HAPPY NEW YEAR 2022!

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!  I wish you all the best in 2022!! Lots of Joy, Happiness and Good Health! 

Thank you to all my blog visitors for leaving me such nice comments through the past year! 

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday, everyone!

I hope you all have a great day and a happy new week!

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow!

Magnificent Frigatebirds, Curacao Sea Aquarium

Live each day as if it's your last!

Comments Off, enjoy your day! 

Saturday's Critters # 419

 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!

Merry Christmas everyone!    I wish everyone a very happy day filled with peace, love and joy!  

Not sure who will be blogging on Christmas Day, but maybe link up later?

I have my archived Christmas Cardinals to share. The Cardinals usually appear on Christmas Cards. 

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!

Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas everyone!

May this Christmas bring you much joy and happiness!

Comments off, enjoy your day!

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday, everyone!

I hope you all have a great day and a happy new week!

"See the light in others, and treat them as if that's all that you see."

Bodie Island Lighthouse, Nags Head North Carolina

Comments off! Enjoy your day! 

Saturday's Critters # 418

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!

I am sharing archived photos, pairs of various bird species. Are they mates for life? 

1. The Bald Eagle is one of bird species that is known to mate for life. The Bald Eagle mating season starts the month of  October in Maryland. 1-3 eggs are usually laid in February.  Both sexes help to build the nest, bringing materials to the nest.  The female is known to do the placement,  then together they weave the materials. They can take up to 3 months to complete a nest and the nest could be re-used year after year. 

2. Cardinals are monogamous and will typically mate for life. The Cardinal couple will work together building the nest and they can take 8-9 days to build their nest. Breeding season can last from March to September. the female will lay 2-5 eggs.  The male Cardinal will help feed it's mate and their young. 

3. A male and female House Finch. I read the House Finch will have one mate for life. The male will feed the female and guard their mate from other males.  They build a nest shaped like a cup. Their nest is made with fine twigs and stems, two inches deep. 

4. Below are the male and female Purple Finch. The Purple Finch is closely related to the House Finch seen above. During he nesting season, the male will sing and hop around puffing out it's feathers to attract the female.  The female does most of the work building the nest, taking about 3 to 8 days to complete. They have 2-7 eggs and their nesting period is 13-16 days. 

5. One of my all time favorites are the Eastern Bluebirds. Some years they like to use my nesting boxes, either to keep warm or  during the nesting period.  They have been known to mate for life, unless a mate should disappear. The male bluebird will help supply building material and then the female will construct the nest. The bluebird can lay 2-7 eggs and nesting period is 17-21 days. They can have 1-3 broods during a season. 

6. A pair of Wood Ducks, they form seasonal bonds or monogamy.  The use nest cavities in trees, 2-60 feet high and not far from water. Sometimes they use an old woodpecker's nesting cavity or a nesting box is provided. They can have 6-16 eggs, taking 56-70 days for their nesting period. 

7. The male and female Hooded Merganser. I was surprised when I read that the Hooded Merganser is known to egg-dump. They dump their eggs into a nesting cavity of their own species and other duck species like the Wood Duck. Apparently the other mommy does not mind taking care of all the extra chicks. The young chick can leave the nest in 24 hours. 

8. The male and female Downy Woodpecker. It is said most woodpeckers will mate for life. They often return to the same nest cavity each season. They can lay 3-8 eggs and their nesting period is 18-21 days. 

9. Below are a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers. These woodpeckers will excavate a nest in a dead tree, usually takes 3-6 weeks to construct a nest. Sometimes they will re-use a nesting cavity.  The female can lay 3-5 eggs, nesting period is usually 24-31 days. 

10.  Barred Owls, I saw this pair close together often during our walks at Circle B preserve in Lakeland Florida.  The Barred Owl male is known to be territorial, therefore could possibly mate for it's life time. 

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 sharing your critters and 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!

Happy Monday!

 Happy Monday, everyone!

I hope you all have a great day and a happy new week!

Set peace of mind as your highest goal and organize your life around it. 

