Assateague sky

It's time for some of my favorites memes Skywatch Friday and  NF Winged and Watery Wednesday II.

These are some shots from our visit to the beach and to  Assateague Island National Seashore. After spending time In Ocean City and Delaware's Indian River Inlet we headed to Assateague so we could watch the sunset.

Ruddy Turnstones at the Indian River inlet.

Sunset at Assateague Island.

A pretty orange reflection.

After the sun had set, the sky was still filled with beautiful colors.



To see more beautiful photos and pretty skies please visit Skywatch Friday
and to see more of the winged critters check out NF Winged
And for some watery scenes check out Tricia's Watery Wednesday II

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

Common Eider

With my Common Eider I am linking up with a few memes World Bird Wednesday and Water Wednesday  and Nature Notes

 I was hoping for some better photos of these neat looking sea ducks. But they were a little too far out and they were getting lost in the waves.


The Common Eider breeds on rocky coasts and in the Artic tundra. They winter along seacoasts and they are fairly common along the Atlantic coast. The male has a white back and breast. Their long nose appearance is distinctive. The females have more rufous tones.

 It was a little upsetting to hear a week after our visit to Barneget some duck hunters were seen a little closer in than the supposedly mile out that is required for hunters. And even more of a concern is that the Harlequin ducks that are seen at Barnegat are off limits to the hunters but with the waves and all the ducks that are around are these hunters really that good of marksmen to hit another duck?

I do know for myself if I were there to see the ducks I would be terribly upset to see a duck killed while I was there watching.   Another question, why do the hunters have to be hanging around a spot like Barnegat Lighthouse beach when they know it is a tourist spot with lots of people and birders?  Now, I am hoping that the ducks stay away just to be safe from the hunters.

Lately it seems that there are more and more hunters and less people out just to enjoy the critters. In the winter months (Sept-Jan) the reservoir around my house allows bow deer hunting. So even around my own neighborhood it is only safe to go out on Sundays when hunting is not allowed. I have even heard some places are even allowing hunting on Sundays. So when is it a good time for the nature lover to be outside enjoying nature and  the wildlife.



To see more wonderful birds check out Springman's World Bird Wednesday
And 2Sweetnsaxy's Watery Wednesday   and Michelle's  Nature Notes..  Thanks to Springman, 2Sweetnsaxy and Michelle for hosting these fun memes. Thank you for stopping by to see my post.

Forsythe Egret

For this weeks post to Wordless Wednesday and Watery Wednesday

I hope you enjoy my Egrets, to see more great photos and post please visit Wordless Wednesday  and Watery Wednesday

Thanks to the host of Wordless Wednesday and to 2sweetnsaxy for hosting Watery Wednesday

Also, thanks for visiting my post.

Clapper Rail

For World Bird Wednesday  and Watery Wednesday and  Nature Notes

This weekend I was excited to see two Clapper Rails together. I am pretty sure I was seeing a male and female and that there was a nest nearby.   The Clapper Rail is a chicken sized rail and they inhibat most salt marshes year round. They forage for marsh crabs and other invertebrates. Their distinctive clapping sound let me know that they were nearby while we were checking out other shorebirds in the area.


The Rails are birds that like to hide and not be seen so, for us to see these two out in the open and get pictures I consider myself very lucky.

Thanks to Springman of Pine River Review and 2sweetnsaxy of Watery Wednesday and Michelle of Nature Notes  for hosting these fun memes. Also, thank you for stopping by to see my post.

American Oystercatcher

My post  for World Bird Wednesday and Watery Wednesday and Nature Notes  is of the American Oystercatcher.  This bird nest on sandy beaches and barrier islands. It forages for clams, mussels and crabs in salt marshes, rocky coast and intertidal areas. They are brown in color above and have a white bottom and have a black hood. They have a stout red-orange bill which reminds me of a carrot.


I got to see this bird while visiting Chincoteague NWR, below are four of them in flight.

This one below is banded with a black band and numbered 4P

I think these two were a couple.





If you like birds and would like to see more please visit Springman's site at World Bird Wednesday and for more watery shots visit 2sweetnsaxy's Watery Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes


Thanks to Springman , Michelle and 2sweetnsaxy for hosting and thank you for stopping by to see my birds. Have a great week!

Walk to the lake

I am linking up  with That's My World  and Watery Wednesday . These are some photos from yesterday's walk with my hubby to the nearby lake and some from my backyard. The lake has a thin layer of ice and is starting to melt quickly now.

