Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Saturday, April 3, 2010

My Critters Say "Happy Easter"


Several of my little friends stopped by yesterday ---and they wanted to wish you and your family a very Happy Easter. Above are some of the deer which visited us on the golf course fairway behind our home. Can you hear them hollering, "Happy Easter"???? Below are more!!!




Looked who came back yesterday!!!!! It's one of our resident BROWN THRASHERS. They were here last year and even nested in our yard. BUT--they disappeared during the winter. I'm sure they returned just to say "Happy Easter" to all....





Here's another picture of the Brown Thrasher ---as he was getting ready to attack the suet feeder. Look at that long tail and beak. "I have missed you, Mr. Brown Thrasher."





This male NORTHERN CARDINAL --with his gorgeous red colors, spent a LONG time singing and singing to attract the attention of the lady..




I wish you could have been here to see and watch the Cardinals doing their 'mating-thing'... Here is the Misses (female NORTHERN CARDINAL)----perched up there with her tuft standing up, enjoying the fact that the male was singing his heart out JUST for her.. She sat and listened for awhile... I loved watching the two of them. When she finally flew away, the male followed her.




Well---this was a little later. The male came back ALONE.... Uh Oh---do you think his 'bride-to-be' jilted him????? He does look a little forlorn, doesn't he????? BUT--he did manage to tell all of us "Happy Easter".





In my bird blog post of March 25, I mentioned that recently, a NORTHERN FLICKER had come to our feeders, but I had missed getting a picture. Well---Mr. Flicker did return---and I did get some great photos. The male Northern Flickers have a black mustache stripe and the females do not. Isn't he gorgeous????




Mr. Northern Flicker was showing me how he could twist his head totally around to see what was behind him.... Yipes---that hurts my neck. He did manage to tell us "Happy Easter" though... AND--I thanked him for stopping by my feeders --and told him to return anytime!!!!!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SO-what are your special plans for the weekend? George and I will enjoy a weekend at home, and will cook a dinner of ham, 'tater salad and my special baked beans. I'm sure we will be watching alot of basketball games also.

On this day before Easter, my special critters and I want to wish each of you and your family, friends and loved ones a blessed Easter weekend. We plan to attend an Easter sunrise service here in Fairfield Glade on Sunday morning. Hallelujah! Christ is Risen from the dead!!! Thanks be to God.

I'm taking a little blog break --and will be back on Tuesday morning.
Hugs to ALL,

76 comments:

SquirrelQueen said...

It is wonderful that the deer come so close, I love to watch them. All of your little birds are so sweet, especially the cardinal love birds.

We are staying home this weekend, it will be just the two of us. I also have a ham and the trimmings. A quiet weekend will be nice.

Happy Easter to you, George and all of your critters.

Hugs,
Judy

Regina said...

Delightful birdies!

A blessed Easter to you and George.

Enjoy the weekend

xo Regina

Anonymous said...

You got the Flicker and the Brown Thrasher in this set of photos. I have only one long distance shot of a flicker that I took here during the winter and it is barely recognizable. I have not seen a Brown Thrasher here this year yet. But there is hope I guess.

Your cardinals are nice to see. We do have them and lots of house finch and sparrows and also goldfinch. Lots of them are turning bright yellow in front of our eyes.

Happy Easter to you and George and the family.

Splendid Little Stars said...

a blessed Easter to you and George!
what wonderful critters! The photo of the female cardinal made me smile. Her pose seems somehow comical. great flicker photos!
This weekend...hmmmm...bike ride yesterday, hoping for a short bike ride on Saturday. Then I have an afternoon wedding shower. Hubby will be watching basketball. Sunday, church, and then maybe something different and fun. a walk in the woods sounds about perfect.

Cedar ... said...

Happy Easter from "the hill", both humans and the critters here too! Enjoy!

Connie said...

Wishing you and George (and all your critters too!) a joyous Easter weekend, Betsy! Great pictures! I especially like the ones of the Northern Flicker!

RoeH said...