Running Eagle Falls, Glacier National Park

Comments Off! Enjoy your day!

Saturday's Critters # 417

 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!

I am sharing photos from recent walks to our lake, round trip just a little over a mile. I was going to make it a brisk walk back and forth from home but I started hearing and seeing birds close by.  We stayed a bit longer and I was able to capture a few of the birds staying still for my photos. 

Slow down to appreciate the beauty of life.

1. Below are a couple of Eastern Phoebes, Eastern Bluebirds, White-throated Sparrow, Winter Wren, Downy Woodpecker, Canada Geese and a view across the reservoir.

2. A Winter Wren is almost blending in with the leaves, it landed right behind us for me to capture this photo. 

3.  I was taking a shot of the reflections of the trees, when I noticed a few birds flying back and forth low over this cove area.

4. Some of the birds flying around were the White-throated Sparrows. I recognize their song before I was able to zoom in on one of the sparrows.

5. There were a few Eastern Phoebes hanging out around the lake shore and cove area. 

6. I also saw a few Eastern Bluebirds hanging around, this shot has a lot of tree twigs in the way. 

7. This shot of the Eastern Bluebird is clear of branches and he posed for a photo. 

8. A view looking across the lake, most of the trees have lost their leaves. 

Other birds heard but not appearing in photos, are the Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Northern Flicker, Cardinals, Chickadees, Kinglets, a distant Belted Kingfisher, Crows, Starlings and Grackles.

9. From Dec 3rd, the usual Canada Geese were seen all around the lake shore. If you enlarge this photo, there is a Belted Kingfisher perched on the edge of a down tree. It is at the top and almost in the middle, can you find it?

10. The images in the mosaic below are from Dec 1st and Dec 3rd. The top left is a Hermit Thrush in my back yard. The Red-tailed Hawk, Canada Geese and Belted Kingfisher were seen at the lake during one of our morning walks. 

11. Dec 6th we took another walk to our local lake. From the fire road I could hear the sounds of a Bald Eagle. I got a shot of one Eagle but the second eagle had too many tree branches in the way for a clear photo. The 2 Bald Eagles were sitting in a tree next to the lake, not far away was the Belted Kingfisher. 

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 the wildlife. Thank you for sharing your critters and linking up a critter post.

Here is my linky:

Thank you for sharing your critters and post!

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!

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday, everyone!

I hope you all have a great day and a happy new week!

Wishing you all a month filled with Peace, Love and Happiness! Seeing these two Pileated Woodpecker made me happy. Find beauty in the small things.

I am wishing my son a very Happy 29th Birthday on Dec 7th.

Be grateful. Act with love. Check your motives. Watch your attitude. Forgive. 

Comments Off! Enjoy your day!

Saturday's Critters # 416

 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!

I am sharing a mish mash of photos from walks in my neighborhood, on the fire road to the lake and from our last visit to Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park. 

1. Our wildlife sightings for our day at Shenandoah, was one deer at the entrance station and one deer seen below walking across the Skyline Drive. 

2. Some scenes from Shenandoah and the Skyline Drive, the Limberlost Trail. 

3. Below seen at the Big Meadows, Shenandoah the Northern Harrier. They have a white rump patch which is noticeable in the photos below. 

4. At the Big Meadows we watched a Northern Harrier hunting. The Harriers are known to be expert mousers. 

5. Below images are from our fire road walk to our local lake,  the Canada Geese and two Pied-billed Grebes.

6. Looking across the lake, we noticed a larger group of Canada Geese.

7. A group fo Canada Geese were hanging out along the lake shore.

8.  I noticed on the far side of the lake was this wake from this Pied-billed Grebe. This bird was too far for a god photo, the Pied-billed Grebe has a short black banded bill, they are a warm brown color with dark eyes.

Take time to appreciate the beauty around you, the more beauty you will see!

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:

Thank you for taking the time to share your critters and post!

I am also linking up to Anni's blog party found here I'd Rather B Birding   Anni shares beautiful birds on her blog, check it out!