It seems to be feast or famine for spotting birds here this summer. Most of the songbirds are high in the trees and the water birds, while my favorites to view and rarely tire of, do get redundant!
But today I had to lead with Harry North.
I wouldn't say he makes nightly appearances, but they are almost always at dusk. And always impressive.
This was the only shot I could get of a handsome woodpecker and it's a tad fuzzy. Pileated or red-bellied? I'm not sure. But he was lovely!
I did see a new-to-me gull on the lake with a very speckled appearance.
He seemed to like where he was sitting, almost posing!
I need to check a bird book to see what kind of gull he is -- unless one of my more avid bird pals knows off the top of the head!
Also on tap was a rare sighting of our neighborhood eagle. I think there may be two (I'm not sure) but this fellow is definitely impressive. He has no scheduled timetable for flight so a photo is a bonus, even if it's as fuzzy as this one.
Of course the geese remain plentiful. So far, they seem to be keeping off my beach.
But they do love the neighbor's!
And then there are my friends, the Duckles. They are beautiful anytime, but no more so than at sunset.
Getting all my ducks in a row!
I leave you with another look at Harry North, as I was trying to sneak up on him!
And finally, my favorite view.
To be honest, it's my only view. But it's a good one!
Sharing with: Saturday's Critters
Jeanie, could he be a Herring Gull? I did a little research and it looks like it may be.
ReplyDeleteYou are such a accomplished photographer. Beautiful photos today.
blessings,
Penny
You got so many wonderful shots of the bird life. It's wonderful to bird watch right out your front door. The lake view is absolutely beautiful and peaceful.
ReplyDeleteYou sure are not lonely at that beautiful lake!
ReplyDeleteWonderful collection of wildlife - have a great weekend there!
Lovely photos. If the gull is the same as ones over here its a young bird who look like this before they get their proper coloured feathers. We have mainly Herring Gulls here.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanie: Your feature on birds is very commendable and earns full marks today. The woodpecker is a Red-headed Woodpecker and the Gull is a subadult Ring-billed Gull. There are several intermediate plumage stages on the way to adult plumage and this is one of them. In the same way, the Bald Eagle you are seeing does not gain its white tail and head until its fourth or fifth year.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, I enjoyed your lovely post. we really enjoy watching the birds and waterfowl too. we have been seeing the heron allot early mornings lately, we had a whole flock of canada geese come up on the grass for a bit yesterday morning early. Not sure which woodpecker yours is-not a red bellied I don't think-at least ours here in Missouri look different. Looks too large for a red headed. we have an eagle pair that sits up high in a tree out our front door facing the road. we just started seeing more of them again.
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend Hugs Kathy
Lovely photos, love the birds. I think your woodpecker is more likely a red-bellied, as the pilated ones are huge and have long bills with stripes across their eyes. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/overview
ReplyDeleteHello Jeanie,
ReplyDeleteWonderful captures of the lake birds. Harry North is handsome, love the woodpecker, the gull and the geese. Lovely sunset capture. You do have a lovely view. Have a great weekend.
How wonderful to be so close to real live nature! I always like seeing your birds.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos of nature. How awesome to see a bald eagle. It has been decades since I have seen one. The last photo is so dreamy!
ReplyDeletelovely to see the birds! Such variety. Unless I am mistaken, your gull is a yearling, it's at that in~between stage with plumage. We see them here all the time, mostly Herring but a few Black Backs too.
ReplyDeletethose geese are so messy they are having horrid issues with them at the lakes here. wonderful bird pictures and sunset. you got some nice pictures.
ReplyDeletecathy
Love the first picture of the speckled gull and his reflection on the lake. You should paint it! Speaking of paint, I opened my ETSY shop and am having a giveaway of a painting on my blog. Come enter!
ReplyDeleteLovely bird photos, you have a wide variety especially the water birds. Your view is also beautiful, enjoy! Have a great weekend, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteI suspect your gull is a juvenile. Take a look at the species you most often encounter, and see if one of them has youngsters who look like this.
ReplyDeleteSuch a stunning sunset view! Is it the beach of the neighbor with the big house that the geese like?
ReplyDeleteYour lake home is such a wonderful place to enjoy so much of nature. I always love the birds, especially keeping up with Harry. How fabulous to see eagles soar nearby as well. I think you have a lovely sunset view as well. Enjoy your weekend Jeanie.........
ReplyDeleteI just love birds - especially big, majestic ones. I was going to say that your gull might be a juvenile, but I think another commenter beat me to it. We currently have three redtail hawk youngsters that hang out in our area and we've enjoyed spotting them and watching them this past month or so. I'm glad to see you have your ducks in a row! -Jenn
ReplyDeleteWhat fine sights you see. The gull pics are clear with nice reflections.
ReplyDeleteHello. Lovely collection of birds. Beautiful scenes.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanie,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your bird sightings the lake. Great photos, the sunset looks beautiful too. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. Thank you for leaving me a comment.
I'm a bit mystified by that woodpecker. It doesn't look like a pileated and the back feathers don't look like a red-bellied. Could it be a red-headed woodpecker, maybe a juvenile? How red was the rest of the head?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful views and of course all of the different birds. Thanks to David for identifying some of them. Happy weekend.
ReplyDeleteI love looking at your birds and geese.
ReplyDelete'Getting your ducks in a row'. Heh.
Such a treat to see the range of waterbirds you're enjoying these days (and the woodpecker, too!) -- these moments when we get to pause and really appreciate the world around us offer so much peace. Thanks for sharing! Happy weekend!
