Saturday's Critters # 640

 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!

Happy Spring! Sending wishes that your Spring blossoms each day with happiness and joy!

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir

I am sharing a collection of photos are from my archives. Birding in the Spring is a great time to see migrating birds that just happen to just by on their way north. 

Click on images for better viewing.

The first couple of weeks of May is an awesome time to visit the Delaware beaches to see the shorebirds migrating and the horseshoe crabs laying their eggs.

These photos all taken 5-15-2015, hubby and I visited various birding hot spots to see the migrating shorebirds.  The hot spots we visited just this one day were Slaughter beach, Mispillion Harbor and the Dupont Nature Center, Port Mahon Road and Bombay Hook NWR.

Below a Ring-billed Gull, Laughing Gull, Dunlins and the Red Knot. 

 The Red Knot is listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The Dupont Nature Center in Delaware was a great place to view the Red Knot and various shorebirds. There is a Red Knot in the center section of the photo below. The birds with the black spot on their belly are the breeding Dunlins.

There are at least three Red Knots in the photo below, can you find them.  The Red Knot migrates from South America to the Arctic and they stop at the Delaware bay area to refuel.  The Red Knot is a plump sandpiper, their breeding color is a rich cinnamon color below and a mottled gray with cinnamon edges. 

Delaware at one time was known to have the largest population of spawning Horseshoe Crabs. The Red Knot uses the Delaware beaches as a food stop, they feed on the Horseshoe Crab eggs.  The Horseshoe Crabs have been declining which in turn affects the Red Knot population. In 2023 there was a recovery plan to reverse a decline of the Red Knot. I would assume there would also need to be a plan to help with the decline of Horseshoe Crabs.

Hubby and I have walked some Delaware beaches turning over Horseshoe Crabs that get stuck upside down.  We are happy to have helped them out. I am not sure if there are limitations on harvesting Horseshoe Crabs, they are being used as bait and also for medical companies using the horseshoe crab blood.

I like this photo of the Horseshoe crabs and the tracks they leave behind heading into the Delaware Bay. 

Below are more Delaware shorebirds like the Dunlins, Ruddy Turnstones and gulls.

Below are a group of Ruddy Turnstones. 

Below are a group of Ruddy Turnstones and some Laughing Gulls. 

The beachy and sand bar areas attracted lots of birds resting and looking for food. 

Below are various gulls and all the brown spots are shorebirds like the Ruddy Turnstones, Dunlins and Red Knots. 

Dunlins in flight.

This Spring I am hoping to get to visit the Delaware beaches during the migration of the shorebirds.

I am wondering what everyone is watching lately? I am into the Virgin River series on Netflix and Young Sherlock and Scarpetta on Prime. My latest reading list has been Harlen Coben's " I will find you", Shari Lapena's "Everyone here is lying" and the latest in the series from LJ Ross's called "Berwick". They are either are from the Libby website borrowed from my local libraries or from Kindle Ebooks. 

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.

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Thank you for sharing your critters and post! 

Saturday's Critters # 527

 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 photos are from our morning visit to the Edwin Forsythe NWR on day two of our little getaway to Atlantic City, New Jersey

1. Resting in the grass below are some Northern Pintails and below photos are a mixed of Pintails and Hooded Mergansers and a large group of Dunlins.

Below are a Northern Pintail, male and female Hooded Mergansers. 

Three Snow Geese floating in the water foraging for food.

Dunlins and gulls

Lots of waterfowl and shorebirds hanging out at this one pool area. 

I am guessing at the bird id below , the Dunlins have been listed in high numbers at this wildlife refuge.

The Snow Geese were seen flying in large groups all around the wildlife refuge.

There were 3 juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons hanging out below.

Can you find the 3 Black-crowned Night Herons below?

A pretty Great Egret seen near the Great Blue Heron. 

This is the end of our visit to Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey. It is a great refuge to see the winter ducks, snow geese and shorebirds. 

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.

Saturday's Critters #258

Welcome to Saturday's Critters !


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!

