Saturday's Critters # 613

  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.

I am sharing lots of butterfly images. In August I was seeing so many butterflies, way more than last year. Wildlife sightings around our yard were the white-tailed deer and lots bunny sightings. 

1. August 1, while washing dishes at my kitchen sink looking out the window I see a mama deer with her fawn. 

2. Aug 2nd, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly, the Monarch Butterfly and a sweet bunny.

3. This baby bunny hangs out under our blueberry bushes.  Adorable, I hope it stays safe! 

4. Aug 3rd, I sat on our deck watching for birds and butterflies.  I saw lots of butterflies around the buddleia bush.  

5. Below is the pretty Eastern Tiger Swallowtailed butterfly. 

"Butterflies are not insects, they are self-propelled flowers."

6. I seem to see more of the Black Swallowtail butterflies. 

7. Aug 3rd, Miney was funny one day, there were so many butterflies flying around she was barking at them.  

"If you smile when you see a butterfly, you have happiness in your soul."

8. Flashback to a 2017 Florida bird, the Snail Kite. We has some great views of this bird at the Circle B Preserve in Lakeland Florida. This sighting of the Snail Kite was a new life bird for me. 

The female Snail Kite has the whitish feathers around the face. Juveniles are brown above and streaked brown and buff below, a buffy throat and eyebrow.

Another Florida 2017 lifer was the Swallow-tailed Kite. Not the best photo but at I least I could record my lifer. 

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! 

Ding Darling NWR, Sanibel Island

 I am linking up with   Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday

The Ding Darling NWR was a must see during our Florida vacation. It is located on Sanibel Island in the Gulf of Mexico. The Ding Darling wildlife refuge is named after the cartoonist Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling. I heard it is closed on Fridays so the workers can do their thing and to give the birds a break. So, we saved Ding Darling for an early morning visit on the 4th day of our vacation. 

Ding Darling NWR was established  in 1976 to protect the country's largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystems. It is also known for its migratory wading bird population.

In my mosaic above, is a scenic view of Ding Darling, top right is a Pied-bill Grebe, assorted White Ibis and Egrets, bottom left is a Tricolored heron, middle shot Egrets and  White- Ibis, bottom right Little Blue Heron and a juvie Little Blue.

This shot above shows some of the migratory birds we saw at the refuge. They are the Little Blue Heron, Great Egret, White Ibis with the red bills and legs and I believe on the right end near the Great Egret is a juvenile Little Blue Heron as a juvie they are white.

Above is another one of my Florida life birds the Swallow-tailed Kite. This photo looks better smaller, it is way to fuzzy enlarged.

Above top right is a Summer tanager, Osprey nest, Great blue Heron,  Great Egret  with White Ibis, bottom right is a juvenile Little Blue Heron.

The Anhinga must be a common bird in Ding Darling and in Florida, we saw them everywhere.

Not a lifer but still a treat to see was this Summer Tanager. They are a beautiful rose-red color.

I hope you enjoyed the birds and our tour of the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Thanks for visiting my blog and post. I really appreciate the comment too.
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.  Thanks also for stopping by to see my post.  I wish everyone a happy week!