Saturday's Critters # 425

 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!

These images are from my archives, from when we lived in Florida from Oct 2016-March 2017. During this time hubby and I visited many Florida parks and were able to see many different species of wild birds. The Burrowing Owls seen in Cape Coral Florida was one of my favorite bird sightings. I love owls. 

1. This Burrowing Owl looking serious or giving me the evil eye. I was not close to any of the birds, my camera has good zoom. 

2. Burrowing Owls spend most of their time on the ground, the burrows where they roost and nest are just holes in the ground are located in open habitat. 

3.  The Burrowing Owls of Cape Coral Florida must be used to people and dogs, their nests are close to a neighborhood ball field.

4. Peeping out of the burrow, a cute Burrowing Owl.

5. Two Burrowing Owls are watching something. 

6. The Burrowing Owl is so cute, one of my many favorite birds. 

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 all 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!

Take care, enjoy your day! Have a happy weekend!

Burrowing Owl

Hello,

Happy Monday, have a great day! I am sharing one of my all time favorite birds, the Burrowing Owl. During various trips to Florida in 2013, 2015 and 2017 I was able to see the Burrowing Owl in the wild. These are all different owls and photos taken from my archives.

Below the Burrowing Owl is perched on a sign say the area is a important bird site, a nesting area for the owls.

Many of my owl sightings were in neighborhoods, close to houses, cars,  people and dogs.

The Burrowing Owls. nest in burrows. Sometimes they would come out of the burrow just enough to see the tops of their heads.

The Burrowing Owls were often see perched on the signs, warning signs to stay away from the owl's nesting area.

With my Canon SX40 I was able to zoom in on the cute owls from a distance. I would never get too close to any bird, they need their space.

They are a little owl only about 9-10 inches tall.

As always I thank you for stopping by and as always I appreciate your comments.

My list of memes for today, I hope to see you there. Thanks to both of the host below.

Thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes

Thanks to the hosting team of Our World Tuesday!

Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday

Saturday's Critters #180

Welcome to Saturday's Critters!

Happy Memorial Day weekend.  God Bless all our soldier's and veterans.

If you like critters and also like to blog about them and love to take critter photos, this is where you can share your critter post. Link up your post and critters and join in with my critter party ! You can share any kind of critters the real ones or pretend, statues and paintings, a new or even old post!

A Burrowing Owl seen in Cape Coral Florida




The Monk Parakeet




American Avocets in flight




Snowy Egret wearing its yellow slippers.







I appreciate and thank everyone who links up their post and for all the wonderful comments! I hope you enjoy my post and photos too!
Also visit:  I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the gracious host: Anni.  Also check out Camera Critters. Thanks to Misty for hosting this fun meme.


Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend! 

Cape Coral & Myakka River State Park, Florida

Hello

These are some images from our time in Florida, one day we visited the Myakka River State Park after a visit to the Cape Coral area to see the Burrowing Owls.  While watching the Burrowing Owls I also noticed the Loggerhead Shrike, seen below. It was also the spot were we saw the Monk Parakeets, I posted on a previous post.

Below is the Loggerhead Shrike seen on a wire near the ball field. It was a pretty blue sky above the Shrike.

 



The Burrowing Owls of Cape Coral Florida.







A scene from the Myakka River State Park

This is one of the many Roseate Spoonbills we saw at the Myakka River State Park. It was a pretty sky and sunny day.

 



For my list of thankful things this week:
I am thankful for the beautiful birds in the world.
I am thankful for my eyesight, I am able to see the beauty in the world.

I hope you enjoyed my post and photos.  Thanks so much for visiting and for your nice comments. Have a happy day!

Thank you Michelle for hosting. Thankful Thursday

Thank you to the hosts of   Skywatch Friday

Half Year Review 2013

  I am linking up with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday 

December 22, 2013...Merry Christmas everyone!!

I still can not believe Christmas is only days away, I still have my wrapping to do and a pie to bake.I guess I better get with it, time is running out. I know a lot of my blogging friends are taking breaks for the holiday, which was probably a good idea.
I have a lot of favorite photos from 2013, I would like to share just the first half of the year.  There were so many favorites, favorite sunrise and sunset, favorite bird and feeder and favorite photos. So here is just a quick review...

JANUARY....A beautiful Maryland sunrise and from my favorite birding place in Delaware..Hooded Merganser couple seen at Bombay Hook.