ReplyDeletei enjoy seeing the big bids and the shore birds!! what a lovely view, it is all you need!!
ReplyDeleteyou got some great pictures of birds, the woodpecker is shy so even though fuzzy it's great that you managed to capture. Sunset is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI see that David G. has IDed your birds. The Red headed woodpecker is not really common here, we only see him at certain times of the year. He sure is a beauty! Love the ducks in a row too! lol
ReplyDeleteI love that speckled gull the most. So sweet and so pretty.
ReplyDeleteYour lake is a bird haven, Jeanie! Harry North is indeed a beauty. How exciting to have a pair of eagles in your backyard. And the gull is very nice looking and quite different than the ones I see here. I hope you are able to continue enjoying those lovely sunsets!
ReplyDeleteThey are all beautiful--as well as that sunset! OMGosh! You really have a gorgeous place there to treasure. :)
ReplyDeleteThe colors of the lake waters and those of the sky, in some of your pictures, are fascinating! It gives me such pleasure to contemplate them!
ReplyDeleteHarry North is certainly impressive! I'm sure he catches a lot of fish in your lake and it has become his favorite fishing spot. The other water fowl look content. Your sunset views are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteJeanie, I love all the photos of the different birds. However, I will vote for Harry every time. He is handsome and has such personality. Next is the eagle and oh my, the sunset. It is in a category all by itself. Have a great weeekend!
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures. Thanks for sharing. You have a beautiful view. Enjoy your weekend
ReplyDeleteYou can never have too many birds...unless you're caught in a time warp and trapped in an Alfred Hitckcock movie.
ReplyDeleteI particularly like the silhouette shots!
ReplyDeleteWatching birds and photographing them brings me joy. Thank you for sharing your birds. I probably still get the most excited over bald eagles! Happy Weekend, Jeanie!
ReplyDeleteLovely bird photos and another super sunset photo.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your lake days :)
I feel the same way about my flowers - things can be redundant but I always love your water birds. Keep sharing photos please!
ReplyDeleteWe were swimming at my MIL's yesterday and the geese came by, honking up a storm. I think they wanted to get up on the swim raft-well it's the bird poop raft right now, and we were too close to the raft for their liking. I know what you mean about feast or famine and birds. Other than water birds they are all hiding in the trees. I think that's a red headed woodpecker you took a photo of. If David commented, he would tell you exactly what it is. Nice photos, and glad you still have a Harry to enjoy. hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteThat view is a stunner! It's interesting to note which of your birds are ones we get here.
ReplyDeleteLovely captures and beautiful sunset!
ReplyDeleteJenna
Nice pictures, especially the one where you sneak up on Harry. It's almost like being there.
ReplyDeleteThe gull looks Herring to me, but, looks same as ring bill. I am not expert.
What an interesting looking gull! I've never seen one like that. I love the shots of what I think are egrets: Those long, beautiful necks, and such graceful silhouettes. Thank you for sharing these.
ReplyDeleteThe sunsets at the lake are glorious, Jeanie. And I so enjoyed seeing all the birds that make their appearance there. That looks like a red-headed woodpecker. I used to see them all the time in my hometown. They have a patch of red on the top and back of their head. That is an unusual looking seagull. They are white here at the ocean, with just a little grey. The geese always makes me smile. The lake sounds like such a peaceful place to be during the last of the Summer days. I am seeing signs of Fall already in the mountains.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely week ahead, Jeanie.
~Sheri
Fabulous bird photos. Have a nice day.
ReplyDeleteI'd say the woodpecker (based on what we see here) is a Red-bellied Woodpecker. I've only seen on Pileated Woodpecker and it was huge.
ReplyDeleteThe gull is either a juvenile or a molting adult. (And I'm basing that on an article in the paper this week about how gulls are molting around here.)
Beautiful sunset….love nature…love happy week from me 🍀🍀🍀
ReplyDeleteThat gull is new to me too, but impressive. Speaking of impressive, so are our eagles. We have 7 pairs over here, but only get to see them here when the river has ice in it. Other times of the year they stay near the islands were the ducks are. Janice
ReplyDeleteBeautiful (except for the Canada geese, lol, my personal deplorables, if for no other reason they took over where we used to have mallards plentiful). Love the sunset. Days are getting shorter and shorter.....enjoy.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos - I never tire of seeing birds. I seem to be seeing a lot of woodpeckers this summer and some little finches with yellow coloring.
ReplyDeleteI've only seen herons at a distance here this year.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day my dear friend.
ReplyDeleteThe sunset views are stunning! I am glad you've seen a lot of wildlife! We saw ducks, turkeys, loons (my fave!), and lots of other birds. I saw a couple of orioles and tried to take a picture but they flew off too soon! We also saw a lot of hummingbirds!
ReplyDeleteWe keep hoping to see our friend Harry the Heron by the creek that we walk to most nights but he must have a new hangout as we haven't seen him in over a month.
I immediately searched for David Gascoigne's comment to identify the birds. How exciting to see a bald eagle regularly, even if not on a specific timetable. That is an extreme rarity around here, in fact it's been years. Oh.....that sunset!!!
ReplyDeleteI think I would be very happy just to sit in one of your chairs on the beach and watch all your lovely birds. What a treat.
ReplyDeleteYour lake view is stunning, no matter if this the only view you have, it's fantastic. I would love those sunsets very much. The Bald Eagle is beautiful. We have a pair at the lake, but so far I haven't seen them. They're pretty good at hiding.
ReplyDelete