Thursday, December 15, 2016

Lake Mirror, Lakeland Florida

Hello,

"Don't look back, you're not going that way." unknown

I have found a lot of different birding spots and places to walk from reading various posts on Florida Facebook groups and from Ebird. This post is on our walk at Lake Mirror in Lakeland Florida. We saw various ducks, swans and a few Palm Warblers.

Thankful Thursday: I am thankful for each sunrise and sunset, a simple pleasure. I am especially thankful for my family and friends. Thanks to Michelle for the meme Thankful Thursday

I will start off with our lakeside sunrise for my Skywatch photo. November 2nd, it was a beautiful start to our day.






The walkway around the lake, some parts have the stone wall for protection.






A Palm Warbler on the walkway






The Common Shelduck is a Eurasian bird but can be purchased in the USA. They may have been purchased by the city of Lakeland. They hang out at Lake Mirror in downtown Lakeland.



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 The Mandarin duck below, the male is gorgeous. It is another non native duck for the USA and Florida. They seem to be able to move around freely.






Various ducks, Muscovy, White Ibis and some Geese hang out at this lake.






One of many sculptures that can be seen around Lake Mirror. A pretty sky and a cool sculpture.





Downtown Lakeland has a few lakes and in and around these lakes are hundreds of birds all for my viewing pleasure, lol. I hope you enjoyed my photos. Thank you for your visit and comments on my post. Enjoy your day and the weekend ahead!

Thanks to Michelle for the meme Thankful Thursday

Thank you to Sylvia, Yogi and Sandy for hosting Skywatch Friday. I hope to see you there.

49 comments:

  1. Fotografias magnificas, gostei bastante de ver.
    Um abraço e continuação de boa semana.
    Andarilhar

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  2. Hi Eileen,
    such a wonderful sunset and area. The bird is so cute.
    Have a great Thursday, Eileen. I send you an email yesterday with a little gift.
    Best regards, Synnöve

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  3. oh wow, image #1, BREATHTAKING!!! and those mandarin ducks, gorgeous!! i am so enjoying all of your images!!

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  4. Hi Eileen, Great post for Thankful Thursday! As usual, it is tough for me to pick a favorite photo since they are all so good! It might be the Common Shelduck ... what a neat photo! Thanks, as always, for sharing and have a happy Thursday!

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  5. I did enjoy them! Thank you so much for the tour. I love seeing the ducks.

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  6. Those ducks are tremendous Eileen, beautiful as usual.

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  7. What a beautiful place, Eileen! The walkway around the lake looks lovely... and there are so many interesting birds there. I had heard of Mandarin Ducks, but I didn't really know how gorgeous they (the males) look.
    Thank you for sharing! Have a lovely weekend - and a very happy and peaceful Christmas time!

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  8. So serene!

    I like the saying about not looking back. It's important to remember that!

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  9. Gorgeous photography ~ sky and critters ~ are lovely ~

    Wishing you peace in your days ~ ^_^

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  10. A beautiful sunrise and a wonderful walk. Met the birds gave me pleasure. Regards.

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  11. Hi Eileen. You gave me a shock there with those Shelduck. I know they aren't native to Florida so wondered where you had been to see them. Same with the Mandarins, although over here there is just a small feral population and not from wild stock.

    Enjoy your continuing stay in the warmth of Florida. Wish I was there to enjoy the sun.

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  12. A gorgeous start to your day's outing indeed, Eileen. A lovely series of captures. Thank you for the delight your photography brings to us bloggers. Wishing you and yours a safe and very happy Christmas.

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  13. Beautiful sunrise..Stunning ducks, colorful for sure...great shots..Interesting sculptures.

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  14. Hello Eileen and what an opener! Stunningly beautiful!
    Loved seeing the Muscovy male and all the sight around Lakeland.
    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  15. I have about four layers of clothing on right now and am still a bit chilly in my house and it looks so warm and wonderful in these photos..I might peel off a layer just from seeing them! :)

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  16. Thank you for linking up today. I do appreciate it.

