Trumpeter Swans at Beach Road.

Posted on April 18, 2022 by Hugh

The routine hasn’t changed much; Local parks, check the heronry, try the Eastern Shore. Graeme and I went to Bombay Hook a few days ago and saw a lot of birds, including a tree full of Night herons.

I’d been hearing the Trumpeters were in the area, but had only seen them once until I found them at Beach Road. It looks a lot like they’re building a nest, but it’s not a sure thing. I thin k that’s a relatively rare occurrence in MD, so it could be exciting.

No warblers to speak of yet, but a couple of owls and some Wood Ducks make up for it.

Many Great Egrets were in the marshes.

This Great Egret was feeding at Quiet Waters.

Many Ospreys are nesting at Possum Point.

Wood Ducks are doing well.

We found this American Kestrel as we left Bombay Hook.

A single Common Merganser showed up at Bombay Hook.

Green Winged Teal were abundant.

This Red Winged Blackbird was looking for a mate.

Mute Swans regularly breed at Bombay Hook.

We saw over ten Bald Eagles.

I counted fifteen Black Crowned Night Herons.

These Great Horned Owl chicks are doing well.

Look Closely to see this Barred Owl.

All t he birds in the heronry seem to be incubating.

This barnyard Mallard is nesting at Quiet Waters.

The Trumpeter Swans disappeared into the reeds, where they appear4ed to be making a nest.

Great Egret at Quiet Waters Park.

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Hugh

In ten years of watching I had never seen an egret of any kind at Quiet Waters, so this was a surprise. They’re marsh birds, and not really expected at QW which is more woodsie.

It’s the season of Wood Ducks, Gadwalls and Great Blue Herons so far. I’m still tracking the heron nests, and I found an owl nearby.

My only small migrant so far is an Eastern Phoebe, but the warblers will be here soon .

Ring Billed Gulls squabbling over a morsel.

A friend found this Great Horned Owl and two chicks.

This distant Red Throated Loon was a bonus, as I haven’t seen many.

Wood Ducks did very well here last year.

Gadwalls seem to be thriving.

This Heronry has at least three active nests

Yellow Rumped Warblers have been consistently hanging around the pond.

Carolina Chickadees were very active.

Eastern Bluebirds seem abundant this year.

Osprey returned to the area around the first of March.

All the Hooded Mergansers seem to have left the pond.

A half dozen or more Northern Rough Winged Swallows are hanging around the pond.

A fanciful Heron.

First Hermit Thrush of the year.

I saw 10 Horned Grebes at Thomas Point.

This Great Egret stopped briefly at Quiet Waters.

Heronry Near Jonas Green Park.

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Hugh

I discovered this heronry last year, but Covid kept me from monitoring it, so I’m going to keep a watch this year. Right now I’ve seen three nests and as many as 7 Great Blue Herons. Gadwalls, Wood Ducks and Red Winged Blackbirds are numerous.

I dropped Photoshop a month ago and switched to GIMP, the Open Source, free photo editing program. The cloud version of PS had slowed my system to a crawl and cost $10.00/month. I’m including a few images created from the G’MIC (“Gimmick”) filter suite made for GIMP

Wood Ducks abound, Ospreys have returned and people are reporting warblers, so all is well. A Great Horned Owl and a Screech Owl made an appearance as well.

I found this Pied Billed Grebe at Beach Road.

Wood Ducks are thriving at Quiet Waters.

A friend found this Great Horned Owl.

My sister approved of this one.

I found this Bald Eagle at Blackwater.

A recent Bufflehead.

The reptiles aren’t exempt.

A fanciful Trumpeter Swan.

This Screech Owl has been at Quiet Waters for a while now.

This Heronry is very active at the moment.

Long Tailed Ducks at Jonas Green Park.

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Hugh

Since my rant about gas over $4.00. it’s gone over $5.00 and I’ve acquired a bicycle. That kind of money will seriously cramp my style as far as traveling is concerned. I’m guessing it’s much worse for people who don’t have any choice but to drive.

Bird-wise it’s been pretty good. Lots of Swans and Ducks, including the Long Tails, Ring Necked, Gadwalls and Wood Ducks. A couple of Trumpeter Swans have appeared occasionally. Bald Eagles are appearing and I saw the season’s first Osprey yesterday.

