February Flashback

It has been ages since I published anything here--more than six months. And I've seen lots of birdies and taken some pretty good pictures.

So let's flashback to February when we went down to Hilton Head Island for a week. Of course we had to drive through the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge while we were down there. There were some pretty cool birds there.

The True Meaning of Christmas

"I hate the holidays!"

Every year I muttered this under my breath a hundred times. That period from Thanksgiving week through New Year's Day used to be filled with stress. Cooking, baking, card sending, present buying, wrapping, decorating, parties, family visits... It felt like there weren't enough hours in the day to do all the things that just HAD to be done in order for everyone in the family to have a perfect Christmas.

Montezuma's Revenge?

Last month Betsy and I went up to visit my sister in the Fingerlakes city of Canandaigua, NY. Deb took us to several wineries and a brewery, fun! And we also took a drive through the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, a marshy area at the northern end of Cayuga Lake. I've often passed by it on the Thruway, but have never had the time to stop.

It was fabulous, and two lifers for me!

Heinz 57

Back in July the girls and I went over to the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in South Philly. This is a really fascinating swampy area adjacent to the Philadelphia International Airport.

The girls took their dogs and I took my big camera. This is what I saw, ID'd as best I can:

Betsy with Porter and Molly with Mya

Bullfrog, I think

Turtles, no idea what kind

Thistles

Creepy snake

Barn swallow going to the nest

Barn swallow in the nest

Barn swallows in a tree

Great egret, just hanging around

Great egret, taking off

Juvenile yellow-crowned night heron, lifer for me

Awesome yellow eye on the juvie yellow-crowned night heron

Tree swallow

Getting ready to leave and the bullfrog is still there

Female wood duck and duckings, another lifer

Another female wood duck and ducklings

It was an awesome day in the city!

More Delaware Bay Birds

Here are the other good birds I saw on our drive around the Delaware Bay in May.

Female Red-Winged Blackbird with nesting materials

Osprey--We saw lots of them!

Barn Swallow--Here's lookin' at you!

Barn Swallow couple

Eastern Kingbird, only 2nd time I've seen one.

Another view of the Eastern Kingbird

Short-billed Dowitcher on the left, two Ruddy Turnstones on the right

Good view of a Ruddy Turnstone.

Ruddy Turnstone in the center, with Dunlin in the foreground and background, and a couple of little peeps, probably Semipalmated Sandpipers.

Purple Martin, juvenile

Finally, Bald Eagles! We saw five of them in various places along the bay

We had a really incredible day on the bay!