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  17. Helloo, Just read your new post. So beautiful pics :)
    Greetings :)

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  18. Those Shelducks are so unique. Lovely photos from Lakeland. I visited there a few years back. We were in a stadium and three birds that looked like eagles were circling above us just before dusk.

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  19. What a beautiful sky in your first photo! And I love the quote. Have a good weekend.

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  20. Thank you for taking us along on your walk

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  21. Definitely a lot to be thankful for Eileen.
    Love all your photos... the Mandarin Duck is so handsome.
    Have a lovely Christmas. Cheerio for now :D)

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  22. Lovely photos, I didn't realise shelducks had got over there! Nor the mandarins for that matter! Both lovely ducks

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  23. Excellent set of pictures for the skywatch!

    jaipurthrumylens.com

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  24. Neat sculpture! I think the ducks are so pretty...now why do the males get to be the fancy dressers? LOL!

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  25. yes, you did have a beautiful morning sky. And lots of great birds. Love the Shelduck :)

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  26. What a great assortment of waterbirds you saw there! Love that Mandarin duck, it looks a lot like the wood duck. I had a palm warbler in my yard this summer, so it's nice to see one down in Florida too. Happy weekend Eileen!
    Wendy

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  27. Oh what beautiful shots. The first ducks look fluffy. They are so pretty.
    I wanted to thank you for dropping in to visit my Thankful post. I appreciate the comment!
    I am looking for something to post about so I can link with you tomorrow.
    Hope you have a great party!

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  28. What a way to start your post, the sunrise is gorgeous.
    I really like the Shelduck and Mandarin duck, the colours in their plumage is great.

    Wishing you a good weekend ahead

    All the best Jan

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  29. Beautiful sunrise! Interesting variety of ducks
    Have a great week-end!

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  30. Wow - the mandarin duck is stunning - I've never seen one! Have a nice weekend!

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  31. The photos of the birds are exceptionally crisp.
    Awesome post, Eileen.
    Have a Happy Weekend!
    Peace :)

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  32. Hi Eileen, I love your quote at the top of your post. I also love the Mandarin Duck. I can't find your Saturday Critters yet; will pop in later today to link up. Have a wonderful day. Jo

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  33. Great to see all those birds, but the sunset is today's winner, I think, it's pure magic. :-)
    Enjoy your weekend!

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  34. Lovely captures ... love that sunrise!

    Wish you a great week ahead!

    Irene

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  35. Wonderful photos . . .
    The Mandarin duck is so distinct and colorful!

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  36. I know a lot of the birds on that Lake are non native, but they are so beautiful...I just loved our visits there. You are lucky to be close enough to have this as a regular stop!

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  37. Lovely view there, Eileen

    a great week to you :)

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  38. A beautiful sunrise to start the day

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  39. It's so much fun to see these birds that are not common to my area, AND to feel a bit warmer just seeing the southern views :) Have a wonderful holiday week! :)

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  40. Dearest Eileen; What GORGEOUS pictures of the Common Shelduck and the Mandarin duck♫♫♫ I went to next city's park before which has lake, hearing the news of pair of Mandarin ducks were found there. Haha, no luck to find them. I love their Japanese name 'オシドリ’and the couple who are always close, cuddle together is called ’オシドリ夫婦’; which means 'a couple of lovebirds'♡♡♡ I'm always thankful for my husband's help :-)
    Well, I can take several ducks in the river or city park, but it is hard to identify them, maybe I might have taken pictures of 'muscovy duck' p:-)
    I LOVE the great and colorful sculpture, Dear friend. And Thank you so much for your link of 'Thankful Thursday'♪

    So sorry for my belated comment. I DO hope you will have a wonderful holiday season.

    Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*

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  41. Another amazing post, Eileen!
    Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful images!... And place...
    Kisses!
    Ana

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Hello, thank you for visiting my blog. I always appreciate your comments.

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Have a happy day, Eileen

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