Yellow Warbler at Wooton’s Landing

After yesterday’s successes, I decided to try Wooton again. This time, I approached the beaver pond more slowly, and got some good shots as a result.

There’s still no large numbers of warblers, but two Yellow Warblers were very cooperative.

Beaver 17

Beaver 18

Most Beavers run away quickly, so I was surprised at this guy’s cooperation.

Prothonotary Warbler 115 Prothonotary Warbler 114 Prothonotary Warbler 113

Prothonotary Warbler 112

There seems to be more Pothonotary Warblers than in past years.

Eastern Kingbird 102

Eastern Kingbird 103

This Eastern Kingbird seemed to be gathering nesting material.

White Eyed Vireo 105

I followed this White Eyed Vireo for 20 minutes to get a clear shot.

Osprey 326

I often wonder how Ospreys succeed in such a small marsh.

Great Blue Heron 299

Great Blue Herons fly over Wooton in large numbers.

 

White Throated Sparrow 208

White Throated Sparrow 207

White Throated Sparrows seem to stay around later than other sparrows.

Swamp Sparrow 110

I see more Swamp Sparrows at Wooton than anywhere else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow Warbler 104 Yellow Warbler 103 Yellow Warbler 102

 

Yellow Warbler 100

Yellow Warbler 101

Cornell: “North America has more than 50 species of warblers, but few combine brilliant color and easy viewing quite like the Yellow Warbler. In summer, the buttery yellow males sing their sweet whistled song from willows, wet thickets, and roadsides across almost all of North America. The females and immatures aren’t as bright, and lack the male’s rich chestnut streaking, but their overall warm yellow tones, unmarked faces, and prominent black eyes help pick them out.”

 

 

 

American Redstart at Wooton’s Landing

We had nice weather all day today, for a change. I went back to Wooton in hope of seeing an uptick in migration, and it paid off. There was a good variety of birds in good light, and one of my favorite warblers posed, albeit briefly.

A moth and a butterfly also came in view, as well as a beaver, who startled me as I approached the marsh. A beaver entering the water makes a loud noise.

Belted Kingfisher 116

Another lucky overhead flight of a Belted Kingfisher.

Eastern Kingbird 100

Eastern Kingbird 101

The Eastern Kingbird is a member of the flycatcher family.

 

 

Common Yellowthroat 104

I found this Common Yellowthroat in a brief stop at Sands Road.

Osprey 324

Osprey 325

Several Ospreys fish at Wooton.

Canada Goose 106

This Canada Goose was planted right in the main path, so I was ready when he took flight.

Red Winged Blackbird 100;

This is a female Red Winged Blackbird.

Prothonotary Warbler 108

Prothonotary Warbler 110 Prothonotary Warbler 109

 

Prothonotary Warbler 111

Wooton is a great place to find Prothonotary Warblers.

Swamp Sparrow 107

Swamp Sparrow 108

I saw a dozen or more Swamp Sparrows today.

Pied Billed Grebe 102

Pied Billed Grebe 101

Pied Billed Grebe 100

Cornell:”Part bird, part submarine, the Pied-billed Grebe is common across much of North America. These small brown birds have unusually thick bills that turn silver and black in summer. These expert divers inhabit sluggish rivers, freshwater marshes, lakes, and estuaries. They use their chunky bills to kill and eat large crustaceans along with a great variety of fish, amphibians, insects, and other invertebrates. Rarely seen in flight and often hidden amid vegetation, Pied-billed Grebes announce their presence with loud, far-reaching calls.”

American Redstart 100

 

American Redstart 101

The American Redstart has always been a nemesis bird for me. I’ve missed many photographic opportunities.

Chickweed Geometer 1

This moth is known as a Chickweed Geometer.

Zebra Swallowtail 9

This is a Whitish Swallowtail, also known as a Zebra Swallowtail.

Forster’s Tern at Terrapin Nature Park

Still hoping for warblers, I had another go at Terrapin this morning.

The Yellow Rumps are still around in large numbers but no others appeared.

A few Terns and a nice moth saved the day.

Spotted Forester 1

I’ve never seen this Spotted Forester Moth before.

Turkey Vulture 25

This Turkey Vulture barely moved as I approached.

Wood Duck 235

Several Wood Ducks are resident at Terrapin.

