Readers, Welcome to my blog (formerly Birds, Blooms, Books, etc). I'm entering a new decade taking on the challenge of moving from Maryland after living there 46 years and learning about my new home here in New England in the Live Free or Die state - New Hampshire. Join me as a write this new chapter of my life.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Vacation Bird Sightings

I've always enjoyed seeing herons especially as they keep their silent sentinel along side a creek, river or pond.  This last vacation trip we saw lots of blue herons and for the first time heard their squawk as we ventured too close.  We were really startled one evening when we took an after dinner walk down to the marina which was part of the property where we stayed.  We could just make out the heron at the edge of the water in the gathering dusk but we spooked it and it let us know.





Heron along the shore of St. Lawrence River.  We took a river cruise from Clayton, NY to see the islands in the Thousand Islands.




An afternoon canoe trip on the pond at Fair Haven Beach State Park flushed a lot of herons.






These Canadian geese were pretending to be decoys.

A highlight of the Sterling Nature Center was this heron rookery.





Osprey nest on St. Lawrence.


Gannets on the St. Lawrence.  I stand corrected.  These are cormorants.  Thanks to the comment from Larry who led me to check my bird book.  We were misinformed by the tour guide on our boat trip on the St. Lawrence.




Heron food?

We saw this snake swim toward us in the marsh at the Sterling Nature Center.  Then it disappeared behind the log.  When it reappeared we couldn't figure out what we were seeing at first then realized it had a fish in its mouth (top of the photo).

15 comments:

gardeningnaturallywithclaudia.blogspot.com said...

Awesome photo of the snake how did you get so close? Not me! Thanks for sharing your trip.

Marcia said...

I wasn't close at all. Zoomed in on it.

mick said...

Great photos of all the herons. I especially like the Osprey on its nest.

Lisabella Russo said...

I love your photos, especially the Canadian geese, thanks so much for sharing them!

Marcia said...

I'm glad you enjoyed them. It was a great trip.

Marcia said...

I wish I had be able to zoom in closer on that osprey.

Neil said...

Beautiful photos love the Geese.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Great shots, Marcia.... Love areas like that where the birds can live peacefully... That heron rookery is awesome... Thanks for sharing.
Hugs,
Betsy

Stewart M said...

Hi there - nice set of pictures, I like the frog!

Thanks for posting to "International Heron Week"!!

And thanks for commenting at WBW.

Stewart M

Larry said...

Nice shots of the Great Blue Herons Marcia. The heron rookery photos are beautiful too and the Cormorants on the rocks of the St. Lawrence River, very cool.

Marcia said...

Are they cormorants? We were told they were gannets.

i stora drag said...

How interesting to see birds in other countries!
*lol* I have also herons in my WBW this week, as many others!
Greetings from Pia in Sweden

i stora drag said...

Hi again, Marcia!
Thanks for your visit and for your nice comment!
I posted some pictures of herons today as well and it was those you saw, but in my WBW contribution which was placed here http://www.istoradrag.blogspot.se/2012/09/flygande-faglar.html I had also fying herons.

Love your photos of the osprey in its nest and are those really the herons nest too, high up in the dead trees?
Greetings Pia

Marcia said...

Thank you. Yes the herons nest in those trees. I wouldn't have known that except that the nature preserve where we were provided that information. The wetlands were created by beavers. We saw lots of herons across the marsh but our close up attention was with the snake.

♥ Łucja-Maria ♥ said...

Marcia!!!!!
Oh!
Oh!
Your photos are fantastic.
I am enchanted by them.
Lucja