Wow...does the National Geographic know about your photos? Because if they don't, you should send some into them. The bird photos are really spectacular. Hope you have a wonderful Easter day tomorrow. Throw out a little treat for those beautiful deer. Maybe a jellybean or something? Yeah, right! :)

Catherine said...

And a very Happy Easter to you and George Betsy ~ hope you have a wonderful weekend! xo Catherine

Harriet said...

Happy Easter to you all!

Harriet said...

Happy Easter to you all!

Sandy said...

I love the photos Betsy! I am on the way to the garden center this morning, all my bird feeders are empty. The birds and squirrels have resorted to eating the corn in the deer feeder this morning. Have a beautiful Spring weekend!

Sunny said...

Always a joy to see your critter pictures.
There was a bluebird in the yard yesterday, the first one I have ever seen in person, I snapped a couple of pictures but they were blurry:(
A very Happy Easter to you and George.
Sunny :)

diane b said...

You are becoming a professional bird photographer. Well done! They are all darlings and the deer too. Have a Happy Quiet Easter. We are going on a picnic to one of our FULL dams tomorrow.
I love your new template.

Darla said...

That Thrasher is a handsome thing...Happy Easter to you too!

Tipper said...

I loved all your critters : ) Hope your Easter is Wonderful!!

Pat - Arkansas said...

One of your thrasher's cousins showed up in my yard yesterday. Thrashers are infreuent visitors here, so perhaps he was just on his way to your place.

A wondrous, joyous, happy Easter to you and George, too, Betsy!

Judy said...

Happy Easter to you too. Beautiful photos1 Have a wonderful break.

Karin said...

Have a Happy Easter you two dear lovebirds! Those pictures are prize worthy!! Give greetings back to all those who sent greetings our way. Hugs!!!

Small City Scenes said...

A Blessed Easter to you and George, Betsy.

Yes! He is Risen!

MB

Snap said...

Happy Easter to you and George. Thanks so much for sharing your critters with us. Gorgeous!

MadSnapper said...

I love Mrs Cardinals "do" she looks like she just came from the beauty shop. tell all your critters Happy Easter from me

Dorothy said...

Wonderful pictures of your critters. I hardly ever see those Brown Thrashers. I get excited when I see one of those Northern Flickers!!! Happy Easter and enjoy your break!!!

Unknown said...

Your photos are beautiful!

Happy Easter.

Bill S. said...

Your pictures are beautiful and without snow? We are in the middle of a spring blizzard - heavy snow and 40 mph wind. I am staying home today. Have a great Easter.

Diane said...

The whole earth sings, doesn't it! A happy and blessed Easter to you too. Diane

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

Your critters did a great job of those Easter wishes.I hope you and George have a time of refreshing and experience the peace of God during this Easter weekend.
Blessings,Ruth

D said...

Simply beautiful and exciting Betsy! We have deer who lay outside the gate; I guess in hopes that we might forget to close it. It used to be that on occasion we would see a little one wandering around the garden while momma lay outside waiting. We finally realized the little one was squeezing through the iron bars of the gate. Go figure! especially since "outside" they have lush green vegetation.

Happy Easter!

Ginny Hartzler said...

HAPPY EASTER to you, Betsy, and I hope you have a great and relaxing little blogging vacation!! Mr. flicker seems to be momentarily confused, and thinks he's an owl! I constantly get the thrashers and the thrushes mixed up, but oh, those yellow eyes! And I don't think I've ever seen a larger crest on a female cardinal's head!

Cicero Sings said...

Happy Easter back Betsy. He is risen in deed!

We head north today and should be home for Easter Sunday.

Jayne said...

A blessed Easter to you and George Betsy. :c)

Busy Bee Suz said...

Happy Easter to you, George and all your critters!!!

Pedaling said...

the beauty of spring
and of life again.
happy easter.

PCovi said...

Happy Easter Adamses!
We sure thank you for introducing us to heaven on earth!!! I can't wait to go back. Unreal.

Rose said...

