill Harrison said...

gorgeous bird images as always. Ha ha, I'm always trying to catch up! to no avail1 Enjoy your week Eileen. And happy birding

eileeninmd said...

Thanks for the visit! The Ospreys are cool birds to watch them fishing. Take care, have a great day and a happy new week!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Wren, for your comment and visit. The Bluebirds are my favorites, they are lovely birds. Take care, enjoy your day and the week ahead.

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Jill, I appreciate your comment. Take care, enjoy your week!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Teresa, for your comment and visit.
Take care, have a great day and a happy new week!

Sharon Wagner said...

I got a nice juvenile eagle photo, right outside our condo in Florida. I love being near water!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Sharon for the link and your comment. It is always a treat to see the eagles. Take care, enjoy your day and the week ahead.

Angie said...

Eileen - I love Bluebirds. We are still a ways off from seeing them return to Montana. For now, I will be happy with the Nuthatches, Chickadees, Woodpeckers and Canada Jays! Thanks for visiting my blog!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Angie, for your comment and visit. I do love the Bluebirds, they are lovely. You have some great birds there.
Take care, have a great day!

Marco Luijken said...

Hello Eileen,
Congratulations with your Grandson Mason. What a funny boy.
Nice pictures you show of all special kind of birds. That eagle is great and nice shots of so many geese.
The other wonderful colored birds are so nice. Good shots!!

Many greetings,
Marco

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Marco, I appreciate the comment. Take care, enjoy your day and the week ahead.

This N That said...

It's hard to believe that Mason is 2 already..I love your fire road walks..Thanks for tking me along..You always get such great pictures there..Enjoy the rest of your week..

Veronica Lee said...

Your post is a visual delight filled with the wonders of nature!
The captures of the Bald Eagles are majestic.
Happy belated birthday wishes to your grandson Mason 🎂

Hugs and blessings

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Missy! We do enjoy our walks, there is always something to see! Take care, have a great day and happy week ahead!

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Veronica, for your link and comment. The Eagles are majestic and a treat to see! Take care, have a great day and happy week ahead!

Ana Mínguez Corella said...

Hi Eileen.. Beautiful mosaic of pictures.. Very nice de American Robin... Cheers

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Ana, for the visit and comment. Take care, have a great day and happy week ahead!

Tanza Erlambang said...

we hardly to see bald eagles in our areas...
beautiful shots

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Tanza, for your link and comment. The Bald Eagles are a treat to see. Take care, have a great day and happy week ahead!

EricaSta said...

Always a great pleasure, reading here.

Thank you for this wonderful post on
MosaicMonday

Warm hugs from Heidrun

eileeninmd said...

Thank you Heidrun, for your comment and link! Take care, have a great day!

Saturday's Critters # 571

  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 ...