I still have some more birds we saw at the Edwin B. Forsythe NWR in New Jersey.  Birds seen were the male and female Wood Ducks, House Finch, Clapper Rail and we saw a large flock of Brant Geese, Mallards, American Black Ducks, Brant Goose, Great Blue Heron, 


The male wood duck is a beauty! 

This looks like the female wood duck below. 

A male House Finch. 

You really have to look for the 2 Great Blue Herons chasing each other in this photo below. The tree colors are beautiful. 

Pretty sure this is the Clapper Rail, another great reason to be at the refuge during low tide. These secretive birds come out into the open looking for things to eat in the mud. 

Sorry, my photos of the Brant Geese are not the best. They were too far away, I wanted record a photo to show I did see them this day.

I am not sure about this Sparrow, possibly a SeasideSparrow? I do see a little line of yellow above the eyes. Any help is appreciated. 

This Great Blue Heron had a fishing spot all to himself until these ducks came by and would not leave. They swam up and down in front of the Heron.  They were Mallards and some Black Ducks. 

Lots of shorebirds, I am guessing Dunlin and maybe some Plovers? The taller birds could possibly Black-bellied Plovers?

Below Eastern Box Turtles and Praying Mantis.  I went years without seeing a Praying Mantis, on this day I saw two Mantis right on the path to the visitor center.

I appreciate and thank everyone who links up their post and for all the wonderful comments !









Here is a list of my linky parties;

Also visit:  I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the gracious host: Anni.



Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Critters #256

Welcome to Saturday's Critters !


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 30-31st hubby and I visited Edwin B Forsythe NWR near Atlantic City NJ. We got a great deal on a one night stay in the new Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City New Jersey. The Edwin B. Forsythe wildlife refuge has an 8 mile wildlife drive, trails and a nice visitor center. We visited the wildlife refuge twice, once on Oct 30th and again on the 31st before heading home. Here are some of the birds we saw on the first day. I took a lot of photos.


The Yellow-rumped Warblers (butter-butt) were right next to the visitor parking lot. I think they may have been eating juniper berries, not positive though. BTW, if any of my id's are wrong I do not mind being corrected.

We saw a few Mute Swans at the beginning of the wildlife drive. 

There were lots of Snowy Egrets and Great Egrets.

The Northern Pintail ducks were plentiful. 

The American Black Duck is a common sight at this wildlife refuge. I think the little shorebirds are the Dunlin, but I could be wrong. Any id help is appreciated. 

The only duck I am sure of below is the Green-winged Teal, not so sure about the others? Maybe a female Northern Pintail and more Black Ducks.

Below the Great Blue Heron look pretty spreading it's wings and there is a Northern Shoveler off to the right.

I appreciate and thank everyone who links up their post and for all the wonderful comments !




Here is a list of my linky parties;

Also visit:  I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the gracious host: Anni.



Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Critters #201

Welcome to Saturday's Critters!

If you love critters 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 are some birds and critters I have not shown,  seen during our Washington Trip in May. We stayed overnight in Ocean Shores and walked on a few of the local beaches. We saw some shorebirds like the Semipalmated Plover, Dunlins, lots of gulls and a hummer and possibly other shorebirds mixed in.

I believe these are the Semipalmated Plovers

A flock of Dunlin, see their black bellies.

Is this a Crow or Raven? My field guide says Raven's have thick bills. Do you think this bird's bill is thick?

Semipalmated Plover.

American Pipit seen on the coast, walking along side the sandy road to the beach.

Rufous or Allen's Hummingbird.  I am not an expert on any hummer except for my local Ruby-throated Hummingbird. This bird was seen flying around the nearby flowers and like to perch on this pine tree.

Sorry, for the picture quality, the bird was a distance away and it was a cloudy day.

Neighborhood deer, near the beach. I think this is a Black-tailed Deer.

There are way too many gull species for me to id, my guess a  Western Gull.

I am not sure if this is a big flock of Dunlins or mixed group of shorebirds. What is upsetting is seeing the cars driving on the beach where these birds were resting.

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!

Here is a list of my linky parties;

Also visit:  I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the gracious host: Anni.

Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!