I breathe a sigh of relief when after not having been at the lake for a week or so, I look out and see the Quackles -- all eight, plus Mom -- hanging out on the beach.
We've had quite an array of ducks -- the other night I counted a group of 25 on the shoreline between our house and the one next door. Duck Covid party waiting to happen.
And I finally got a not-great photo of the elusive bald eagle that seems to have at least two favorite trees -- two doors down, either way. I've seen the eagle often, mostly when I am out swimming (it's fascinating to watch him fish.) But I rarely have my camera and he flies too fast for me to get it. Trust me, even though you can't see his white head and yellow beak, this is Eddie!
Here's a very fuzzy photo of him in one of his favorite perches. Look for just his white head sticking out of the branches on the upper right of the photo.
Another rare sighting on our lake is this loon. He was floating along, far from shore, on a beautiful day.
I love loons and this was a real treat for me. He's more elusive than the eagle and moves more slowly! As he went by, he was singing his loon song, which I find incredibly beautiful and haunting.
One of Harry's cousins dropped by to pay us a visit at twilight.
He was having a grand time strutting in front of the cottage, fishing, till the (Bad) neighbor's dog saw him and set forth to attack. Needless to say our grand bird is a little jumpy (I took these photos leaning the camera out the door so to not spook him.) I hope he comes back.
This little flicker was checking out the beach for -- well, I don't know what for!
But he seemed rather happy with his pecking!
The wildlife action isn't only animal but in the ground as well. I am fascinated by the strength of the fungi as they push through hard dirt and moss to emerge.
This is only the beginning of what I call fungi season. These are all very large.
I'm wondering what other interesting varieties I'll see soon.
My other bit of wildlife was taking a break, "flirting" on the pretty chairs we were given by our (Good) neighbor. That cute little bag behind her is from Patti at Pandora's Box. I was delighted to win it in her blog drawing. Thank you, Patti!
Fall holds such promise but I'm certainly content to wait awhile for it.
I want more late summer days with hours on the porch with my Wild Girl and our lake birds.
Sharing with: Let's Keep in Touch / Saturday's Critters
47 comments:
I love watching the eagles come in the Winter when the ice is in the river here. Awesome birds! Janice
Jeanie, I loved the eagle pictures. I saw an eagle down our road and made Ted drive around the block to get a picture on my phone. Oh gee talk about blurry. But I knew it was unusual;. It ate something it was dragging around for 3 days. So it seemed. I would love to hear the loon in person. I want summer to last longer this year...we have been cheated. Take care , enjoy everyday. Blessings, xoxo, Susie
I love the sound of loons, too, and watching cranes walk is one of my favorite things in the wild. Lakes bring in so many fascinating creatures.
Lovely wildlife photos. Great to see the eagle and the loon. And our Lizzie just brings everything back to the basic necessities each time....Have a great weekend, hugs, Valerie
Ohhh, I love that lake and that little family!
Eddie, oh, cute! I´ve never seen a loon, a beauty.
Another jumper, LOL. A very cute bag indeed, and an even cuter Lizzie. But, wee, those teeth are frightening! But the tongue, awww... Cold here, but sunny. The coldest "summer" I can remember.
How wonderful to see so much wildlife! I’m fascinated by all the birds. Lizzie is a gorgeous girl.
Great birdie photos again. Such a variety to see on your wonderful lake. Did you know that the UK term for an avid bird watcher who collects rare sightings is a Twitcher?
Deb in Wales
Hello, Jeanie
Wonderful wildlife sightings at the lake. I love the eagle shots and the ducks and heron. Lizzie is always adorable. It is a shame your neighbor lets their dog run loose. Great series! Take care, enjoy your weekend!
I enjoyed your post, Jeanie. So cool to see the bald eagle and loon! I'm with you, still enjoying summer (mostly the light). But I have to admit, I am enjoying a down day of the aftermath of Laura's rain passing through today. It's not nearly as bad as it was projected here, but it is an intermittently rainy day.
So many wonderful sightings ~ I'm with you on loving the loons and the call being both beautiful and eerie at the same time. Great shots of the flicker too ~ My daughter names everything, even non living things and I think it's endearing and clever of both of you.
I am quite sure those ducks are safe, Jeanie. No predator would dare touch them knowing they would face the wrath of Jeanie if they even thought of it - and no one would wish for that! I am envious of your loon. I rarely see them in breeding plumage right around here as we experience them mostly overhead in migration or on Lake Ontario in winter plumage. I need to travel north a little ways into their breeding areas. It is a truly magnificent species and emblematic of the north. I can call to memory many sounds of nature that thrill and inspire me, but none more than the yodelling chorus of a pair of loons on a northern lake. I am thrilled that you have this visitor. It is very special honour to keep company with these birds.
No doubt about it . ..
Having an “in person view” with a Bald Eagle
would put me over the moon!
And the loon and song . . . oh my . . .
Haunting and real, do you see just one . . .
I wonder if his song is being sent to his mate . . .
I hope the “mcmansion neighbor” enjoys the nature views, like you!
Cats provide such great photos, don't they?!
Someday I hope to enjoy the loons. If I could enjoy them with their babies in tow (or riding along) it would be even better. They certainly rival the other birds in attractiveness and interest!
