At the Lake

I am linking up with NF Winged   and  Skywatch Friday

My post on our walk to our local lake. Some beautiful skies for Skywatch and a couple of yardbirds for NF Winged.

In the  yard a view of the sky and our Crepe Myrtle bush.

 Skywatching during our walk to the lake. I love these pretty fluffy white clouds and blue sky.

 A pretty day for our walk to the lake.

Sometimes we see Bald Eagles fly over this part of the lake but on this day we only saw a GB Heron.

For my NF Winged post I am including a new yard bird..a juvenile Veery.

The Peeping Tom juvie Veery. I caught it looking in our den window.

Another yardbird I was thinking this could be a juvenile Oriole but also looks more like a juvenile male Scarlet Tanager. It's wing looks funny, I hope it is Ok.

This poor bird looks like it has been in a battle. It is flying so I assume it is Ok. It is has been seen in the weeping cherry tree, which is right next to our blueberry bushes. The birds are all having a feast on the blueberries.

  Happy Skywatching everyone!

Thanks for visiting my post and  blog and I always appreciate your comments.

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 weekend.

Least Bittern

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

For this weeks feature bird  I am sharing my not so great photos of the Bombay Hook Least Bittern.

Hidden behind the tall grasses, you can make out the yellow legs and the beak. They are small birds range from 11 to 14 inches in length. The birds underparts and throat are white with light brown streaks.

This is a shot of a GB Heron with the Least Bittern still hiding behind the tall grasses. If I had not seen it move I think it would have remained well hidden.

A cropped shot of the Least Bittern.

This was my first sighting (May 19) of the Least Bittern also seen at Bombay Hook. I think it is just a funny looking pose. The shot above shows more of the coloring on the Bittern's head, back and side.

It is a cool bird to see and I just wish my photos could have been better. But, I will take what I can of this elusive bird.  They do spend time straddling the reeds like the American and when alarmed they freeze and point their bill straight up.. blending in with their marsh vegetation.

 I was excited to see the Least Bittern somewhat out in the open and I hope you enjoy my Least Bittern.

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 Stewart for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday and thanks to Michelle for hosting Nature Notes.

Thanks for stopping by and for leaving your nice comments. I always appreciate your visits.
I wish everyone a happy week ahead and Happy Birding!

Bombay Hook NWR

  I am linking up with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday .

August 4, 2013

I am sharing some of the birds and scenes from our Friday visit to Bombay Hook NWR . I had an extra day off work and hubby and I decided on a daytrip to the wildlife refuge. The weather was perfect, sunny and the humidity was gone.

Above the Great Blue Herons and also nearby the Least Bittern.Swallowtail butterflies and wild pink hibiscus.

More scenes from Bombay Hook wildlife refuge..the Egret trees, wild white hibiscus, juvenile Terns, American Avocets, Great Egret and a Glossy Ibis.

The Green Heron is one of my favorite herons, so I was really happy to watching this one catch his lunch. Visiting the national wildlife refuges and the national parks is something hubby and I love to do. And Bombay Hook NWR is what I call a half tank away and one of my favorite places to visit.

 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!

Birds, Butterflies and blooms

I am linking up Camera Critters and I'd-Rather-b-birdin

August 3, 2013

I hope you will join in on the fun and share your critters and birds. My post is on the birds, butterflies and blooms in my yard.

 I love sitting on my deck and watching the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds, I am seeing around six of them at my feeders. They are such fun to be around, sometimes there is a juvie that will hover right in front of my chair.

This is the second year for this hibiscus plant, we brought the plant inside for the winter. It is not very full and bushy but it seems to be blooming very well.

The beak on this hummer looks weird, I am not sure if it not developed all the way or if something happened to it? I believe the hummer is a juvenile, I hope it is Ok.

The hummingbirds have been seen sitting on the branches of this trumpet vine.

Seen on the same evening I was watching the hummer show..a male Scarlet Tanager in the treetop above my yard. The Scarlet Tanager is a breeder in the woods next to my house.

I included these butterfly shots in one of my mosaics in a previous post but now I am showing just the photos. Above is the Tiger Swallowtail.  One of the more common butterflies seen in my yard.

A little ragged but a beautiful Black Swallowtail.

A Sulfur on the Purple Coneflowers. I hope you enjoyed this post,

 Ok, here is my new list for the week of my favorite blogs to visit and if you missed any... look back at all my previous Saturday posts they go as far back as 6/22/13.

Tammy @ i heart florida birds shares her beautiful Florida Birds. After vacationing in Florida I also love Florida birds and enjoy visiting her blog.

Mick @ Sandy straits and beyond  is sharing his birding and  outings from Australia. I learn about the Autralian birds that I would love to see someday in person.

Kusum @ Scrapbook_ a travel blog is sharing her many adventures traveling. Fantastic photos and you can learn about all the wonderful places she visits.

Gary @ Vermilon river wildlife shares his hikes along the Vermilon River and shares his awesome wildlife photography.

Indrani @ ishare is a lovely blogger from India. She shares her wonderful travel photos, I feel like I have been around the world with Indrani.
 

I hope you are able to find some time to visit some of my favorite blogs above, they are all wonderful bloggers.

 I wish everyone a happy weekend.

 To see more beautiful photos and cute critters

 please visit:  Camera Critters and I'd-Rather-B-Birdin. Thanks to the gracious hosts Misty Dawn of Camera Critters and to Anni of I'd Rather-B-birdin.

The Rookery, Aug 1

I am linking up with NF Winged   and  Skywatch Friday

August 1, 2013

Wow, can you believe it is August already? I wish I could slow summer down, it is going way too fast. Ok, it is time for NF Winged with some Egret shots from the rookery and a couple moon shots for my Skywatch post.

This is a little off center, but I love this moon shot straight out of my camera. I just love the zoom on my camera and that no extra lenses are necessary. This photo of the moon (Waning Gibbous) was taken on July 25, 2013.

Another Waning Gibbous moon shot was taken the next day July 26, 2013.

A few people have been asking what camera I am using it is a Canon SX40.  I can zoom from 24-840mm and it has image stabilization built in the camera. No extra lenses are needed has the superzoom at 35X. They also came out with a SX50 but I really love this SX40. The photos come out clear even with the zoom as far as I can take it.

If something happened to it, I would go and buy the same camera.

Hubby and I visited the York, Pa rookery on July 27, 2013.

It was fun seeing the egrets chicks..they are almost the size of the adult now. They are still very cute.

There were still a few of Black Crowned Night Herons at the nest but the egrets stole the show.

It is amazing to see these big chicks still begging for food. I think it is time they start learning to feed themselves.

We watched one adult fly across the lake and land on the top of a pine tree. Maybe it needed a break from the chicks. It was a gray overcast sky and luckily the rain held off until our ride home.

Even the Black Crowned Night Herons looked older, they have all grown since my last visit to the rookery. The are two herons in this shot above one on the nest with its backside towards me and the other heron is giving me a look.

I hope you enjoy my post and the Egret Rookery.  Happy Skywatching everyone!

Thanks for visiting my post and  blog and I always appreciate your comments.

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 weekend.