Double Crested Cormorant at Possum Point

I was a bit late to Possum Point this morning, and missed the best sunrise colors. I took a few photos anyway and checked out the birds. Lots of Ospreys, in 5 active nests, and several flocks of Cormorants were the highlights.

Beach Road had a few Scaup and Canvasbacks, as well as Grebes.

I finished up at Jonas Green Park, which didn’t have much to offer.

Possum Point 54

Another Possum Point sunrise.

 

Possum Point 52

This shot was taken with the 500mm lens.

Song Sparrow 131

Song Sparrow 130

It’s not hard to find a Song Sparrow at Jonas Green.

Horned Grebe 78

Horned Grebe 77

These Horned Grebes were at Jonas Green Park.

Osprey 287 Osprey 285

Osprey 286

Osprey 284

The skies around Possum Point are filled with Ospreys at this time of year.

Lesser Scaup 197

Lesser Scaup 196

A small flock of Lesser Scaup is till hanging out at Beach Road.

Canada Goose 101

Canada Goose 102

These Canada Geese were in the small pond across from Jonas Green.

Mallard 135

Mallards are found in all the waters around the bay.

Double Crested Cormorant 95 Double Crested Cormorant 92

Double Crested Cormorant 94 Double Crested Cormorant 93

Double Crested Cormorant 91

Possum Point has been a favorite spot for Double Crested Cormorants as long as I’ve been going there.

 

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker at Truxtun Park

I had to work this morning, and there was rain until noon, so I only got out for a short while.

There wasn’t much to see at the park, but a sapsucker showed himself briefly  and the shadows on the bridge looked promising.

Truxtun Park 1

The mid afternoon sun looked cool on the bridge.

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker 101

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker 100

I haven’t seen many Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers this year.

Heron Rookery in Arnold, MD

A friend (Thanks, Doug), invited Graeme and I to view a Heron Rookery on his property this morning, and it was quite a trip. The nest are 50-60 feet in the air, and we saw at least 7 occupied nests. With any luck we’ll be able to check on their progress over the next couple of months.

There were plenty of other birds about also, including Pileated Woodpeckers, Kingfishers and ducks.  A very good day.

Great Blue Heron 280

Great Blue Heron 281

Great Blue Herons nest high off the ground.

 

Raccoon 9

It appeared that a Raccoon had been walking on the beach.

Eastern Phoebe 100

This Eastern Phoebe is my first of the season.

Pileated Woodpecker 104 Pileated Woodpecker 100 Pileated Woodpecker 102

Pileated Woodpecker 101

A pair of Pileated Woodpeckers seem to be preparing to nest in the area.

Osprey 283

Two Ospreys were fishing nearby.

Belted Kingfisher 109 Belted Kingfisher 108 Belted Kingfisher 107

Belted Kingifsher 111

Belted Kingfisher 110

We saw several Belted Kingfishers.

Great Blue Heron 279 Great Blue Heron 278

 

Great Blue Heron 282

 

Great Blue Heron 277

Great Blue Heron 276

The Great Blue Herons were very active, preening, calling and mating all morning.

 

Belted Kingfisher at Quiet Waters

`I started out at Beach Road this morning, but the strong wind and cold temps made me cut it short. There wasn’t much to see, in any case.

Quiet Waters was much better, with ducks, Ospreys, Eagles and my best look at a Kingfisher in flight to date.

Double Crested Cormorant 90

This Double Crested Cormorant was the only image I  got at Beach Road.

 

Great Blue Heron 274

I often wonder if this is the same Great Blue Heron each time I see him in the cove.

Osprey 281

Osprey 282

Osprey 280

Ospreys are doing well at Quiet Waters.

Mallard 134

Mallard 133

This Mallard flew in close, and the light was just right.

Bald Eagle 407 Bald Eagle 408

Bald Eagle 409

The Osprey is defending his nest from this juvenile Bald Eagle.

 

Red Breasted Merganser 141

A small flock of Red Breasted Mergansers was feeding near the cove.

Belted Kingifsher 105 Belted Kingifsher 102 Belted Kingifsher 101

Belted Kingifsher 106

Belted Kingifsher 100

I spent a lot of time tracking these Belted Kingfishers this morning, and it paid off.

 

 

Osprey at Truxtun Park

It was an ugly looking morning, and I had a 9:30 appointment, so I made a quick trip to Quiet Waters to see if I could get lucky. I found a couple of birds, then went to work, followed by a nap.

This afternoon, I stopped at Truxtun Park without finding much, but a lone Osprey made it worthwhile.

Horned Grebe 76

This Horned Grebe was diving for breakfast at Quiet Waters.

Wood Duck 211 Wood Duck 213

Wood Duck 212

These Wood Ducks were a good distance away, and the new camera made them usable.

Osprey 279

Osprey 278

This Osprey is nesting at the ball field at Truxtun Park, where there’s been a nest for many years.

Greater Scaup at Quiet Waters Park

It’s still awfully cold for Spring.  It was still in the thirties this morning when I went to Possum Point. I got a couple of sunrise shots, but there weren’t many ducks, so I headed to Beach Road.

Al;though there were ducks, they stayed pretty for from shore, and didn’t give me much of a  chance.

Quiet Waters was also slow, with fewer birds than in  recent days.

Possum Point 51

Possum Point 50

I had calm water and better colors this morning.

Horned Grebe 75

This Horned Grebe is in full breeding plumage.

Canvasback 132

Canvasback 131

The flock of Canvasbacks seems to move around at random.

Mallard 131 Mallard 130

Mallard 132

These Mallards were feeding at Quiet Waters.