Great photos, Jeanie! Birds are always a fun subject to shoot.
Amalia
xo
I always enjoy late summer, too. There's something about late August/early September that makes magical moments. How cool to have so many birds to watch at the lake.
Jeanie, your photos are wonderful. That you captured the eagle is amazing. I also love loons and have never seen one in life. But their song is as beautiful as they are.
Your lake is a special place and I certainly understand that you want more time there with your "Wild Girl." Enjoy yourself.
You have such wonderful birds at your lake! I have only seen an eagle in the wild twice in my life.
I love this time of year. Not much porch sitting around here for a few days. The rain just doesn't want to leave us alone. :(
What a blessing to see these wonders of nature.
That Lizzie has such beautiful blue eyes.
Be safe. Stay healthy.
With all that wildlife, and Summer days that are as pleasant as yours sound like they have been, I can see why you're reluctant for them to end.
Love the call of the Loon. Love the cat photo , the big grin! Hilarious! I will be sad when weather forces you back to town, It has been so enjoyable living through you this summer. Thank you.
The sighting of the Loon is marvellous and rare, indeed! It's on the Canadian #1 coin, that's why we call it the Loonie. But I've only seen it once all these years! And from afar. I've also made a serendipitous sighting recently, but nothing as rare as the Loon.
Great shot of the eagle (even blurry)!
What wonderful photographs you've taken at the lake! How wonderful so have such beautiful wildlife to see all of the time. Thank you for sharing!
Your beautiful, peaceful photos are something we all need right now. Stay safe.
That was a duck party. It's sure a lot. You've had some great sightings. We have the loons on lakes around here. They are amazing, aren't they? And nice eagle photos too. It is hard to get photos of them. I see them occasionally around here but I am never close enough for a good photo. So I enjoyed the post! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend. hugs-Erika
I'm glad to hear that the Quackles are doing well. We have a lot of wildlife, but I miss the ducks and geese and herons at Dad's. That last pic of Lizzie would be scary if she weighed a hundred pounds more. Don't feed her too much. :)
So glad you see so much wild life and captured photos to share with us! Bald eagles are so pretty, especially in flight! We are starting to see ducks on our walks again. For awhile there we never seemed to see them so they must have hung out elsewhere.
It’s beautiful here today - 75 and low humidity. I’m so glad for the break in the extreme heat!!
I like seeing the lake photos and knowing you're still enjoying time there. I would love to both see and hear a Loon. You have quite the wild animal in your house!
Jeanie, you have such a great variety of birds at the lake! Great seeing Eddie the Eagle. I love eagles and my heart beats a little faster each time I see one. I've never seen a Loon. What a beautiful bird. I'm so glad you are enjoying more days at the lake.
Wow on the eagle. It would be amazing to see one flying about. My older brother went to an island in Alaska years ago just to photograph the eagles. Be so nice.
Wonderful nature photos especially the fungus pushing out of the earth.
Fungi is opening a door to autumn. Happy sunday to you and your lovely cat.
Wow, I've never seen some of those birds before, especially the loon. Sorry dear Jeanie, but I'm SO ready for cooler weather. I'm SO tired of 98 F days with feels like 106 F temps and nights that only cool to the high 70s. 70 should be the HIGH for the day, not the low for the night. I do love your bird shots and Lizzie showing her vocal comments, though.
Jeanie, how much fun it must be to watch the ducks and the bald eagle. We have had so much rain, mushroom colonies have sprouted everywhere. We had a pair of bald eagles that built a nest very close to our house, they returned for the nest for several years and then abandoned it. I guess the lady of the nest wanted new digs! Happy Sunday!
Jeanie, it was great to read this post and SEE the loon photos as we had just visited the Loon Center in NH this week😀 but the loons had nested and left already😕 It was also nice to see the ducklings again and the bald eagle.
Jeanie,
Once again, stunning pictures!! Thanks again for stopping by and yes, it has taken me a life time to collect all of my Collections but that was the fun of it all!! Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
Hugs,
Debbie
What a wonderful variety of bird life you have there!
so many beautiful birds on the lake - thanks for sharing~
Loved seeing all of your wild life in your part of the world. The fungi are amazing! It makes me want to go searching for some. Not sure I would find anything quite so huge.
Such lovely wildlife photographs, and always nice to see Lizzie.
All the best Jan
Oh, those precious birds. That's what I've been missing. Taking time to visit the birds and just be with them in nature. That fungus is very unusual looking. I'm wondering if it's poisonous? I'm sure you're going to miss these peaceful Summer days and nights at the lake. Yes, your cat DOES look wild in that photo. You take the best cat pictures, Jeanie.
~Sheri
Hello, Jeanie!
This is a great critter post. I love all the birds, especially the Eagle. Great variety of birds and captures. Lizzie is looking a little wild on the last photo. She is a sweetie. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your day! Wishing you a happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
The Loon is a gorgeous bird and of course the Eagle is amazing! Love the last photo too! Happy weekend!
I love your love and affection for the animals...Even fungus becomes like a beloved family member fore you!! Your kitty is just adorable, love the stop action shots!!
Hello. Very interesting sightings. Loons are beautiful.
Take care.
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