Saturday's Critters # 495

 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!

A break from my Ireland trip and photos. More of Ireland will be shared again soon. Today I am sharing some photos from our walk on the C&O Canal trail in Potomac Md and at the Great Falls Nat'l Park.  

1. In the mosaic below are the Prothonotary Warbler, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Eastern Bluebird, wildflowers, turtles, Great Blue Heron, Double-crested Cormorants, Mallards and Blue-winged Teal.

2. The Prothonotary Warbler, is about 5 1.2 inches, he was singing loudly and heard way before I was able to find him in the tree top. This bird nest in trees and there are nest boxes set up along the canal trail.  

3. The male Prothonotary Warbler is a bright yellow with dark wings. 

4. The Green Heron is seen every year in about the same spot close to the Riley's Lock parking area. 

5. The Green Heron, one of my favorites. The breeding adult has a rust colored neck, a dark cap and a green back. 

6. The Slider Turtles are enjoying the sunshine, resting on the rocks. 

7. The Black-crowned Night Heron was seen on the canal side of the C&O canal trail.  

8. The Great-Blue Herons have a rookery in the trees that line the Potomac River.  

9. The Double-crested Cormorants nest along the river, a group of Cormorants is called a "gulp".  

10. We saw at least 4-5 Blue-winged teal on the river. 

11. A view from the Great Falls overlook. 

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. 

Saturday's Critters # 398

 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!

Hubby and I have recently visited the Great Falls National Park near Potomac Md. We make it a day trip, stopping at a local French bakery for a sandwich for our little picnic. We also stop at Riley's Lock and walk along the C&O Canal trail.  

1. Below are photos of the Potomac River @ Great Falls NP, the C&O Canal trail @ Great Falls, Great Blue Heron, Canal Lock, Canal, Mallard, Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures. 

2. A view of the C&O Canal and the trail.  

3. There is a Great Blue Heron rookery or is it called a heronry, so there are plenty of Herons to see at the Great Falls @ Potomac River. 

4. A mix of Black Vulture are seen with their Black Head and the Turkeys Vultures have the red heads. 

5. I always enjoy seeing the Great Blue Herons, they pose so nicely for me and my camera.  

6. Below are some of the scenes and wildlife we saw along the C&O Canal trail at Riley's Lock.  A group of Wood Ducks, a Common Whitetail Skimmer, more Wood Ducks, Great Blue Heron, Zebra Swallowtail butterfly, Prothonotary Warbler, Black-crowned Night Heron, Slider Turtles, Black-crowned Night Heron. 

7.  A few Slider Turtles hanging out with the Wood Ducks. 

8.  The Red-eared Slider Turtles are non-native but the Eastern Painted Turtle is a native turtle seen in Maryland.  Below the photo could be a mix of both of the native and non-native turtles. 

9. I usually see a Green Heron in this area, but on this day I saw the Black-crowned Night Herons. 

10. A Common Whitetail Skimmer above the pond and duck weed.

11. A closer look at the Wood Ducks. 

12. A Great Blue Heron was seen on the canal side hunting for food.

I hope you enjoyed our walk at the park and on the canal trail, the birds and wildlife are always great to see.  

I want to share my cute grandson, he is growing quickly almost 6months old. He has two bottom teeth now. I think this is the first time he tried a teething biscuit. 

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. 

Saturday's Critters # 392

Welcome to Saturday's Critters!

Hello and happy Saturday!

Happy Father's Day weekend!  Sending out my happy Father's Day wishes for my hubby and son. This will be my son's first Daddy's day, I know he is really happy to be a Dad! 

 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 am sharing some photos from our local walks, a visit to a local county park called Hashawha Nature Center, most of the photos are from walks on our local fire roads. 

Click on photos for larger viewing or slides.

1.....May 21st...We took a walk on the fire road to the lake. the following birds were seen or heard Osprey, Eastern Phoebe or Wood Pewee, White-breasted Nuthatch, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Scarlet Tanagers, Ovenbirds and Wood Thrush were calling. I could see fish swimming right next to the lake shore. A Great Blue Heron flew across the lake and landed on a tree and the wild Azaleas were blooming. I noticed an American Toad on the trail and a few cute tiny flowers. 

2. While sitting by the lake, I watched this White-breasted Nuthatch going in and coming out of a hole in the tree. Maybe a nest?

3.  May 26th...another fire road walk. We watched the Osprey fishing at the lake, I saw various wildflowers and flowering shrubs, a Great Blue Heron and my first time seeing a Prothonotary Warbler at the lake shore.  The Prothonotary is a bright yellow bird with dark wings. My warbler photos did not come very good, I watched it for a while moving around catching bugs. 