FEBRUARY...A favorite feeder with the birds..seen above a few of my favorites birds...the female Northern Cardinal, Pine Siskins, Carolina Chickadee and a Red-Breasted Nuthatch...

MARCH...Ocean City sunrise...Common Loons @ OC inlet, Snow Buntings one of my favorite birds, our resident nesting Great Blue Heron and a cool Belted Kingfisher..

APRIL....Florida vacation...Burrowing Owl lifer..Wood Stork lifer..Roseate Spoonbill, juvenile Anhinga and a Key West sunset.

MAY...migration has started and summer birds are returning..these are some of my favorite birds and sightings...Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Baltimore Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Least Bittern lifer, juvenile Brown Thrashers and a Indigo Bunting.

JUNE....Sunset over our lake and some of my favorite yardbirds: the singing Pine Warbler, two Redbellied Woodpeckers, Ruby-throated Hummingbird and a pretty local breeder the Northern Parula seen in my yard.

I will do a later post on the second half of 2013 sharing more of my favorites...I hope you enjoyed this post and my favorite photos..For some reason or another they are special to me..

I wish a very Merry Christmas to everyone and their families... a Happy & Healthy 2014...

As always, I hope you enjoy my post and thanks for visiting my blog. I always appreciate your comments.

Join in on the fun and for more wonderful photos please visit  Mosaic Monday and more
 from  Our World Tuesday

 Thanks to our host: Mary our host of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy and Jennifer.  I wish everyone a happy week ahead!

Loggerhead Shrike and more

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

I know you all find it hard to believe but I still have more Florida birds and even a lifer I have not posted. So with out further delay, here is one of my cool Florida lifers.... the Loggerhead Shrike.

My Loggerhead Shrike lifer happened on the same street as my Burrowing Owl lifer.  Cool, two lifers within blocks of each other. The Shrike was sitting on a wire across the road I was driving on, I had to turn around and do a double take to make sure of the birds id. The Loggerhead Shrike is also known as the Butcher Bird. It eats insects, lizards and small birds. I will not go into the gory details on what the Shrike does to its food before its eat them.

Not the best photos of my Loggerhead Shrike but you can definitely see the bird's features.  The Shrike has a large hook bill, the head and back are grey and the underparts are white. The wings and tail are black,  with white patches on the wings and white on the outer tail feather. The black face mask extends over its bill unlike that of the similar but larger Northern Shrike. I have seen the Northern Shrike here in Maryland.

So, in the same Florida neighborhood I saw my lifer the Burrowing Owl and the cool Loggerhead Shrike. I would not mind living on this street with the cool birds.

Seeing the Burrowing owls was one of the trip's highlights for me. So seeing them a couple of times in different places made my day and trip.

 Seeing a new bird for the first time is exciting, I hope you enjoyed my Loggerhead Shrike and Burrowing Owls.

Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.

Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday and thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes.

Thanks for stopping by and for leaving your nice comments. I always appreciate your visits.
I wish everyone a happy week ahead and Happy Birding!

Burrowing Owls

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes;

During my Florida vacation I knew I just had to see the Burrowing Owls. It was my only chance to see them, since they are not in Maryland or anywhere close by. Before leaving on our vacation I check Ebird to see where the Burrowing Owls were being sighted and with some luck on my side they were being seen not far from where we were staying on our 3 and 4 night. Oh, and I should mention it was a life bird for me, YEA!!

They are adorable little owls, I  am so happy to see they are being protected. I made sure not to disturb them by standing across the street to take my photos. They are living in a regular neighborhood with a parking lot on one side of them and the street with houses on the other side. A very public place and they seem to be happy there. Can you imagine walking down the sidewalk and having one of these cute owls perched right next to you?

The Burrowing Owl is about 9 inches tall and has a wingspan of about 21 inches. They live as single breeding pairs or colonies of two or more families. They eat insect, grasshoppers and beetles. The Florida Burrowing Owl is classified as a "species of special concern".

There were stakes sticking in the ground that this Burrowing Owl was using as a perch. And near the stakes were the burrows. We rode by some areas that had so many stakes and a few of them had the owls perching like above.

The sign says it is a protected bird site. I would think the stake also warns the mowing crews not to cut there. Also, no pesticides should be used around the burrows. I would also think with the housing development going on the Burrowing Owls are losing their habitats.

I hope you enjoyed my cute Burrowing Owls, thanks for stopping by and for leaving your nice comments.
Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.
Thanks to Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday and thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes.
I wish everyone a happy week ahead and Happy Birding!