Saturday, June 18, 2011

Birding the Hashawha Nature Center

I am linking up with Camera Critters

Hubby and I like to visit the Hashawha Nature Center often to look for birds and to hike. It is nice because it is maybe no more than 30 minutes from our house. But then almost everything is about 30 minutes from our house.  The nature center includes Lake Hashawha and I believe a stream by the name of Bear Branch. There are about 5 miles of trails on about 380 acres. So far we have not come close to hiking all 5 of those miles yet. Mainly because we have our favorite sections we keep going back to see.

On this day we were watching some turtles in the lake sunning themselves and listening to the sounds of the Red Winged Blackbirds that were all around us.






Also, along the trail we notice this cute Common Yellowthroat warbler bathing in a small creek.



 We were back on the boardwalk when we noticed  a couple of Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers were flying all around us. That is when we notice their nest. The nest was in a tree not too far off from the boardwalk. They did not seem to care that we stopped and watched them.



They were adding to the nest, which I think looks really neat.



While watching the turtles and the blue-gray gnatcatchers we saw this guy swim by. I think he is part owner of the dam that is located on the edge of the boardwalk.


I hope you enjoyed my critter post and to see more cute and wonderful critters please visit Misty Dawn's Camera Critters.  Thanks to Misty for hosting and thanks for stopping by my blog. Have a great weekend.

34 comments:

  1. The gnat-catcher's nest is wonderful, a real work of art.

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  2. Hi Eileen, what a lovely Saturday afternoon treat for me to go on this walk with you! So many different critters. I love the shiny shells of the turtles and the Common Yellowthroat Warbler. Your gnatcatchers remind me of out African Flycatchers. The same large eye rings and they use the same architecture for those neat nests. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend. Jo

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  3. love all the photos! loved the 'part owner of the dam' comment. ha!!!

    also love seeing turtles from up north. they're SO clean and shiny. ours here in the south are always covered in algae due to our warmer winters.

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  4. Hi Eileen,
    This is a wonderful post! You do a really good job of photographing all those fast moving critters! (Well, maybe the turtles don't move so fast...)

    Love the warbler and gnat catchers.

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  5. I have never seen a nest like that. Cool captures.

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  6. I loved taking a walk with you!! The turtle was my favourite... :-)

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  7. Incredible nest building, don't you think? I do have to say, I love the 2nd photo of the turtle!!!

    Happy Camera Critter Day. Here is my LINK Hope to see you stop by for a visit!!

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  8. What lovely peaceful shots!

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  9. I love the 2nd photo of the turtle and the yellow bird is beautiful.
    http://ilovemyguineapigs.com/?p=1131

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  10. What a treasure trove you have so close to home! Every day is a different adventure with nature's critters.

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  11. I enjoyed seeing that nest. And the birds too. Nice post.

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  12. I thoroughly enjoyed your post, Eileen. Love the idea of having all the creatures only 30 minutes away. Your captures are beautiful.

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  13. I love the turtles, and the mothering bird, really great Eileen.

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  14. You have an eagle eye for the birds, and other wildlife. I was enraptured.
    my cottage country !

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  15. I can never resist turtle photos, but there's so much more here. A bathing bird (I bought a birdbath and it isn't out because it's been raining ever since) and that beautiful nest, and a beaver! I have never been able to photograph a beaver, despite it being Canada's national animal.
    Thanks for a fun post, Eileen, I really enjoyed it.
    — K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  16. Great hike!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  17. Great post!!
    Thank you for the guided tour through the Nature Center.

    I had to take a closer look at the second photo of the turtles, my eyes were playing tricks on me, I thought it was a rare two headed turtle!!

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  18. All the critters own the park.

    We are just a passer by.

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  19. These are all great. That nest is a work of art. I've never seen a Beaver in the wild because there are only a couple of trial pairs in the UK I think. :(

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  20. I love turtles so these shots were a treat
    and the photos of the nest are amazing!

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  21. Terrific shots of the turtle!
    I'm amazed by that nest - looked like woven oats. :)
    I smiled when I read 'I think he's part owner of the dam' - :)
    Hope you've been having a good weekend Eileen!
    Round The Bend

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  22. The turtles remind me of my pet turtle of many years ago. He was a red-eared slider that I kept in my classroom and then at my parents in his own yard with a pool. - Margy

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  23. A great walk you had there Eileen. I just love those stripey turtles and the gnatcatcher nest is an awesome creation and well done for spotting it up in the tree.

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  24. That bird nest is really some thing!

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  25. This is one cool nest. The turtles shots are amazing. Thanks for the enjoyable hike.

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  26. Hi Eileen, I like those turtles. We have turtles in some of the water hazard ponds on our golf courses here where I live but no turtles that I know of, in the lake where my home is. A shame. Turtles are great little animals. Have a splendid day and a great coming week!

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  27. The nest is very cool. I like the Common Yellowthroat. There isn't anything "common" about those pretty warblers.
    I also like to visit places close to home.:)

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  28. The turtle shots are especially nice today..wow, just love the warbler in the creek and the nests!!! It would be hard not to bring my dog..probably aren't allowed? Well, great this is so close to you. Wishing you a wonderful week-

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  29. Hi, Eileen
    Great photos (as usual)! I especially like the BG Gnatcatcher on its nest.
    Kay

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  30. Oh how cool-all of it and I love the gnatcatcher nest!
    Nice (new) header photo too!

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  31. Certainly a lot to see on your hike, and lots of great photos. the second turtle shot is brilliant. The bird is very ingenious what a nest! Thanks for sharing your camera critters. Dave at photoviews

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