Yellow Rumped Warbler 207 Yellow Rumped Warbler 210 Yellow Rumped Warbler 209

Yellow Rumped Warbler 208

I sometimes this there’s too many Yellow Rumped Warblers.

Bluebird 198

Bluebirds have been scarce this year.

Caspian Tern 114

Caspian Tern 113 Caspian Tern 112

Caspian Tern 111

Cornell: “As large as a big gull, the Caspian Tern is the largest tern in the world. Its large coral red bill makes it one of the most easily identified terns throughout its worldwide range.”

Forster's Tern 102 Forster's Tern 101

Forster's Tern 100

Cornell: “One of several medium-sized terns that are similar in appearance, the Forster’s Tern breeds primarily in marshes and winters along the coasts. The comma-shaped black ear patch in winter plumage is distinctive, but some other plumages are very confusing.”

 

House Sparrow at Greenbury Point

I got up early to try for some sunrise shots at Possum Point, but the sunrise was kind of bland. I looked around for birds, and didn’t find much, so I headed out to Quiet Waters and Truxtun Park.
It was disappointing in both places.
Even the bug hunt was slow. It was just one of those days.

Possum Point 65

Sunrise at Possum Point.

Chipping Sparrow 102

 

Chipping Sparrow 101

This lone Chipping Sparrow was in the big field at Possum Point.

Cardinal 185

Cardinal 186

You can always find a Cardinal.

House Finch 101

This House Finch landed on a Purple Martin house.

House Sparrow 100

House Sparrow 101

This pair of House Sparrows seemed to building a nest.

Insect 655 Fly 91 Caterpillar 209

Fly 90

Today’s bugs.

Common Yellowthroat at Governor Bridge.

I was prepared for a day off this morning, but the predicted rain didn’t materialize, so I went to the local parks. By the time I’d spent a couple of slow hours looking for birds, the Sun came out, so I went to Governor Bridge in hopes of better luck.

While it was somewhat better, there still isn’t any great concentration of migrants.

I spent an afternoon hour looking for bugs in the ‘hood.

White Eyed Vireo 104

I spent 15 minutes waiting for a decent look at this White Eyed Vireo.

 

Cardinal 184

The flowers are nearly the same color as this Cardinal.

Chickadee 208

I liked the pose of this Chickadee.

Eastern Phoebe 101

I walked up the hill to find this Eastern Phoebe.

Common Yellowthroat 103

This Common Yellowthroat landed quite near me.

Caterpillar 207 Caterpillar 206 Fly 89 Insect 654

Ladybug 42

Insect 653

Caterpillar 208

Today’s bugs.

Green Heron at Wooton’s Landing

Graeme and I met early at Wooton this morning, and we had a decent day.

The light was poor under cloudy skies, but the Nikon D7100 handles high ISO very well, and the images are decent.

I was  happy to see the heron, and more warblers have been appearing, so things are looking up.

Blue Jay 201

I found this Blue Jay on a quick visit to Sands Road Park.

Prothonotary Warbler 103 Prothonotary Warbler 106 Prothonotary Warbler 105

 

Prothonotary Warbler 107

Prothonotary Warbler 104

We found two Prothonotary Warblers this morning.

White Throated Sparrow 205

This White Throated Sparrow was very willing to pose.

Swamp Sparrow 106

Swamp Sparrow 105

Swamp Sparrows are beginning to appear in numbers.

Solitary Sandpiper 101

Solitary Sandpiper 100

Two Solitary Sandpipers were in the pond near the river.

White Eyed Vireo 103

White Eyed Vireo 102

White Eyed Vireos are also becoming plentiful.

Downy Woodpecker 026

We heard several woodpeckers but only saw this single Downy Woodpecker.

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher 209

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher 210

Blue Gray Gnatcatchers seem to be in every tree.

 

Chickadee 208

This Chickadee stuck around just long enough for a single image.

Green Heron 102

Green Heron 101

Green Heron 100

I looked up just in time to capture this Green Heron as he flew over our heads.

Great Blue Heron at Arnold Heronry

Graeme and I went back to the heronry this morning to see if any progress had been made. There are still seven nests, and at least 3-4 are occupied with aa bird seemingly sitting on the eggs.