These are some shots of Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures flying around my yard and a pretty Pine Warbler and a gorgeous sunset to end the day.

I hope you enjoyed my photos please visit that's My World and Watery Wednesday.  Thanks for stopping by and thanks to the great host of the two memes.

Common Eider

For this weeks Watery Wednesday I am showing the Common Eiders I saw while at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. We had some great views of the male which has white on its back and breast and looks like its has a long nose. The females are more rufous brown in color.

Click on the photos for a larger image.

Below the males white in color are really noticable while in flight.

To see more wonderful watery shots visit 2sweetnsaxy's  waterywednesday . Thanks to 2sweetnsaxy and thanks for stopping by my post. I hope the rest of your week is great.

Wordless Wednesday..The Loon

To see more Wordless Wednesday and to see more of Watery Wednesday  Thanks for stopping by and I hope the rest of your week is great.

Birding the NCR trail

Last weekend hubby and I enjoyed a brisk walk along the NCR bike trail not far from our house. Usually in the afternoon I do not see many birds but on this outing we saw the Carolina Wren and was surprised to see about 10 Eastern Bluebirds flying fast over the trail and up the hill next to us. I missed getting photos of the beautiful bluebirds. The trail follows the Gunpowder River and is fast moving so only parts of it were frozen. 

These are some of the shots I took while on our walk and joining in on 2sweetnsaxy's meme Watery Wednesday and Susan's Outdoor Wednesday.

Carolina Wren  is a resident in the eastern half of the USA. Rufous colored upperparts and orange buff on its belly. It has a striking white eyebrow and a long bill.

Goldie Girl always enjoys our walks, I think sometimes she stops and looks around for the birds too.

Happy Birding and I hope you enjoyed our walk and thanks for stopping by. Clock on my links to visit more Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday posts from all over.

In case I do not get the chance again I want to wish everyone a very HEALTHY and HAPPY NEW YEARS.

Birding the mudflats

Following the lead of some posters to my listserve I was able to pick up a lifer- the Wilson'sSnipe at the Paper Mills Flats.

The mud flats is a great place for the birding, in the last month reports of a Golden Eagle and a Black headed Gull have been seen at the flats. I was thrilled to finally just to see my Wilson's Snipe. I have been wanting to see the Wilson's Snipe for years and the bird was always hard for me to find. On this day there were twelve of them together, great sighting for me. Sorry, my excitement over seeing the snipe might seem boring to some.

The Wilson's Snipe below they were a good distance away. But with my binoc's I was able to id them. Sorry, for the awful photo but since the Snipe is a lifer for me I just had too save it.

 The Wilson's Snipe has a very long straight and dark bill. Its head and back have bold patterns in pale yellow and brown and a stripe across and near its eye. It seems that mud flats anywhere are a big attraction for birds. I assume they find a lot of food in mud flats when the water is low.


The mudflats also had a good count of ducks. After my visit at the flats I was offered a used Swarvorski scope. It was perfect timing for getting the scope to take on my Outer Banks trip. The scope really comes in handy for the birds in the distance like the ducks in the photo below.

I thought the bridge's shadow was a cool photo.

I am hooking up with Watery Wednesday, thanks to 2sweetnsaxy for hosting.

Also, thanks for stopping by to see my post.

Killdeer

During our visit to the Outer Banks we stopped at the Currituck Lighthouse located in Corolla, NC. I just loved the nature trail and boardwalk on the grounds of the Lighthouse. It was at the end of this boardwalk that I saw these two Killdeer.  Usually I see them on farm land but this time the Killdeer were hanging out at the muddy area of some marshland near the trail. They are cute birds with their double breastband.

Currituck Sound

Currituck Lighthouse

This is my entry for Watery Wednesday  thanks to 2sweetnsaxy  and Outdoor Wednesday thanks to Susan for hosting this watery meme.

Thanks for stopping by and I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

More Pelicans for Watery Wednesday

During our visit to the Outer Banks we saw a lot of Pelicans. There were quite a few Pelicans hanging out by the bridge at Pea Island. I think the Pelican is a cool looking bird... kind of pre-historic looking and one of my favorites and I love to watch them dive into the water for food. I was happy to see so many of them doing well and in one spot.

These are my shots for Watery Wednesday  Thanks to 2sweetnsaxy for hosting this watery meme.

And thanks for visiting my watery post.