A Final Bird Series From The Lake
I’m sitting here today in Delaware, creating this post while it is snowing outside. It is beautiful! We’re to get maybe 5″. The forecast changed constantly all day, there was a chance of 10″ at one time. Glad it’s to be less!
Back in November, as beautiful and warm as it was at Lake Greenwood, SC, I should have known I would have way more photos of birds to share than I originally thought once I finished up going through them.
To end my lake series, here are some of the other birds that were in abundance if you just stopped, looked, and listened.
Early morning was the best time to see Eagles passing over.
Juvenile American Bald Eagle
The evenings were great to see the flocks of Cormorants high in the sky.
Cormorants
And both early morning and at sunset, you couldn’t miss hearing the Loons calling and seeing them at a distance.
Common Loons
At any time during the day, the Turkey Vultures were overhead. Sitting in my chair, they would fly towards and over me, checking me out. For what, I don’t know, hope they didn’t think I was dinner.
Turkey Vulture
The sparrows were flitting around everywhere, and boy did I have a hard time capturing any of them. I did like this Chipping Sparrow shot with the background colors.
Chipping Sparrow
I could hear Mallards down the lake along the shoreline, but they never swam close to our floating docks as I had seen in the past. I did luck out one time when I heard them coming and caught them in flight passing by me.
Mallard Ducks
Always a cutie, there were quite a few Eastern Phoebes high up in the trees, enjoying the sunshine.
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Phoebe
Or even down by the floating docks. As long as no one was around there.
Eastern Phoebe
Finally, with my birds, I took a bunch of photos of the resident Northern Mockingbirds, they were every where, trying to protect their territory areas. My favorites of them were of this one who I had been photographing sitting on his perch. He/she took flight in my series. I was headed towards that perch to look for other birs when he/she returned, obviously from bath time.
Northern Mockingbird
Drying in the warm breeze, looking quite pretty!
Northern Mockingbird
To end this post, I’d like to share a colorful moth that challenged me for a while….
Long-tailed Skipper (thank you Shannon!)
and another close-up of a flower I missed sharing in a previous post.
We left the lake just before Thanksgiving and headed back to the mid-Atlantic region for the holidays to be with our families. We’re still here as I mentioned, now enjoying this snowfall, but as I said, not the cold!
Beautiful photos as usual but I especially like the two of the mockingbird. Snow is beautiful when you don’t have to shovel 😆 Stay warm!
Thanks Ingrid! You know I ain’t doing any shoveling! Just viewing!! 😆 You stay warm too.
I love these photos Donna! And I also love the snow that we got today! The nice thing about snow is that everything stands out quite clearly against it and can make for some fun photos. But stay warm! Right now it is 25 and falling here on Kent Island.
Thanks Susan! Oh what fun it’d be to walk CBEC today in the snow and really see things like you say! Keep warm also, look forward to your snow scenes!
Great shots Donna! Try not to drive on snowy roads! 🙂
Thanks HJ! I won’t!! 🙂
Great photos, I love the sound of loons. It is so relaxing
Thanks! One doesn’t know what beauty they are missing if they haven’t heard the sound of the loons calling. 🙂
Sensational shots Donna! There is tranquility in the lake shots, and a beautiful use of light and colour. Your Mockingbird is stunning!
Thanks Ashley! The mockingbird shots reminded me that I shouldn’t ignore the common birds as I tend to, they have their own beauty also! 🙂
All of these are excellent! They make me wish that I were someplace warm where I could shoot photos as good as these.
Thanks Jerry! I hear ya. I’m in the mid-Atlantic area now in some snow and it takes a whole lotta extra work and bundling up to bird in that. Your area is so extreme at times, making it so much harder for you. I still do enjoy your winter captures. 🙂
Dear Donna, you captured so beautiful bird photographs, fascinating. Thank you, Love, nia
Thanks Nia! They were mostly very cooperative, and it made me happy to get the opportunity to photograph them. 🙂
Beautiful Donna. Happy snow days!
Thanks Jodi! I’m thinking you got some of the snow too, enjoy!
Just a little.
Love love love the ducks in flight!
Thanks Kathy!
I love the sky in the flight of the cormorants. And your mockingbird is so stately! No snow here, but cold enough to freeze the birdbath. Great captures all, Donna.
PS – the moth is a butterfly: Long-tailed Skipper. They are so shimmery!
Thanks Shannon, I’m guessing birdies aren’t so interested in ice skating, huh?! 😘 And thank you for the ‘moth’ ID, no wonder I couldn’t find out the species since it’s a butterfly! I’ll correct it now on my post!! I always appreciate an ID or ID correction! 🙂
What a great collection to end this series with! I loved the Loons in that golden light, the Mallards in flight, the beautiful Northern Mockingbird, and that gorgeous Camellia!
Stay warm!
Thanks for all your nice comments, Deborah! Trying to stay warm!! 🙂
🙂
I love looking at all of these pictures. The one with the two loons is just perfect.
Thanks Hien! I kept wishing the loons would come closer to the shoreline to get some close-ups, but I was tickled with the sunset and their ‘wake’ glowing. 🙂
Wow Donna, gorgeous birds! Why was I thinking you were on the West Coast?
Thanks Sheila! You are right, hubby & I journeyed out west throughout the summer in our RV. We returned to the east coast some time in September, where we rolled up and down from Delaware/Maryland to South Carolina. 🙂
WOW would love to do that some day! Have fun!
Another fine selection. I particularly like the mockingbird. I hope that your snow doesn’t get too much to bear.
Thanks Tom! We lucked out on just the five inches. 🙂
All very lovely, but I think my favorite is the phoebe. We had one nesting outside our dining room window on top of a yard light. What a treat that was. Your images are marvelous. I can just see all that patience leaking out of them! 🙂
Thanks Gunta! The phoebes are quite adorable, sometimes they appear to be smiling at ya, don’t they?! 🙂
Loved your bird catches! I’ve never seen so many Cormorants. And the Mallards in flight was a real treat. I would also enjoy seeing the snow, but the cold spell we have right now for a couple of days is cold enough for me. Please stay warm!
Thanks Helen! Having seen a few cormorants on a daily basis around the Chesapeake Bay, I too had never seen so many at one time until being at the lake in South Carolina. I heard Florida’s in the cold spell, that’s just not right. Sandy & Stanley are probably wondering, “what the heck’s with this cold”! 🙂 Stay warm also!
You certainly have a way with birds Donna! I especially like the flock of flying Cormorants and the shiny golden trail behind the Loons.
Thanks Denise! I’ve never seen so many Cormorants as I have at this lake, and the loons are always a special treat for me, just wish they would have come closer to the shoreline. 🙂
Lovely pictures and it’s snowing here at my place too
Thanks, and isn’t it beautiful when snow falls?! 🙂 Of course, the shoveling is no fun, but I don’t shovel, lol.
Fantastic bird series, Donna.
Thanks Jane! 🙂