The warblers are coming!

Developed using darktable 3.8.1

Small flocks of Cedar Waxwings feed on berries in the Winter.

Double Crested Cormorants are here in large numbers.

Developed using darktable 3.8.1

Redheads are very striking.

Horned Grebes have been scarce this season.

It’s a good year for Wood Ducks.

Eastern Bluebirds may be making a comeback.

Mockingbirds are common, but I don’t often photograph them.

I saw fewer Hooded Mergansers this year.

This Barnyard Mallard has been hanging out at Quiet Waters for months.

Canada Geese are nesting everywhere I go.

This Great Blue Heron was fishing at Quiet Waters.

Canvasbacks and Lesser Scaup are here in large numbers.

Buffleheads were very common this year.

About 200 Tundra Swans spent the Winter near Thomas Point.

Long Tailed Ducks are a favorite.

Hooded Mergansers at Quiet Waters.

Posted on February 13, 2022 by Hugh

Yesterday I put $52.00 worth of gas in the car. First time I’ve ever gone over $50.00 on a fill-up. $3.47/gal. That’s slowing me down a bit, but there’s plenty of good birds close to home.

The main attraction has been waterfowl, of course, with the Thomas Point Swans and ducks in big numbers, but we’ve gotten some thawing recently, so other ducks are showing up in the coves. The Canvasbacks were largely driven out by the ice for a while.

Possum Point has been largely non-productive, which is consistent with other places in this too-warm season. Maybe February will bring us some sea ducks.

Gadwalls at Jonas Green Park.

A dapper Redhead.

Canvasbacks in the South River.

A Black Duck was mixing with the other ducks.

A hundred or more Tundra Swans are regulars in Winter.

It seems to me there’s more Buffleheads than usual this year.

A few Lesser Scaup always seem to mix with the Canvasbacks

Mallards can be very enthusiastic at times.

There are numerous Crows in every park.

Bluebirds were picking up pebbles off the beach at Jonas Green Park.

This Wood Duck pair seems to be early.

Several Hooded Mergansers are sojourning at Quiet Waters and Jonas Green Parks.

Long Tailed Ducks at Jonas Green Park.

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Hugh

Between snow, bitter cold and a painting project, I’ve been a bit homebound lately.

I’m mostly hanging out locally, though I made a couple of unproductive trips to Sandy Point. Thomas Point has plenty of birds, but some species just haven’t arrived yet.

This Bufflehead was at Thomas Point.

South end of a diving Black Duck.

Female Lesser Scaup.

This Redhead was at Thomas Point.

Tundra Swans are doing well this year.

Hundreds of Canvasbacks are sheltering near Thomas Point.

Long Tailed Ducks are a favorite.

I see Yellow Rumped Warbler in all the parks.

This Eastern Bluebird was feeding at Thomas Point.

Red Bellied Woodpeckers can be found in every local park.

A small flock of Cedar Waxwings was feeding at Thomas Point.

Redhead at Thomas Point.

Posted on December 18, 2021 by Hugh

The warm weather is having an effect on our bird population. Very few winter ducks have arrived and even the sparrows seem to be fewer than usual. There’s Wood Ducks still lingering at Quiet Waters, and I’m usually shedding clothes by 8:00 AM.

I’m still staying close to home. It costs about $50.00 to fill the tank now, and my car is a gas hog. I got to Sandy Point once, and it was a waste.

So, here’s the best from the last three weeks or so.

The view from Jonas Green.

Many Canada Geese spend the winter in the bay.

Black Ducks are still favoring Thomas Point.

There’s about 100 Tundra Swans in the Thomas Point area.

I think there’s more Buffleheads than usual.

I found a flock of 50, or more Cedar Waxwings at Jonas Green.

Two or more Wood Ducks are still lingering at Quiet Waters.

White Throated Sparrows are everywhere.

This barnyard Mallard found her way to Quiet Waters somehow.

Carolina Chickadees are very vocal.

You can often find Blue Jays at Jonas Green.

This American Wigeon was swimming at Thomas Point.

Many Starlings hang out at Thomas Point.

Yellow Rumped Warblers used to be more common.

There’s a lot of Crows.

