Saturday's Critters # 550

 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!

Another post on our Arizona trip, on April 25th we spent the day on the Mt Lemmon Scenic Drive. We stopped at just about all of the overlooks, did a couple of short walks. Of course I looked for birds, but I did not find many new birds. I saw a few House Finches, Crows and one lifer was the Bell's Vireo. A new to me squirrel sighting for me was the Abert's Squirrel. 

1. The Saguaro blooms were pretty, some were hard to see up high on the tall cactus. 

2. A closer look at the Saguaro blooms.

3. I believe the white flowers are called Desert Chicory. Also below the  Pink Fairy Duster on the top right, on the lower right I am not sure what the purple blooming shrub is called. 

4. Below is the Pink Fairy Duster (Calliandria eriophylla)  it is a low native shrub. It is what interested me on the photo below, the powder puff blooms remind me of the Mimosa blooms. I did not see the Arizona Rosewood blooms.  

5. I did not see many birds, a few House Finches and my lifer the Bell's Vireo, crows or ravens in flight.

6. In the top left photo you can barely make out the road curving around, a sign showing the various hummingbirds seen at Mt Lemmon, various cactus and the Desert Paintbrush flowers.

7. Various scenes from the overlooks on the Mt Lemmon Scenic Hwy. The Cookie Cabin is a popular place, beside their dinner plate sized cookies they make pizza.  We couldn't leave there without buying cookies, yum.

A view from the overlook, not far from the summit. 

New to me, the Abert's Squirrel. It is similar to our Gray Squirrel except for those cute long ears. 

8. This was the view of the ski area, we stopped here to eat lunch at the Iron Door Restaurant. I had a delicious chili with their famous corn bread, hubby just had an appetizer of loaded potato skins. I did see one hummingbird here at the feeder. It was too fast for a photo.

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.

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:

Thank you for sharing your critters and post!

Happy Monday!

 Wishing everyone a great day and a happy new week!

"Whatever makes your soul happy, do that."

Mt Lemmon, Arizona

"Do more of what makes you happy."

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

Comments off, enjoy your day!

Saturday's Critters # 549

 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!

On the morning of April 24th, we stopped at the nearby Meadow Garden Park in Green Valley.  We were just here the evening before, it was so nice it deserved a second visit before we left the area. 

1. One of my Arizona lifers below is the Costa's Hummingbird, it has a lovely purple gorget, looking like a necklace on it's neck. The flowers are beautiful, such a wonderful variety of blooms and colors. 

2. A larger image of the Costa's Hummingbird.

3. Below the lifers the Abert's Towhee and possibly the  Verdin in the top row. In the bottom row I have the Vermilion Flycatcher and the Gila Woodpecker. 

4. The Vermilion Flycatcher is a beauty, I was seeing this bird often during our Arizona travels.

5. More beautiful flowers seen in the gardens.

6. I like this poem "HOPE" by Eileen Valentino Flaxman, the words speak to me.  The Gambel's Quail perched on the back of the bench, saving you a seat. The Curve-bill Thrasher had a nest nearby, I watched it fly in and out of a bush.

7. Have a seat and enjoy all the flowers and birds in the gardens.

8. Another shot of the Costa's Hummingbird and some more pretty flowers.

A Desert Spiny Lizard

I have a few more days of our Arizona trip to share, I hope you enjoyed this post, the birds, flowers and the lizard.

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.

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:

Thank you for sharing your critters and post!

Happy Monday!

 Wishing everyone a great day and a happy new week!

"In the end, you only regret the roads you didn't take."

"No road is long with good company."

The road to Mt Lemmon , Arizona. 

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

Comments off, enjoy your day!

Saturday's Critters # 548

Welcome to Saturday's Critters! Hello and Happy Saturday!

Happy Father's Day, I hope your day is great! 

 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!

1. I am sharing a mish-mash of photos from various dates, a walk at the Susquehanna River State Park. Spring is a great time to see lots of bluebells in bloom along the trail. Below is also a Chipping Sparrow, Slider Turtle and the Bald Eagle. 

The Bald Eagles are seen regularly at the Susquehanna River trail. 

2. Back home from our Arizona trip we visited DIL and our  sweet grandsons (they enjoy bubble time out in the yard) and our cute grand-dog Winnie the Corgi. 

3. The Pink Lady Slippers return every year along our local fire road trail.  

4. One day I could hear the Scarlet Tanager ❤️  in my back yard, I scanned the tree tops and found this beauty.  ☺️

5. I am not sure which bird is using this house, one time I looked it was a House Wren and the next time there was an Eastern Bluebird.  

