SWF>>>Walking the fireroad

It is time for my favorites memes Skywatch Friday and  NF Winged.  Over the last couple of days I took some shots of the skies above my yard and a few birds from my local walk on the fireroad for NF Winged.

Our skies lately have ranged from blue to all gray.   One early morning started out looking like this.

 And by the time I walked up the fireroad

I looked up at these Eastern bluebirds in the tree, there was nothing but gray skies for a background. I thought Goldie Girl and I were going to be rained on so I decided to turn around and walk home rather than go further up to the clear cut area.

And here when I looked up again at the same tree I saw some American Robins. At first the rusty colored breast  kind of fooled me. But, the Robins are much bigger birds than the bluebirds.

I did see some pretty colors along the fireroad.

  I hope you enjoyed my walk and skies, I hope the sky is pretty where you are.


To see more beautiful photos and pretty skies please visit Skywatch Friday
and NF Winged

Thanks to Sylvia and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday! Thanks to Monica the host of NF Winged. Also, thank you for stopping by to see my post. I wish everyone a safe and happy weekend.

Morning Walk

Hello, I am linking up with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday. 

The last few days we have been enjoying the Autumn colors locally around our lake and of course I am always watching my yardbirds.

On Sunday morning , Goldie Girl and I took a walk down to the lake. I think the colorful reflections on the lake were pretty.

 I tried hard to get a clear shot of the lake but between the slippery mud near the edge and the tree limbs I could not manage a perfect shot.

On the way to the lake I took shots of the beautiful and colorful trees along the fireroad.

Taking walks is one of Goldie Girls favorite things to do next to playing with her tennis balls.

This mosaic includes some of my Pine Siskins and a pair of Purple Finches.

Last weekend, I starting noticing one Pine Siskin hanging around and I thought to myself he was a scout and would be bringing back lots of his friends. I was right yesterday I counted around 20 Pine Siskins  on my deck railing and feeders.

Above is a male Purple finch that is visiting my yard with his lady friend below. The male is a pretty raspberry color.

The Purple Finches have that white line on their face near their eye.



To see more wonderful photos and mosaics please visit 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.  I wish everyone a happy week!

Local Colors

Hello, I am linking up with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday. 

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Since we were away last weekend we did not plan much for this weekend. We took a walk on the bike trail looking for some fall colors there and around our lake. When I am home on the weekend I have to check out all my feeder birds. I miss seeing them while I am at work during the week.

Photos in my mosaic are some fall colors from the local bike trail, Goldie Girl, some geese on our lake and my yardbirds.

A mockingbird also seems to like to eat the pokeberries.

Above is a pretty Purple Finch and a Tufted Titmouse.

Some of the brighter colors from our walk on the bike trail yesterday.

 A Great Blue Heron we saw at the river next to the bike trail.

Goldie Girl went to the bike trail for a walk too.

On the way home from the bike trail we rode around the lake look for a bit of color.

There was just a little bit of color around the lake. The leaves on the trees are either still green or just turning brown. Are you seeing lots of fall colors where your live?

A chickadee and the Purple Finch on my feeder.

So these are shots of the local color and a few of my yardbirds.  I hope you enjoyed my post and photos.

To see more wonderful photos and mosaics please visit 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.  I wish everyone a happy week!

Great Smoky Mountains Nat'l Park

I am sharing some of our birds, critters and scenes from the Great Smoky Mountains Nat'l Park  for Green Day and Camera Critters and I'd-Rather-B-Birdin.

 I did not have much luck birding in the Smokies, some of the common birds I saw were the Dark-eyed Junco and lots of Wild Turkeys. I could hear Blue Jays, American Crows, Turkeys Vultures,  unknown Warblers, Titmouse, Chickadees and Nuthatches but none of them wanted their photo taken. In the creek near our hotel and town  I saw some Mallard Ducks.

 

Above are shots of the Grotto Falls, A Dark-eyed Junco, Fall colors, Cades Cove horses, Wild Turkey, behind Grotto Falls, Smoky Mountain colors, deer, Cades Cove.



On our first full day, hubby and I drove to the Roaring Fork Motor Drive and headed for the parking lot for the Grotto Falls before it got too crowded. At the beginning of the drive we saw a black bear, I did manage a blurry photo before the park ranger clapped it away. We did the 2.6 mile roundtrip hike to the waterfall. I even walked behind the waterfall, a first for me after many different waterfall visits.

 

I was checking out the color along the Grotto Falls trail.

Later in the day we headed to the Cades Cove drive, here we saw horses, wild turkeys and some deer.  It was very crowded and took a while to do the 11 miles of the motor tour.

 

Some of the pretty Smoky Mountain colors.

 

Since, the birds were hiding from me and my camera I decided to take some shots of the horses. They are pretty.

I was happy hearing and seeing the birds moving quickly all along this Grotto Falls trail. It was very birdy trail, just not a good day for taking bird photos.  I hope you enjoyed hiking to the waterfall with me and seeing the Cades Cove Horses.


To see more beautiful photos and cute critters please visit: Green Day  and Camera Critters and I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the gracious host Fiona of Green Day, Misty Dawn of Camera Critters and to Anni of I'd Rather-B-birdin.  Thanks for visiting my blog and post. I wish everyone a very safe and happy weekend.

Birding Shenandoah

Hubby and I visited Shenandoah Nat'l Park yesterday, we love taking daytrips and Shenandoah is close enough for a quick visit. Driving the Skyline Drive and seeing all the pretty fall colors was wonderful. We both agreed that this fall the colors are not as spectacular as in previous years. We have been visiting and camping at Shenandoah Nat'l Park for more than twenty years now. The Fall colors can be stunning.

Sulphur butterfly

 I really enjoy hiking the Limberlost trail located in the central section of the Sklyine Drive and the park. Around the trailhead parking lot and along the trail there were many apples trees and berries which attracted a large amount of birds. We found out from other hikers on the Limberlost that we had just missed seeing black bear. The Black bears are another reason why I love visiting Shenandoah.

Slate colored Dark Eyed Junco

The Tufted Titmouse and Dark Eyed (slate colored) Junco had the highest individual counts of all the birds I saw. I did see and hear, Bluejays, Cardinals, Eastern Bluebirds, American Crows,  Eastern Towhee, Kinglets, Hairy Woodpecker, unidentified Hawk and Turkey Vultures soaring above the drive and overlooks.

Pretty reds at the Big Meadows

I am link up Mary's Mosaic Monday and Drowsey Monkey's Mellow Yellow Monday and Marytheteach's Ruby Tuesday and That's My world

Special thanks to all these wonderful host, I just love participating in these fun memes.
Thanks for stopping by and visiting my blog and my Shenandoah post.