Sunday, December 9, 2012

My Favorite Birds of 2012

Hello, I am linking up with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday.

Since the year  is almost over and I do not think I will be doing much birding in the next two or three weeks I believe it is safe to post my favorite birds of 2012.


Above are some of my favorite birds seen while traveling this past year. Some of my favorite birds seen in on the island of Curacao are the Troupial, Saffron Finch and the Bananaquit. And seen in Oregon this year, I loved the cute Pigeon Guillemot. 


 The beautiful Saffron Finches seen in Curacao.



 The Bananaquits above were also a lifer a favorite of mine. They seem so tame and such a pretty bird.


The pretty Pigeon Guillemot was a common bird seen on the Oregon coast, it was a lifer for me.




At home in Maryland, some of my favorite birds and sightings are the Le Conte's Sparrow, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Snow Buntings and the Evening Grosbeak.

 As a birder some of my sightings were exciting and rare, at least for me they were awesome. The Evening Grosbeaks in my yard was a real treat for me and a few other birders that showed up at my yard to see my Grosbeaks. The Snow Bunting and the Grosbeak appear on my post below and I considered them my Top Ten Birds to see.

Some of the birds are regular breeders in my area and some are birds that pass thru every year but still a thrill to see. The warblers are a spring, summer and fall treat to see and I was thrilled so many showed up in my yard this year.


The Le Conte's Sparrow is a "rare" sighting in Maryland as is the Evening Grosbeak that showed up in my yard.


  Above the beautiful Scarlet Tanager is a breeder in the woods next to my house, I think they are beautiful birds to see and are always a treat to see.

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The Rose-breasted Grosbeak has been a long time favorite. I only see it passing thru in the Spring and Fall but they grab my attention when they do show up in my yard.

I was so happy that this summer was a year for new yardbirds for me, it was cool to see so many warblers eating the berries in my yard.


Above are some my favorite warblers of 2012 the:  Northern Parula and the Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler and the Tennessee on the bottom right.



The Nashville Warbler was only one of the many warblers that showed up in my yard.




Again in seen my yard  the Tennessee Warbler along side a local breeder the Northern Parula. The Northern Parula is also a breeder in the woods next to my house.


The Hooded Warbler is a gorgeous bird, this is a pretty male.


Another new Warbler sighting and lifer for me is the Kentucky Warbler.


The Black-Throated Green Warbler was another great new yardbird for me.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my favorite birds of 2012. I am hoping that 2013 is another great year and I will have a lot more favorite birdsand sightings.

To see more wonderful photos and mosaics please visit Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday
 Thanks to Mary of Mosaic Monday and to the hosting group of Our World Tuesday: Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy .  Thanks also for stopping by to see my post.  I wish everyone a happy week!



47 comments:

  1. you've definitely gotten to see some beauties - both in travels and in your own yard. you are the warbler queen. :)

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  2. Wow! so many beautiful and colourful little birds! I'm quite jelous, the birds here don't seem to be quite so bright! Wishing you a happy new birding year! There is a book on my xmas wishlist called "nests" by Sharon Beals, its got the most lovely photographs of different nests and talks a bit about the habits of the birds...I am so smitten with birds! I think you might like it too! :)

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  3. Beautiful selection of these birds!

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  4. You have seen so many beautiful birds this year it must be hard to chose a favourite. I like red birds so that Scarlet Tanager is my favourite. Congrats on over 500 posts.

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  5. You have certainly seen some magnificent birds this year Eileen. It's been fun visiting your blog to see what you have captured in your lens for that particular post. Thank you for all the birding fun in 2012. Have a great week!

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  6. It certainly looks like a fantastic birding year for you, Eileen!
    I love the Hooded Warblers. It's been 4 years since I've seen one ... I think I'm due to see one in the Spring of 2013. :)
    It may only be a few weeks until the end of 2012 but you never know ...

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  7. oh what a beautiful group, it's been a great year for you all-around!!

    i so remember your joy when you got to see the snow buntings. therefore, they are my favorites!!

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  8. You have seen so many beautiful birds. I would love to see a Scarlet Tanager!

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  9. love all the colors. just amazing birds. i can't pick a fav. love them all. so vibrant. ( :

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  10. Congrats on a great year!! You get some fantastic yard birds, and glad you got so many beautiful lifers too.