Osprey 276

This Osprey is nesting at Quiet Waters,

Canvasback 133

Canvasback 134

These Canvasbacks will be heading West soon.

Greater Scaup 103 Greater Scaup 102

Greater Scaup 101

I startled these Greater Scaup at Quiet Waters.

 

Common Goldeneye at Beach Road

I started at Sandy Point this morning, where the sunrise was disappointing, and no interesting birds were to be seen.

I went on to Beach Road, which was much better, with several species of ducks and a very nice River Otter.

Sandy Point 22

Gray and cloudy doesn’t give you much of a sunrise.

Horned Grebe 72

Horned Grebe 73

Horned Grebe 74

I saw at least a dozen Horned Grebes this morning.

Canvasback 130

These Canvasbacks won’t be here much longer.

River Otter 7

River Otter 6

This River Otter was very curious about me.

Common Goldeneye 153

Common Goldeneye 154

This Common Goldeneye seems to be migrating late.

 

Black Duck at Quiet Waters

I went back to Possum Point this morning for more sunrise images which was OK, but the ducks were missing.Even the Ospreys were shy.

Beach drive was much better, with plenty of ducks and Grebes. I expect this to be a good spot in the Spring.

Quiet Waters was the best spot this morning, with Eagles and Ospreys.

Possum Point 47

Possum Point 46

Darker and windier this morning (and cold).

Horned Grebe 68 Horned Grebe 69

Horned Grebe 70

Horned Grebes dive to escape predators, and I don’t often see them fly.

Canvasback 129

These Canvasbacks and Scaup were at Beach Road.

Robin 66

Spring Robin at Quiet Waters.

Mallard 126

This Mallard was posing at the edge of the cove.

Mallard 127

I spooked this Mallard hen.

Double Crested Cormorant 89

A small flock of Double Crested Cormorants flew over Quiet Waters.

Horned Grebe 71

I saw a lot of Horned Grebes this morning.

Osprey 274

Osprey 275

This Osprey was fishing very successfully this morning.

Bald Eagle 406

Bald Eagle 404

The Osprey was chasing the Bald Eagle away from its nest.

Bald Eagle 402

Bald Eagle 403

There are several Bald Eagles at Quiet Waters but I don’t often get good shots.

Black Duck 101

I was lucky to catch this Black Duck, who flew off rapidly.

 

Hooded Merganser at Quiet Waters Park

Graeme and  I met early again and went to Possum Point to try for more sunrise images. The Ospreys were cooperative, and the Red Breasted Mergansers are still hanging around. A few Scaup and Buffleheads  are still feeding there as well.

Quiet Waters was productive also, with some very cooperative birds.

Thomas Point was a bust, and I fear it’s done for the season.

 

Possum Point 39

This early morning fisherman spooked most of the birds out of the bay

Possum Point 43 Possum Point 42 Possum Point 40

Possum Point 41

There was lots of color in the sky this morning.

Possum Point 41

Osprey 273

The Osprey pair is very busy repairing their nest and fishing.

Red Breasted Merganser 140

Red Breasted Merganser 139

We had much better light for the Red Breasted Mergansers this morning.

American Coot 100

I found this American Coot at Truxtun a couple of days go.

Mallard 125

This sleepy pair of Mallards was also at Truxtun.

Chickadee 201

This Chickadee is preparing a nest at Thomas Point.

Horned Grebe 67

We saw Horned Grebes at Beach Drive and Quiet Waters,

Turkey Vulture 23

These Turkey Vultures were arguing over a dead fish at Quiet Waters.

Great Blue Heron 273

My favorite Quiet Waters Great Blue Heron.

Red  Shouldered Hawk 101

Red  Shouldered Hawk 100

This Red Shouldered Hawk was near the entrance to Quiet Waters, and we stopped the car in the middle of the road to get close ups.

Double Crested Cormorant 88

Double Crested Cormorant 87

We spooked this Double Crested Cormorant at Beach Drive.

Gadwall 103

I didn’t realize this was a Gadwall drake until I saw it on the screen.

Hooded Merganser 136 Hooded Merganser 135

Hooded Merganser 137

Hooded Merganser 134

We got good looks at this pair of Hooded Mergansers at Quiet Waters.

 

Red Breasted Mergansers at Possum Point

I met Graeme early and we went to Possum Point to shoot some sunrises. The fog spoiled our plans, but we found some Ospreys and Mergansers, as well as a few other birds.

Graeme then showed me a place on Beach Road which looks promising for the future.

Quiet Waters treated us well, with Wood Ducks and Great Blue Herons as well as a nice hike through the woods.

Possum Point 38

It’s tough to get a good sunrise in the fog.

Cardinal 176

This Northern Cardinal was singing at Beach Road.

Common Merganser 112

While looking through my Red Breasted Mergansers, I was surprised to find this Common Merganser.

Osprey 268 Osprey 270 Osprey 271

Osprey 269

This is the second time I’ve seen these Ospreys mate.

Horned Grebe 66

We found two Horned Grebes at Quiet Waters.

Wood Duck 210 Wood Duck 208

Wood Duck 209

Wood Duck 207

The Wood Ducks are still in the corner of the cove.

Great Blue Heron 272

Great Blue Heron 271

The resident Great Blue Heron hardly ever fails me.

Lesser Scaup 194

These Lesser Scaup were at Beach Road.

Red Breasted Merganser 133 Red Breasted Merganser 138 Red Breasted Merganser 137 Red Breasted Merganser 136

Red Breasted Merganser 134

Red Breasted Merganser 135

We saw a flock of 30-40 Red Breasted Mergansers.