My favorite birds of 2014

Linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

For this week's wild bird.. I am sharing some of my favorites from the past year.. One  bird ( maybe two)  for each month..seen during that month..I hope you enjoy my review and favorite birds of 2014.


Wishing you beautiful moments, treasured memories and all the blessings a heart can know! Happy New Year 2015!

I wish you a happy and magical New Year. I hope it brings you lots of new birds, joy and happiness. All the best in 2015.

 January 2014...Snowy Owl seen in at the Edwin Forsythe NWR in New Jersey.

 February 2014 ..A juvenile Bald Eagle seen at the Blackwater NWR in Maryland.

March 2014..The Pine Warbler seen on my deck railing..

April 2014.. the Yellow Crowned Night Heron rookery in Baltimore City.

May 2014.. I have two favorites for May this is a Virginia Rail seen near Aberdeen, Md

May 2014  and also from May from my Belize trip a Violet Sabrewing..

June 2014..the Scarlet Tanager in my backyard..a breeder in the woods near my house.

June 2014.. another favorite the Green Heron seen at Bombay Hook NWR.

July 2014..A Little Blue Heron seen at North Point State Park in Maryland.

August 2014.. an Eastern Towhee seen at Shenandoah National Park.

September 2014.. a Dusky Grouse seen in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

October 2014..Black Skimmers on the beach at Ocean City, Maryland.

November 2014 .a Bald Eagle seen at the Conowingo Dam, Susquehanna River, Maryland.

December 2014... An American Bittern seen at the Chincoteague NWR in Virginia.

Till next week's wild bird post.. I wish you happy Birding and have a wonderful week!

Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful birds and nature photos.

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

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

2014 Mosaic Monday

I am linking up with   Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday 

I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and Christmas.. I wish everyone all the best in 2015..Happy New Year!

I am sharing a year in review of my favorite mosaics for  my Mosaic Monday post..January 2014-December 2014..These are some of my favorites for various reasons, favorite bird, a great trip and of course spending time with my great-nephew Neill.

January 2014.. the Snowy Owl sitting on top of the Edwin Forsythe NWR visitor center..

February 2014.. a pair of Bald Eagles on nest near the Great Falls Nat'l Park.

March 2014..a visit to the Delaware shore and the Prime Hook NWR.

April 2014.. the Yellow-crowned Night Heron rookery in Baltimore..

May 2014.. our trip to Belize at the Sleeping Giant Rainforest resort.

June 2014.. baby Neill's baptism

July 2014..sighting of a couple of juvenile Baltimore Orioles at Hashawha Nature Center. It is always a treat to see the Orioles.

August 2014..a daytrip with my friend Janis to the Hershey Gardens and butterfly house.

September 2014.. our trip to the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. A cool moose sighting.

October 2014..some fall colors seen at Bombay Hook NWR in Delaware.

November 2014.. Baby Neill on Thanksgiving Day.

December 2014.. our trip to Nags Head beach in the Outer Banks North Carolina..


It has been a wonderful year visiting so many wonderful places, enjoying nature and my bird sightings and Baby Neill.. I hope you enjoyed my post and photos. BIG news for me I am retiring from my job as of December 31st after 30 years plus 5 months.

May everyday of this New Year glow with happiness and cheer for you and your family. Happy New Year 2015..


 I hope you can join in on our fun at  Mosaic Monday and   Our World Tuesday

 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.  I wish everyone a happy week ahead!

Jersey Birds

January 23, 2014

Linking up with NF Winged   and  Skywatch Friday 

I am sharing more New Jersey skies and birds from our visit last week. We were up early to check out the sunrise. We were hoping for a clear and pretty sky, we were not disappointed.  Before heading for home we made a quick stop back the the Edwin Forsythe NWR.

A view of the moon setting from our room.It was a day after the full moon.

Sunrise rising above the Atlantic Ocean

A flock of Brant

A couple of Brant..they are a small goose. I think they are more attractive than the Common Canada Goose.

A view of Atlantic City and sky from the Edwin Forsythe NWR.

Some Snow Geese seen at the wildlife refuge.

On this morning the Snowy Owl was out on the field or marshy land.  We saw it flying some landing in different places along the wildlife drive.

Thank you for visiting my post, I hope you enjoyed my birds and Atlantic City sunrise.

To see more pretty skies from around the world please visit  Skywatch Friday
and to see more of the winged critters check out NF Winged

Thanks to Sylvia, Yogi  and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday! Thanks to Monica the host of NF Winged.   I wish everyone a safe and happy long weekend.

Birding the Jersey Shore

  I am linking up with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday 

January 19, 2014

On Thursday, hubby and I went on an overnight visit to the Jersey shore. We drove as far as Barnegat Lighthouse Beach, then we headed south to Edwin Forsythe NWR and our somewhat of a free night at Trump's Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.

At the Barnegat Lighthouse beach  we saw the Common Loon, Long-tailed Ducks and Harlequin Ducks. Lots of Scoters, Brants and Sanderlings and gulls.

