Saturday's Critters # 582

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!

Click on images for better viewing.

These are images from Jan 2025.  January was a cold month, weeks and days of temps in low 20's for the high and in the teens for the lows.  Wind Chill temps were crazy low.  I tried going out for walks bundling up for the cold weather.  I usually saw more birds in my yard than on any walk.  

1. Jan 3rd, the female Red-bellied Woodpecker waited while I put out some suet nuggets on our deck.

2. Jan 3rd,  photos are from our walk to the lake. The Hooded Mergansers were seen at the lake near the boat dock. 

3. Below are the Hooded Mergansers, the female is on the left and the male is seen on the right side of the photo.

4. I see birds rights outside my kitchen window, I do not always have to go far to birdwatch.  On this day the Pileated Woodpecker was pecking away at this tree across the driveway. 

5. The male Pileated Woodpecker has an extra red mark on the (cheek) malar. This red mark lines up with the bird's bill. The mark on the female is black. 

6. Miney photos from Jan 11 and the 12th. We started fostering Miney on January 11th. We officially adopted Miney on January 20th. It didn't take long for us to decide Miney was going to be our dog.

7. I see lots of the gray squirrels here, there is one of the deck railing eating bird food and one on the table drinking water. 

8. So far, Miney is doing great.  She seems easy to train and is a super happy and friendly puppy dog. 

A flashback to a year ago Feb 2024, we had some snow and my yard birds were enjoying any food I put out for them like this Tufted Titmouse.

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!

Saturday's Critters # 529

 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!

Most mornings I put out some peanuts in the shells and some peanut suet nuggets for my back yard birds. The Blue Jays my most common yard bird. They arrive in large numbers making a lot of noise. They take as much as they can fit into their beaks/mouths. 

1. I hope you are not tired of seeing the Blue Jays. They love to eat the peanuts and the suet peanut balls.  

2. Later we took our walk on the NCR trail, we did a little shopping at the local grocery store we rode past the Friendly Farms ponds on our way home. On Jan 5th we saw a big flock of Canada Geese and various ducks on the ponds. 

3. Some of the pond below has a thin layer of ice, you can see the Canada Geese are able to walk on the ice. The ducks were hanging out in a open water area of the pond. 

4. A blurry view of a groups of ducks hanging out on the pond.  

5. Below a nice variety of waterfowl, the male and female Buffleheads, the male and female Hooded Mergansers and an American Wigeon. 

6. Who's hanging out with the American Wigeon below? 

7. One of our first snows, was just a dusting. It melted quickly. Barely visible is a Blue Jay on the bottom left, eating some of the peanut nuggets. 

8. The male and female Cardinals are daily visitors to my deck. They enjoy the little peanut nuggets. 

9. The Blue Jays are another common yard bird for me, they love the peanuts in the shell. But, they we eat anything I put out there.

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 # 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 # 526

 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! Here is a Saturday's Critters badge if you would like to add it to your post.

Dec 12-13th we were on the road again, just one night in Atlantic City NJ and 2 visits to the Edwin B. Forsythe wildlife refuge. This wildlife refuge is a great place to visit in the winter, to see all the winter ducks and the Snow Geese. My photos were taken from the car while driving on the wildlife drive. 

1. Dec 12th, we arrived mid day to find the visitor center was closed but the wildlife drive is open. 

A view from the wildlife drive and across the bay you can see the Atlantic City hotels and casinos. 

2. Below various ducks we saw were the Green-winged Teal, the Northern Shoveler and the Northern Pintail. 

3. Near the beginning of the wildlife drive, I had a great view of the American Bittern. If only it stayed to pose for my photo, it turned tail and hid in the grasses. 

4. The Hooded Mergansers were seen in big groups at times along the drive. 

5.  We saw lots of female Buffleheads and only a few shy male Buffleheads. 

6.   The Ruddy Ducks look cute with their stiff tail feathers.  

7. The American Black Ducks are a common sight to see at this wildlife refuge.  

8.  Below a Great Blue Heron hanging out with a Great Egret. 

9.  The Canada Geese seemed to be happy standing on the wildlife drive, I hope they stay safe with the cars riding by. 

10.   We saw a few Mute Swans, they looked like they did not want to be disturbed.   

11. The Snow Geese arrive in the winter months in large flocks. They are fun to watch when something upsets them and they all take off making lots of noise only to fly around and land again on the ground or in the water.

12. One lone Snow Geese was looking for food in the grasses along the drive.  

I hope you enjoyed this visit to the wildlife refuge.  

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 # 478

 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!

I have more from our neighborhood lake and back yard.  We usually take our walks on the local fire roads and to the lake.  

1.  Jan 21st, one of the highlights of this walk to the lake was a closer look at the White-breasted Nuthatch. 

Click on images for better viewing.

2. We see a lot of  White-breasted Nuthatches in our neighborhood. Some times they come to my deck for some peanuts I put out on my deck railing. 

3. Jan 22nd , We drove around our lake and took a walk to the lake where we can see the Bald Eagle's nest.  The Eagles were perched in two different trees not far from the nest. We saw a big group of Common Mergansers and another group of Hooded Mergansers. Also on this walk we saw a large flock of Robins and lots of Cedar Waxwings. 

4. This was one of the two Bald Eagles we saw in trees next to the lake. Their nest is close by. 

5. We spooked the Hooded Mergansers when we got closer to the lake, they all flew off.  

6. We stopped on the fire road to watch a large group of Cedar Waxwing, maybe 20 or more. They found a lot of berries to eat. 

7. Jan 25th we had a light dusting of snow, is this a Red-tailed or a Red-shouldered Hawk. It was perched in a tree next to the driveway. 

8. This hawk sat in tree for awhile, looking this way and that way. Hoping to catch a meal.  

9. Bonus our grandson Wyatt will be 2 years old on the 15th, Happy 2nd Birthday Wyatt!

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 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! Also, I am also linking up to Heidrun's Mosaic Monday  I hope you can stop by and visit Heidrun and check out the Mosaic Monday post.