Happy Easter to you and George, too, Betsy! We will be spending the evening with the toot toot--having a cookout. I thought about ham, but then Sarah mentioned cookout and we all love cookouts so much, so that is it for us.

Deb said...

Love the Northern Flicker. Happy Easter to you and George.

happily retired gal said...

Delightful critter views ... lovely post! Wishing you and yours a Happy Easter too ;-)
Hugs and blessings,
Sacred Ruminations

Glenda said...

Betsy, these are awesome animal photos - and they do speak loudly of springtime and life!! I love the Northern Flicker pics - so close-up and beautiful!

Hope you and George enjoy your day tomorrow. We will attend church and then go for a drive on some country roads . . . look for dogwoods blooming . . . maybe even take a picnic lunch with us!

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Betsy: Fun shots of all the critters, Happy Easter to you my friend.

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

Wishing you and George a wonderful Easter!!! Loved the bird photos, especially the Easter "do" of the female red bird!!!

Anonymous said...

Very cool shots Betsy - I love the Cardinal of course! heheheee

PCovi said...

I see the confusion now!!! Haha! I had posted already about THE cabin...you must come back and see the previous post.
Yes we sat on the porch and chatted forever BUT it wasn't Pattie's fault ....we are both talkers...and her Robert and my Bert really did hit it off. They solved the world's problems they said :)
Yeah, I'd like to own it too!

Anonymous said...

I LOVED the pictures of the flickr; he's very handsome!

We are having company for Easter dinner. There will be six of us all total. The main dinner entree will be a spiral ham. I'm taking a break from blogging, too .. well sort of. I have two blog posts prepared to post automatically tomorrow morning, one at 5:30 AM and the other at 5:45 AM. Have a WONDERFUL Easter!

Cheryl said...

Ah, what gorgeous shots you have of all of your "critters" and birds. I especially like the Mr. and Ms. Cardinal photos, what gorgeous and cheery colors they are. I hope you and George have a wonderful Easter day.

Jen said...

Blessings to you and your honey this Easter Betsy!
Love the Northern Flicker!!!

LV said...

Thank you Betsy for your visit and comment. As always, I do so enjoy your birds. I can see why your blog is so popular.

Cia said...

Such lovely critters, too. I grew up in Virginia so I have a special place in my heart for cardinals. :) Happy Easter to you and yours. Thanks for sharing your lovely blog.

Cia

Dar said...

You, my friend, are getting to be a fantastic bird photographer. WOW on your work. Isn't it a pleasure?
We spent the day having an Easter Brunch here at our home for our 5 children and 9 or our 11 GrandLoves. After the 100 egg Easter Egg Hunt, our GrandLoves with the aid of their parents, flew kites in our field. Everyone had a fab time visiting, playing and eating WAY TOO MUCH!
Tomorrow, we do it all again after Sunrise Service, at the farm with my Mom, siblings and families.

Bless Your Easter as we Remember

Love Of Quilts said...

Enjoyed your pictures as always....
Happy Easter.God Bless Trish

Elaine said...

The little Miss Cardinal does look like she's enjoying being sung to, doesn't she? Beautiful photos as usual. You two have a lovely Easter celebrating the resurrection!

Elaine :)

Joe Todd said...

Happy Easter Betsy.. Looks like we have both been seeing some deer LOL

Kirigalpoththa said...

Deer in the garden! wonderful!!

Jeanne said...

I love the Northern Flicker. I've never seen one. The picture is so clear - he looks like he should be in my Easter Basket!
Happy Easter!
Jeanne

Nance said...

Happy Easter to you and your friends too, Betsy! I saw my first cardinal of the season last weekend, what a beauty!

Beth said...

Delightful pictures, as always, Betsy! I especially love the one of the Northern Flicker---they are such strikingly beautiful birds.

Happy Easter to you and George!

Diane AZ said...

Thanks for sharing your delightful visiting critters. Your flicker images are especially stunning. I never really appreciated the colors and patterns of it before. Happy Easter to you and George!

penny said...