6. One day I looked out my kitchen window and my neighbors Peacock was walking along our deck railing. I think it was pecking at the nuggets crumbs left by my yard birds.  This first sighting was on May 9th, it has been a visitor just about every day. 

7. Our walk on the local NCR trail, we saw lots of the Dames Rocket blooms, is it a Solitary or Spotted Sandpiper (I never saw the front of this Sandpiper), Common Yellowthroat Warbler, Gray Catbird, Eastern Phoebe and a Canada Geese family. I heard more birds than I photographed, heading back to the car I saw a Green Heron, it spooked easily and flew away. 😟

I never know what is going to show up in my yard, one week it was the Black Bear and the next week it is the Peacock. I am glad I am always looking out my windows. You never know what will be out there.  

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.

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:

Thank you for sharing your critters and post!

Happy Monday!

 Wishing everyone a great day and a happy new week!

"Where flowers bloom so does hope."

Palo Verde tree seen at the Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix, Arizona. 

"Politeness is the flower of humanity."

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

Comments off, enjoy your day!

Saturday's Critters # 547

 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!

More from Madera Canyon and Green Valley Arizona. Not far from our hotel the was a nice park with a pretty garden, there were hummingbird feeders all around the gardens and it was a great habitat for various birds. 

1. My lifer, from the Madera Canyon is the Painted Redstart is a pretty bird with a scarlet belly and black plumage and white on the upper wing. 

I tried to adjust the lighting on this photo below, it changed the color of sky but now you can see the white line under the Painted Redstart's eye.

2. Another Arizona lifer from Madera Canyon is the Brown-crested Flycatcher. It reminds me of the Great-crested Flycatcher seen in my area. 

3. After our dinner we enjoyed a walk around the Meadows Garden Park in Green Valley. This park was only minutes from our hotel. The Gambel's Quail was seen a few times during our trip. I have seen this bird on a trip to New Mexico years ago.  This one had some babies hiding most of time I could not get a photos of the little ones. 

4. The Phainopepla, the adult male has as tall wispy crest, a glossy black and has red eyes. 

Phainopepla

5. The Meadows Garden Park in Green Valley was a nice place to walk around admiring all the flowers, sculptures  and the birds.  We went twice once in the evening and again the next morning. 

6. The Lesser Goldfinch, the male has a dark cap with an olive back and it's habitat is in the west from the desert to the high mountains. This bird looks similar to our American Goldfinch. 

7. Below are some more sights from the Meadow Garden Park. 

8. The Curve-billed Thrasher was seen going back and forth to a nest with babies.

9. I like this sign and message.  

10. Prickly Pear Cactus is blooming.

I hope your enjoyed this post, the birds and garden images. 

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.

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:

Thank you for sharing your critters and post!

Happy Monday!

 Wishing everyone a great day and a happy new week!

"Water is the driving force of all nature."

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

Great Falls National Park, Potomac Maryland

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

Comments off, enjoy your day!

Saturday's Critters # 546

 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 short break from our Arizona trip and photos. I have some birds from my yard and neighborhood.

1. Some of my daily yard birds, the Northern Mockingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, White-throated Sparrow and the Blue Jays. 

2. The next five mosaics are from our walk on the C&O Canal trail and at Great Falls NP in Potomac Maryland. 

Some blooms off the C&O canal trail,  a Yellow-rumped Warbler, a Mallard on the trail, a distant look at some Terns flying over the river. 

More from the C&O Canal trail , American Goldfinch, Hooded Merganser, Carolina Wren, Louisiana Waterthrush.

The Slider turtles were plentiful in the canal off the C&O trail. 

Lots of wildflowers seen off the C&O trail at Great Falls and a cute doggie.

3. Back in my yard, the Carolina Chickadee took up residence in one of our birdhouses.  

4. A morning walk to our local lake, Prettyboy reservoir. We saw the usual birds, the Canada Geese, Double-crested Cormorants, Eastern Bluebird and some first of the spring wildflowers. 

5. Our walk at the Hashawha Nature Center, we saw some spring flowers blooming, an Eastern Bluebird, Canada geese with the goslings, not sure if the bird third down on the left is a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Gray Catbird, Red-winged Blackbird, geese family on trail.

6.  These are photos from another morning walk on our local fire road, the Pink Lady Slippers are starting to bloom and the Big Leaf Magnolias are blooming, there were the White Dogwood trees blooming, I captured the bottom of a Baltimore Oriole high in the tree top, we also saw some wild pink Azalea blooming and a view of the lake from the trail.

On the same day May 3rd, we saw the Black Bear right off our local fire road. It was not far from my neighbors yard. I think it was the same bear that knocked over our trash can on our deck and bent a shepherds hook pole and tore apart my hummingbird feeder. 

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.

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:

Thank you for sharing your critters and post!