Hooded Merganser for Saturday Critters

The Hooded Mergansers are back but I have only seen the males so far!.I have seen them for two days now, so it should be no problem finding them again this morning. I don’t think I have ever taken a picture of one taking off in flight before until Thursday of this week (shown below). This one probably took off as it looked at me sitting narby with my camera pointed at it!

I am linking today to Eileen’s

viewingnaturewitheilkeen.blogspot.ca.

Have a great day everyone.! I hope to spend part of my day out looking for ducks as the rivers are starting to break up a bit more now.

Family Cats for Saturday Critters

.My daughter has two Maine Coon cats and they are both big gorgeous animals with wonderful, gentle manners.  If anyone is familiar with Maine, you will find the cat's name interesting if you know
some Maine place names.  Lubec is the orange cat and Wiscasset is the other one.

The black cat is our cat. Actually he belonged to our son's family but when they had a new baby  the cat was given to us as it loved jumping in the baby's crib too often.   Our cat's name is "Shakey".

When Shakey arrived in his new home as a kitten, he was quite nervous and was shaking all over, so he became known as" Shakey cat". Shakey is now about 16 years old and is rather standoffish and is not a lapcat, but we love him as he is now ours.

I am linking today to Viewing Nature with Eileen which can be found at viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com

Have a great weekend everyone, it is now March so despite a big storm moving in for the weekend, we can anticipate spring coming along later this month!

First spring duck sighting

common
Merganser , Gondola Point

Maybe a Pine Grosbeak for Saturday Critters.

I'm not totally sure of the id of this bird, but from the shape and size of its beak I am guessing a Grosbeak

 and I am making a guess of a Pine Grosbeak. It has been a few years since we have seen that species in Bird Alley, and I think they are beautiful birds.  The bird that I saw this morning did not stay around long, but here is its picture!

I am linking today to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.com

Male Cardinal for Saturday Critters

For two days in a row I have seen this handsome male Cardinal in  Bird Alley, on the tree  branches just outside my window. Both times when I have seen it, it was with a female Cardinaal.

I am posting today to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at; viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

A Happy weekend of reasonable weather is wished  for everyone.  We have a noisy strong cold wind blowing just outside pour windows.  Its strength woke me in the night!

Groundhog for Saturday Critters.

Today is Groundhog today, Let’s hope we get a favourable prediction for an early spring

Dear Mr Groundhog, 

Don’t be afraid,

If your shadowy image you see

Please DO NOT FLEE!

Stay around without fear

And let us know that spring is drawing near.

A sunny or cloudy day

Shouldn’t a legend make

For, anyway, many think you’re just a fake

Enjoy your day that’s named just for you

And please give us a good report, please do!

Because dear Mr. Groundhog,

I believe in you.

I am linking today to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at: viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

Have a wonderful day everyone and try to stay Warm!

I 

common Redpoll

It has been several winter seasons since I have seen beautiful little Common Redpolls! This week there were

a few feeding on the snow-covered ground in Bird Alley! I love the sight of their pink dusted breasts

 I am linking today to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found atviewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

.

female northern Cardinal

We are fortunate to host a pair of northern Cardinal in Bird Alley. The female visits and feeds most often but occasionally the male makes its presence known also.They are both such startling beautiful birds and it always a delight when they show up!

deer in the winter woods for Saturdy Critters

I'm not seeing many deer lately, but last week I saw these two standing on the edge of a woods patch.
I am linking today to viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

Female cardinal

we have a pair of Cardinals hanging around in Bird Alley , however they are both very elusive. we see the female more often than the male, but if she sees us looking out the windows at her she is gone like a fash. Last week we were very surprised to see two female Cardinals feeding here.

Pine Siskin for Saturday Critters

By just  finding a little touch of yellow on those tiny finch cousins and I know, “Yes, It is a Pine Siskin.With the news that an expected influx of winter finches are expected in my area I am constantly on the lookout for some of the dear little one of this bird family. I am very hopeful that as winter truly sets in , I might have a few little redpoll visitors as I haven’tseen  any of them for  the last few years or so.
I am posting today on Eileen’s Saturday Critters, which can be found at  viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca
Have a wonderful first day of December everyone.

Sparrows for Saturday Critters

We have had three species of sparrows feeding recently in Bird Alley. The white-throated Sparrow is a daily visitor and is often the first arrival of the day.

the second most frequent sparrow visitor

is the little northern Tree sparrow. There are two strong identifying features of the Tree Sparrow. First, look for the bicoloured bill which has a lower yellow bill, and secondly the tree sparrow has a central dark breast spot.

the third sparrow that I found in Bird Alley about a week nd a half ago was a Song Sparrow, but with this recent cold snap it hasn't been seen since.Hopefully this lingering sparrow is now  headed for more southerly climes. As the Tree Sparrow, the Song Sparrow also has a center dark breast spot to identify it.