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  11. Thats a nice post to get us in the "End of the Year" mood.

    Its summer here, so such things still feel strange!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  12. Wonderful collection of photos Eileen. The Bananaquit is one of my favorites too - I saw in Puerto Rico.
    Happy December

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  13. You were blessed to see so many beautiful and varied birds, and you did a wonderful presentation of your photos for us to enjoy!!!

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  14. Hello EIleen,

    so beautiful birds, unfortunately I 'm notexpert in birds.by the way for sure such a paradise live near the wood.dream living ;)
    have a nice day

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  15. I love your bird's talk.

    From January to December.

    From spring to winter.

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  16. some beautiful birds Eileen. I always have trouble photographing birds - I think I need a bigger zoom - and they always turn their backs to me, or I am taking photos from of their behinds because they are so far up in the tree!
    Have a wonderful week, and thank you for stopping by my blog today, and for your thoughts.

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  17. So many beautiful birds, Eileen! I envy you your fabulous yard birds. I have to drive many miles to have a chance to see them. Your images are just lovely!

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  18. HI Eileen...Wonderful look back at 2012 in review!! Your sure had a good year with sightings from far and near... usual and unusual, in fabulous colors !!
    Those Saffron Finches are beauties, and the Scarlet tanager in your own back yard!!
    Nice year!!
    Grace

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  19. Yes they are beautiful, and the best in there, according to me, is the Pigeon Guillemot, it's a treasure.

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  20. What a lovely post! I enjoyed seeing all of the birds. You have captured them well. As far as your local birds, my favorites are the warblers and the scarlet tanager.

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  21. Wow! What amazing eye candy. They are all so beautiful, but I have to say my favorite is the Pigeon Guillemot. Just exquisite!

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  22. So many great photos of the birds you've seen. I can't even pick out a favorite. I've enjoyed them all.

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  23. Wow! Eileen, you certainly have a lot of favourite birds and you sure did see many gorgeous ones in 2012!

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  24. Honestly, you live in Paradise! And if you're not home, then you're visiting another Paradise.

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  25. what amazing colourful birds! Lovely photos!

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  26. Stunning photography ~ Wonder where you live? It is winter here ~ not many birds out much ~ (A Creative Harbor) aka ArtMusedog and Carol ^_^

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  27. Ah, the Warbler Queen indeed!! And what gorgeous, colorful birds they are, Eileen! Your captures are really superb and, again, such amazing colors! Just what I needed on this grim, gray, cold northwest day!! Thanks as always for sharing the beauty! Have a great week!

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  28. so many beautiful birds. :) Love that little Saffron finch. It has a wonderful color.

    Glad you like my Moroccan tour. There will be more of it. :)

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  29. Wonderful birds, Eileen! You have such an amazing variety, and all so interesting! Great photos!

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  30. Such a great collection of colourful birds.

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  31. What a wonderful collection of pictures, Eileen! Such great colors.

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  32. so many marvelously colored birds Eileen... thank you for sharing!

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  33. Wonderful pictures. I haven't seen most of those!

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  34. You were blessed to see a whole variety of colourful birds this year. I have not seen a scarlet tanager in years. Valerie

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  35. A great series of bird photos. The Saffron Finches and the Scarlet Tanager are the most outstanding ones for me.

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  36. What a lovely series! Those saffron finches are gorgeous.

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  37. What a beautiful collection and such a nice reflection on a very interesting year of birding!

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  38. Simply stunning, Eileen. As I'll never see any of these amazing birds in real life it was wonderful to see them here!
    My favourite? The saffron finches.

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  39. Amazing collection of birds in this post! I enjoy looking at each one of them, as there are so many that I don't get to see at all around here..

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  40. Beautiful series Eileen. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  41. Hallo Eileen,beautiful selections of these wonderful birds!Thank you for sharind and wishing you a lovely Christmas Hollidays my friend!
    Dimi..



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  42. Wow! these birds are beautiful and cute.

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  43. A rich year full of exciting birds. I remember those posts and was thrilled at your island birds. Very exciting....but your yard has had some amazing finds this year. Love the warblers ......that would be a real treat for me.

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  44. Brilliant, gorgeous, stunning . . . Thank you . . .

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  45. A colorful collection of beautiful birds. I love your selections, Eileen.

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Have a happy day, Eileen

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