4. My terrible photos of the Prothonotary Warbler, on the largest image below you can see his beak, his bright yellow color and the dark wings. Can you find the Warbler? He landed on a downed tree in one of the coves and then he flew across to where I was standing and went inside a shrub. 

5.  May 28th, we are back on the same fire road to the lake. The Gray Catbirds seemed to be out in numbers, we saw a Belted Kingfisher banging a fish on a tree branch, some pretty ferns and yellow iris and the ugly cicada shells.  The sounds of the cicadas are so loud, I could not hear the birds singing. 

6.  June 1st, at another part of the lake we hiked the local George's Creek trail, the creek flows into our lake.  On this day, we saw a young Barred Owl right above the trail. He/she looked down at us and then flew off, a view of the George's Creek, a Gray Catbird, A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, flowering shrub with a Canada Goose family, a log with a group of Turtles. 

7. June 1st.. I missed the shot when this Barred Owl turned his head and looked down at us.  

8.  June 2nd.. Another local walk on the fire road and to the lake. Prettyboy Reservoir, a Green Heron with a turtle, wildflowers, Green heron again, the lake trail, Cicadas and a view of a lake cove.

9. June 2nd...this was my first sighting of a Green heron at our lake.

I know other birders have mentioned seeing it here, it is just my first time seeing the Green Heron in our neighborhood.

10.  June 2nd.. a couple of back yard birds. The Eastern Blue couple and an American Goldfinch. 

11.  June 5th.. Hashawha Nature Center..waterlilies and wildflowers, Indigo Bunting, rabbit, Black Rat Snake and a view of Lake Hashawha and the trail.

12.. Hashawha. Indigo Bunting. 

13.    June 6th..a view of the reservoir, turtles on a log, Canada Geese, Swallowtail Butterfly, male Downy Woodpecker, more Canada Geese.  

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!

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. 

Here is my linky:

YOU are all # 1.

Prothonotary Warbler

Linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes and NF Trees and bushes
I hope you can join in and share your wild birds and nature scenes.

For this week's wild bird I am sharing the Prothonotary Warbler. I have seen the Prothonotary Warblers many times usually migrating thru Maryland but they also breed here. These birds were seen along the Susquehanna River Trail in Maryland.

This bird has bright yellow-orange colors on its head and chest.

The breed near or around the water and or swamps and in tree cavities. They are one of my favorite warblers and always a treat to see. I was playing around with Picmonkey trying to make a watermark. It would be nice to be able to watermark all images for one day at the same time.

The Prothonotary warbler likes to nest in tree cavities next to the water.

The is the Susquehanna River trail, plenty of trees to keep the birds happy.


I hope you enjoyed my wild bird post and photos. Till next week's wild bird post. Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful bird and nature photos please visit:

 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes and NF Trees

Thanks to all of our hosts. Michelle for Nature Notes and Stewart of Wild Bird Wednesday and Monica for NF Trees.

  Happy Birding and have a wonderful week!

Susquehanna River trail

I am linking up with   Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday   and NC Sue Wordless  They are all fun memes to participate in...I hope you can join in with the fun  and check out some of the participating posts.

I am sharing some scenes and wildflowers from our walk on the Susquehanna River Trail.  Our walk was back in early May when the wildflowers were blooming all along the trail. It was a pretty sight, you just had to be there. And of course there always birds to see.

 Like  above the Prothonotary Warbler, a cute Titmouse playing hide-n-seek, Mourning Cloak butterfly, and the Bald Eagles.

The Virginia Bluebells were seen all along the trail..

Some of the bluebells were pink and other shades of purple & blue.

I am not sure of all the wildflower names but I recognize the Virginia Bluebells, ferns and the Trillium. The other I am not sure what their names are, maybe someone can help?

I am not sure of these yellow pretties, they were seen along the Susquehanna River trail. Per Karolina these are called Celandine. Thanks to a nice friend for your id help!

Some wildflowers were tiny white and delicate looking. This plant is known as the Cutleaf Toothwort, edited thanks to Karolina's help.

Above are the Rock Run Grist Mill and views of the Susquehanna River from the state park.

These White wildflowers are the Dutchman's Breeches.

The Prothonotary Warbler, with his bright yellow-orange head and neck. I hope you enjoyed this walk with the bird and wildflowers.

Thank you for visiting and for all the nice comments.. Have a great day and week ahead!

I use Pic Monkey to create my mosaics, you can use Pic Monkey free or pay for an upgraded version.

I hope you can join in on our fun with Mosaic Monday  and Our World Tuesday and NC Sue's Wordless.

 Thanks to Judith our host of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy and Jennifer and to Sue for Wordless Wednesday on Tuesdays.