Two Long-tailed Ducks with a Harlequin duck in the middle.. This was one of the only Harlequins I sighted at Barnegat this visit. In past years I have seen higher counts.  I wonder if something is happening to them?

At Barnegat the Mergansers were plentiful..

Snowy Owl on the roof of the Edwin Forsythe NWR visitor center.

This is this third Snowy Owl I have seen since late November. The first sighting was in Delaware, second sighting was in Maryland and this last Snowy Owl was in New Jersey.. They seem to be everywhere  this winter..

 Above is a view of the sunset from our room, a shot of the Trump tower and the almost full moon.

I am sure I will be doing more on our Jersey shore visit..Including some beautiful sunrise shots for Skywatch Friday..

Thanks for visiting my blog. I always appreciate your comments.
Join in on the fun and for more wonderful photos please visit  Mosaic Monday and more
 from  Our World Tuesday

 Thanks to our host: Mary our host of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy and Jennifer.  I wish everyone a happy week ahead!

A Snowy Owl & Eagle Day

  I am linking up with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday 

December 15, 2013

Early Saturday morning, I was reading the listserve for Maryland birders and I saw all the people posting about their Snowy Owl sighting near HavreDeGrace, Md.  I was undecided about going, between the weather forcasting more snow for the day and I had already recently seen the Snowy Owl in Delaware. Then I thought this my be may be my only chance to see a another Snowy Owl in my own home state. So, hubby and I took off around 10am,  I was on a back road I usually take when I noticed this Bald Eagle on a pole hanging over the road. Well with no cars were coming either way, I had to stop and snap a few shots.

I am always excited seeing Eagles.  I thought to myself this outing is starting off great.  A little further up the road I caught the back of a hawk or an owl flying off into the woods. Now with a car coming behind me I had to move on..on to see the Snowy Owl and no time to waste I wanted to be back home before the roads became a nightmare.

The morning's outing started off great with this Bald Eagle sighting.

We had easy directions and this Snowy Owl  was probably one of the easiest birds I have been able to spot. It is in the photo above....like Waldo..can you find the Snowy Owl?

We were a distance from the Snowy Owl, standing along side the road and the owl was across the field on the opposite side of a pond.

Apparently this is a female Snowy Owl and she seems to be doing well.. She has been seen flying around the field... As with any Snowy Owl or any bird sighting..it is best to keep your distance.

The weather was feeling cold, windy and damp, even though the snow had not started yet.  We made a quickie visit to see the Conowingo Eagles..I was surprised to see the parking lot just about empty...We talked with one of the photographers there for a bit..He drove from Boston just to take photos of the Eagles while it was snowing..Well I was not waiting for the snow to start...I snapped a few photos of the Eagles in the trees and checked out the river..seeing lots of gulls and a GB Heron..Hubby and I took off for home..3 hours roundtrip total..I'd say it was a pretty good outing..




As always, I hope you enjoy my post and thanks for visiting my blog. I always appreciate your comments.

Join in on the fun and for more wonderful photos please visit  Mosaic Monday and more
 from  Our World Tuesday

 Thanks to our host: Mary our host of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy and Jennifer.  I wish everyone a happy week!

 Just a reminder about my new MEME called Saturday Critters..posted early every Saturday Morning...join in on the party and post your cute pets or critters.

Snowy Owl

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

December 3, 2013

This seems to be the year for the Snowy Owls.. A Snowy Owl irruption is when the young owls fly south due to their food source Lemmings or prey becoming scarce. Just this past week Snowy Owl sightings have been reported all around New Jersey, Delaware and my state of Maryland.  I was thrilled myself to see one while driving down the Coastal Hwy in Delaware on November 30.. Apparently there were two Snowy Owls in the exact spot, I just happened to see one from my viewing spot.  The lucky people that were on the beach at the time saw two Snowy owls interacting with each other.. awesome photos were posted on the Delaware Birding facebook page..

Here are the few photos I took of just one of the Snowy Owls seen at the Indian River Inlet.

I stayed a good distance from the owl but, I am so glad my Canon SX40 has awesome optical zoom. I am happy with my Snowy Owl shots.

For my photos, I stood on the road... I did not have to be close to the owl or walk over the dunes...

I am always reading the facebook entries of birds being sighted. Some of others places where the Snowy Owls were seen Edwin Forsythe NWR in NJ, Cape Henlopen, DE, Indian River Inlet De, Port Mahon, DE and the place I saw my 2009  lifer Snowy Owl the Assateague Island Nat'l Seashore. They seem to be up and down the East Coast as far as the Carolinas and maybe even a sighting in Bermuda. 

The notice above is being passed around on facebook, I agree birders and photographers should keep a safe distance. Keeping a distance also allows others to view this beautiful bird without flushing the owl.

Check Ebird's got-snowies  for more information..

To see a Snowy Owl in the wild is a thrill, at least for a birder it is..I hope you get to see one too.
Thanks for visiting my post and for the nice comments.

 I am starting a new MEME called Saturday Critters..Saturday Morning 8am EST...join in on the party and post your cute critters.

Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.  Thanks to our host Michelle our host Stewart.  Happy Birding and have a wonderful week!