Saturday's Critters # 407

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!

September is a good time to see the migrating birds, I am seeing some of the fall Warblers in my yard. Each year they stop by and enjoy eating some berries.  Berries are plentiful on the Aralia spinosa. The Cape May Warbler seems to arrive in groups of males, females and 1st year birds. The Northern Parula and the Tennessee Warbler and I am hearing a Pine Warbler around the yard too.

These photos were all taken from my dining room window, so they are not the clearest but still good enough for id-ing the birds.

1. The male Cape May Warbler, yellow cheeks and breast with streaks, and yellow throat with a green back with whitish wing bars. 

2.  The Cape May Warbler above is a brighter yellow, I had about 5-6 of these Cape May Warblers visiting at the same time. I was surprised to see the bird below eating something from my butterfly bush.

3. Cape May Warbler is yellow behind the cheeks, streaking on the breast. First fall female maybe dull and yellow maybe absent.

4. Two Fall Cape May Warblers, their upperparts are gray and their is less streaking on the chest, has a yellowish rump/ Can you find both of the warblers?

5 .  Some days, I can see 5-6 different warblers eating the berries, a Tennessee Warbler has the white eyebrow, light yellow on breast and white under tail. 

6.  I believe this is a fall Northern Parula, back is dull but have some bright greenish feather on back and light yellow on the breast.

7. The broken eye-ring looks different to me, maybe because the way the bird is perched? This is the same bird as the above photo. 

8. Looking at the front of the Tennessee Warbler.

9. A Male Northern Cardinal is joining the warblers eating berries too. 

10. The Gray Catbird enjoys the berries too. 

11. Aralia spinosa, also known as Devil's Walking Stick. Stems are covered with sharp spines and has purple-black berries. 

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!

Here is my linky:

YOU are all # 1.

Thanks to all my visitors and for your comments. Stop back to see any replies to your comments. I appreciate everyone who loves critters and has linked up their critter post.

A walk in the woods

I am linking up with  Mosaic Monday  and Our World Tuesday

I can not believe how fast the week is going, and it is hard to believe it is Sunday already.  I have some photos of recent scenes from our local walk in the woods. As I am walking I am seeing the leaves falling, being a birder seeing movement automatically draws my attention. Sometimes I look from a distance at what I believe is a male cardinal in a tree and it turns out to be a red leaf. Are the leaves falling earlier this year? We are lucky to live near a pine forest so we have green year round which I love.

 Above are some of the scenes I saw last week while taking a walk. There are all kinds of berries, some of the berries I recognize are the pretty purple Devil's Walking stick berries, there are still some wild flowers blooming, a few different flycatchers showing up, some warblers are moving south and my pretty favorite.. the Red-Breasted Nuthatch.

The fireroad going thru the pine trees, the grass seems to be growing fast and hopefully they will come and cut it soon.

I am not sure if this is one of those confusing fall warblers or a flycatcher or could it be a vireo?

I am not sure what kind of berries these are but if the birds like them I like them too. The splash of bright red is pretty.

These are the Devil's walking stick berries and the warblers seem to love them.

The Gray Catbirds also seem to love the berries.

I always love to see any kind of wildflowers along the trails.

The Red-Breasted Nuthatch seem to be all over the woods near my house. They makes the cutest sounds.


I hope you enjoyed my walk and photos.
To see more beautiful photos and mosaics check out Mary's Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday.

Thanks to Mary of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy .  Thanks also for stopping by to see my post. Have  a safe and happy week!

My latest lifer...Cape May Warbler

For my Friday Ark and Camera Critters post I am showing my latest lifer the Cape May Warbler.

The coolest thing about my new lifer, It was seen right on the fireroad in the reservoir just across from my house. Usually I will run all around trying to add a new bird to my life list and this one practically came to me. Very NICE!

The Cape May Warblers are described to have a blackish crown, yellow eyebrow with some chestnut. A yellow throat but may have some chestnut at the throat area too. Olive green back, yellow rump, white belly and undertail and a white wing patch. Breast side and upper belly are streaked with black.

I have seen different warblers over the years at these same berries they are on the top of the plant or tree called the Devil's Walking stick, also known as Hercules Club. What names! I think the white and the purple colored berries are pretty. I was very happy to see this beautiful bird and to add another warbler to my life list.  Now, I have to figure out how to grow this plant in my yard from the berries. Is this possible, does anyone know? I assume there are seeds in these berries. How cool would that be to have this plant in my yard and have all these beautiful warblers coming to eat the berries.

I hope you enjoyed my new lifer the Cape May Warbler  and to see more cute and wonderful animals please visit the Friday Ark  and Camera Critters.  Thanks to the hosts of both the Friday Ark and Misty Dawn of Camera Critters. Thank you also for stopping by to see my post. \

I hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend and HAPPY BIRDING...