I am linking today to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at

viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend to all American viewers and safe travels!

Winter Finches( Grosbeaks) for Saturday Critters

I was very pleased to read this week that there is an expected influx of winter finches in my area and so on the day of my reading that information  I went out looking for Grosbeaks and red berries.  I went to my favourite pond area where I usually find ducks, but knew there were red berries there also and I found a Pine Grosbeak feeding on berries!  What a wonderful surprise and find!!

The next day I was hoping to see an Evening Grosbeak show up and they did!, a small flock with both male nd females within the group.

A male E. Grosbeak in Bird Alley

shown above  ,   male Evening Grosbeaks

above , a female Evening Grosbeak

Other  species of large iterant berry feeding birds, Bohemian Waxwings, (although not winter finches) stopped by to feed on our ornamental crab-apples

I had a wonderful week viewing feeding birds 

I am linking today to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at: viewingbirdswitheileen.blogspot.ca

Piebald Deer

Earlier one day this week while driving over Ghost Hill I saw a regular sized adult brown deer and a much smaller piebald one cross the highway in front of my car. 

in front of my car on the highway!  after they passed by me I stopped my car, turned and went back to see if I could get a picture of the piebald, I did and shown above there is the small deer at the edge of the woods looking at me.  A beauty!
Also a back view shows there is much white on its legs too.

I have looked at the same location again for several times this week but I haven't seen it again. 

Feeding Robins

Our first snow earlier last week was the prompt that signaled the Robins in our area that the berries ( Mountain Ash and Ornamenta

l Flowering Crab) and rosehips in our yard were ready for their annual feasting. We enjoyed watching these red breasted beauties forage among our trees and bushes for several days last week, including even yesterday. It is an annual delight at this time of year to us to be able to watch their "to and fro" feasting activities. I remember when living in Hawkshaw at this time of year we always hosted a large flock of Evening Grosbeaks that arrived each fall to feed on our Mountain Ash berries, as well as our ornamental Flowering Crab Apple Trees.

Spotted Sandpiper for Camera Critters

Hmmm, the post title might seem misleading  and you are looking for a sandpiper with spots!

but, not so in this case as this is an adult non-breeding  spotted sandpiper.  You are more likely to see the spotted version in the spring during their breeding season.  When their breeding is over with the spots disappear and the spotted sandpiper's appearance looks very much like this bird in the picture.  This is the fall version in our region.

I am linking today to Eileen's Saturday Critters meme which can be found atviewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca

A very happy first day of Fall to everybody.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

I have been waiting for a Sapsucker to arrive all summer , but one didn't arrive until yesterday!  The red on its throat was not very full and I wonder if it might have been a juvenile?

A Stray Cat for Saturday Critters

I have named this handsome stray cat that visits in Bird Alley, “Butterfly”, and I’m sure you can understand my naming choice when you look at the pattern on its side. 

Butterfly is fascinated with the action in bird Alley!  His head swivels back and forth as the birds fly from feeder to feeder.  We have never seen any evidence that Butterfly catches or harms any birds. and as he loves watching the birds and  we love watching this handsome cat as he visits often. 

I am linking today to Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at viewingnaturewitheileen .blogspot.ca

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Anoither great Blue Heron for Saturday Critters.

Earlier this summer I suffered a dearth of Great Blue Heron sighting and lately I seem to be seeing them often!  They are such a

beautiful bird to my mind that I am enjoying finding them often!
Yesterday morning I saw this heron standing in a hunched position on a small island of land in a pond.  It was a foggy morning and I assume that the Heron was waiting and hoping that its breakfast would soon pass by.
I am linking today toViewing Nature with Eileen which can be found at :viewingnaturewitheileen.blogpot.ca

A duck and a great blue heron for Saturday Critters

At this time of year I go out hoping to find ducks.  I found two yesterday and so intent was I on getting their pictures that I failed to see the Great blue Heron standing behind it!  Only as the duck

was swimming across the water reflection of the Great Blue Heron did I see it standing there! I was sitting in my car on the road with my window down and I was only focused on getting the duck picture.  Go figure! I was so very pleased to see the heron as I have seen so few this summer.  I had seen two ducks swimming by a small island there in the pond but I had not seen the large Great Blue Heron standing on the island shore there.

I shall go to see if I can find it again today!
I am linking this mourning with Eileen's Saturday Critters which can be found at viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca
Have a wonderful day everyone on this first day of September. How I appreciate being a retired teacher on days such as this.  Net week /I shall smile and wave asI see the schoolbuses passing by!