Many Ring Billed Gulls are foraging at Sandy Point.

This Yellow Bellied Sapsucker was at Quiet Waters.

A few Hooded Mergansers spend the Winter at Jonas Green.

This Song Sparrow was at Thomas Point.

A Great Blue Heron at Thomas Point.

These Gadwalls were at Jonas Green.

Very few Scaup have been close enough to photograph.

This is the first Redhead of the season.

American Wigeon at Thomas Point.

Posted on November 25, 2021 by Hugh

It’s been a relatively slow couple of weeks since I posted. I’ve been making the rounds locally for a while, as I’m not hearing about much elsewhere. Last year we had Siskins and Nuthatches, but no treats so far this season.

Wood Ducks are still at Quiet Waters, Buffleheads and Tundra Swans are well established and White Throated Sparrows are numerous everywhere. I’m still waiting for more Winter ducks, and the Wigeon, a single bird, was a welcome sight.

Quiet Waters Cove.

This Northern Pintail was at Bombay Hook.

Great Blue Herons appear to be very patient.

I’ve seen fewer Forster’s Terns this day than usual.

These American Avocets were at Bombay Hook.

This is a Greeter Yellowlegs.

Most Years I can find Black Ducks at Thomas Point.

This Great Egret is headed South for the Winter.

The Northern is aptly named for his huge beak.

The morning light can be magical at times.

Two Canada Geese taking off from Jonas Green Park.

I’ve been finding Gadwalls at Jonas Green Park for several years.

Hooded Mergansers often visit Jonas Green in the Fall.

This Northern Harrier was foraging at Bombay Hook.

We should be seeing a few Pied Billed Grebes soon.

Double Crested Cormorants are a common sight.

Dozens of Buffleheads are in the South River.

A flock of Cowbirds is feeding in Quiet Waters.

Watch the White Throated Sparrows and you may find the occasional Chipping Sparrow.

These Wood Ducks seem to be staying a bit late.

I expect to see more Dark Eyed Juncos soon.

Cardinals are plentiful.

Chipping Sparrows are regulars at Quiet Waters.

I found this American Wigeon at Thomas Point.

Wood Ducks at Quiet Waters

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Hugh

The passerines seem to have finished migrating and I’m waiting for the waterfowl. I’ve seen Buffleheads recently, and I heard one report of Swans, so it won’t be much longer.

I’m still going to the same places, with a couple of looks at Terrapin and CBEC, both of which had flooding problems. I’ve tried Sandy Point a couple of times with no luck. It will get better.

Thomas Point is open now, but there’s not much to see yet. Plenty of Sparrows and Bluebirds, but no ducks or Swans yet. No Eagles, either.

So, these are the best from the last couple of weeks.

Quiet Waters.

Annapolis from Jonas Green Park.

Fark Eyed Juncos arrived just a few days ago.

Chipping Sparrows seem to be numerous.

I’ve seen only a few Buffleheads so far.

Gadwalls are regular visitors at Jonas Green.

This Great Blue Heron regularly roosts on the Osprey platform.

I see Double Crested Cormorants often.

I’ve read that White Throated Sparrows are one our most numerous birds.

There are many Goldfinches at Thomas Point.

Many Geese seem to stay the entire Winter.

I used to see Red Shouldered Hawks more often.

The last Palm Warbler of the season.

White Breasted Nuthatches seem to be thriving.

Many Blue Jays migrated through our area.

A few Ruby Crowned Kinglets are still in the area.

I find Mallards in every suitable place I visit.

Black Ducks have been regulars at Thomas Point for years.

Hooded Mergansers have visited Jonas Green for several years.

I captured this Song Sparrow in an unusual pose.

Wood Ducks seem to be staying later than usual.

Palm Warbler at Greenbury Point.

Posted on October 23, 2021 by Hugh

We must be getting close to the end of migration, and I’m complaining less than usual. I’ve been very conservative about where I’ve been going. It’s all local with the exception of the occasional trip across the bridge. The best nearby marshes are at CBEC and Terrapin. The best nearby lake is Artemesia, but I haven’t been going that far, as the reports are dismal.

The best birds have been at Greenbury Point and the pond at Jonas Green.

We’ll have swans and ducks soon, and I’ll be adding Thomas Point to the list.