Your critters are all gathering for an Easter feast at your house, Betsy.
Your photos are as beautiful as ever.

Easter blessings to you and your family.

Anonymous said...

Lovely photos and lovely visitors to your yard! Happy Easter to youa ll.

DeniseinVA said...

How wonderful Betsy, I enjoyed your deer and bird photos very much, all lovely photos. Checking in while waiting for the ham to cook. We have company and I have help in the kitchen today. Son and daughter-in-law are arriving any minute now. Happy Easter to you and George. Enjoy your blog break and see you next week - sending hugs! :)

SmilingSally said...

Have a Blessed Easter, Betsy. I'm having a ham dinner after church too!

Neal said...

Great shots Betsy. That shot of the Flickr is special

Chris said...

Hi Betsy, I love the deer and birds. I love the names you have for the birds. Does the Thrasher live up to his name? Is the Flicker a type of Woodpecker? I hope you and George have a lovely Easter.

Rebecca said...

Hope you both had a very blessed Easter.

Hugs,
Rebecca

Joy said...

Your critters are beautiful as always. That northern Flicker is sooo handsome.
I hope you had a beautiful Easter service today. Your background is so pretty. Love the soft greens and yellows.
♥ Joy

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

deers in a golf course, I hope they hear the swing of the club and run fast.

Velva said...

Welcome Spring! I smiled throughout your post as I have the deer, mating cardinals and the brown thrashers in my yard. However, I have not seen a northern flicker. I am going to pay closer attention.

Happy Easter to you and your family.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I hope you and George had a very Happy Easter, Betsy!

I enjoyed all your bird photos and the deer photo ...you live in a wonderful place filled with nature's best gifts!

Carletta said...

The deer are always my favorite. Our little visiting herd is dwindling. The green grass and twigs are filling them up and they are almost ready to ignore the little bit of corn they get here. :)
I do love that flicker pic - a beautiful capture Betsy!
Enjoy your blog break!

Kelly said...

I hope you had wonderful and relaxing Easter. I made Easter dinner for my parents and brother, sis-in-law and niece. It was fun.... I made my mom's recipe for au gratin potatoes (we call them all-rotten potatoes...they were fabulous!).

Unseen India Tours said...

Another beautiful post with lovely shots !! Simply amazing birds which i don't think i have seen !! Beautiful !!Unseen Rajasthan

Dar said...

I still love the flicker looking over his shoulder...cool catch.
Thanks for visiting me and joining in on our family fun. You asked about my Dad. He's waiting for us. We miss him terribly but know we will see him again. He passed away 2 1/2 yrs. ago last Oct.
Thanks for your kind words about our big family. When ALL of us get together, we are well over 200 counting just into first cousins. We have a blast. You are always welcome.
BlessYourHeartDearFriends

Anonymous said...

Blessed Easter time, Betsy! We had church services on Friday (08h00) and Sunday (09h30). Your sunrise service - how early is that? As winter is getting nearer, our sunrises now are about 06h20.
♥Ida
PS Lovely to see your birds are coming back!

Mary said...

Wonderful collection! I do love flickers and Thrashers both. Such big birds and both so colorful and interesting. I usually have some Thrashers in the spring, but haven't seen them yet. Nice to have deer stop by, too. They must know what great people you and George are :-)

Roses and Lilacs said...

Hi Betsy, I wish I had your luck getting photos of the flickers. The ones I see here on the farm are very shy and don't come near the house of the feeders.

You got some great photos! I'm glad so many beautiful friends came by to visit.
Marnie

Bill said...

Amazing animal shots, Betsy. I think we'll have to send you a Wallaby then you'll have the whole menagerie. Happy belated Easter as well.

Dorothy said...

Beautiful pictures of lovely critters...so peaceful and serene. Have fun and hope your time off gives you a great recharge...

Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com

dot said...

Your bird pictures are so pretty! Did you take them through a window? I don't have a good window to take them thru in my new home and when I sit on the porch they won't come to the feeder.