There wasn’t as much activity as last time, with only a few birds flying in and out at random intervals.

A few Ospreys, an Eagle  and a few other birds kept us occupied for a time, but it was cold and windy, so we left around 10:00.

Fox 18

Fox 17

A pair of foxes greeted us.

Canada Goose 105

A few Canada Geese were swimming nearby.

Northern Rough Winged Swallow 101

6-8 Northern Rough Winged Swallows were foraging near the boathouse.

Osprey 323

Several Ospreys were fishing in the area.

Great Blue Heron 296 Great Blue Heron 297

Great Blue Heron 295 Great Blue Heron 294

 

Great Blue Heron 293

The most interesting Great Blue Heron images are taken when the birds land or depart.

Yellow Rumped Warbler at Terrapin Nature Park

I went to the Eastern Shore looking for warblers this morning, and found a few, but not the variety I was hoping for.

It was very windy, and not quite warm, but I did find a few other birds, including a very cooperative Osprey.

Bald Eagle 413

A pair of Bald Eagles was circling the big field near the marsh.

Carolina Wren 111

This Carolina Wren was singing very loudly.

Wood Duck 231 Wood Duck 230

 

Wood Duck 232

This pair of Wood Ducks is nesting nearby.

Osprey 321

 

Osprey 322

This Osprey was fishing in the marsh pond.

Palm Warbler 105

Palm Warblers are turning up everywhere.

Yellow Rumped Warbler 204

Yellow Rumped Warbler 205

Yellow Rumped Warbler 206

Yellow Rumped Warbler 203

I saw dozens of Yellow Rumped Warblers.

Caspian Tern at Lake Artemesia

I met Graeme early this morning at Lake Artemesia, and we had a decent day. There weren’t any warblers to speak of, but a decent variety of other birds provided some good images.

We walked the lake twice, then took a path through the woods, which was oddly unproductive.

Palm Warbler 104

This Palm Warbler was the first bird I saw this morning.

Tree Swallow 104

Tree Swallow 103

Tree Swallows breed regularly at Lake Artemesia.

Great Blue Heron 292

Great Blue Heron 291

This Great Blue Heron flew across the lake and landed in a tree.

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher 207 Blue Gray Gnatcatcher 206 Blue Gray Gnatcatcher 205 (1)

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher 208

Blue Gray Gnatcatchers move about rapidly, and can be hard to capture.

Cardinal 183

I liked the green background for this Cardinal.

Carolina Wren 110

I’ve never seen a Carolina Wren open his beak so wide.

 

Grackle 100

Even the common Grackle can look good in breeding season.

Belted Kingifsher 116

Belted Kingfisher 114 Belted Kingifsher 113

Belted Kingifsher 115

I was in the right place when this Belted Kingfisher flew by.

Double Crested Cormorant 107

Double Crested Cormorant 106

I saw this Double Crested Cormorant in the corner of my eye as he flew by.

Caspian Tern 104

 

Caspian Tern 102

 

Caspian Tern 110

Caspian Tern 100

Caspian Tern 106

 

 

 

 

Caspian Tern 107

 

Caspian Tern 109

Caspian Tern 108

Caspian Tern 105

This Caspian Tern juggled his catch in midair.

 

Black and White Warbler at Governor Bridge

I met several friends at Governor Bridge this morning, and we did a pretty thorough job of looking around, without a lot of luck. We did find a few birds, but picture opportunities were few.

The B&W Warbler and an FOS Catbird made it worthwhile.

Eared Birder

Diane was wearing a nice set of Yellow Warbler earrings.

Mockingbird 100

Like many Mockingbirds, this one let me get very close.

Catbird 200

This FOS (First of Season) Catbird was a welcome sight.

Swamp Sparrow 104

This Swamp Sparrow was foraging near a small pond.

Great Blue Heron 290

This Great Blue Heron flew right over us.

Bald Eagle 411

Bald Eagle 412

Bald Eagle 410

I found a pair of Bald Eagles on the hill, where I don’t often go.

Goldfinch 201

Goldfinch 200

This Goldfinch was one of a flock of 10-15.

Cardinal 182

Another singing Cardinal.

Black and White Warbler 101

Black and White Warbler 102

Black and White Warbler 100

This Black and White Warbler is also first of the season.