Great Blue Heron at Quiet Waters.

A nice day doesn’t seem to guarantee nice birds.

I spent three hours at Quiet Waters in hopes of catching some early migrants, but had no luck. A few regulars appeared, but I’ll have to wait for a better day.

I walked around in the ‘hood this afternoon looking for photo opps, and a couple of bugs appeared.

South River 4

South River from Quiet Waters.

Great Blue Heron 2016-6

Great Blue Herons have been scarce recently.

Horned Grebe 2016-22

Horned Grebes are still passing through.

Insect 756

Yet another fly.

Fly 103

This fly was on the front of my house.

Flower 63

I think this is a buttercup.

 

Bald Eagle at Terrapin Nature Park.

Between work, bad weather and bad luck, I’ve been out of action for a few days. The few times I got out, there was either no light or no birds, so today was a welcome change.

I started at Sandy Point, and found an average sunrise, then went to Terrapin, where I found a few cooperative birds. Lots of Eagles and Ospreys, and a few smaller birds.

Spring is coming!

Sandy Point 215

Sandy Point 214

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

Terrapin Path 5

Terrapin Path 4

Views from Terrapin.

Tortoise 5

Quiet Waters. First Tortoise of the season!

 

Pied Billed Grebe 2016-3

Pied Billed Grebe 2016-2

Pied Billed Grebe 2016-5

Pied Billed Grebe at Quiet Waters.

Chickadee 2016-2

I found this Chickadee at Quiet Waters yesterday.

Wood Duck 2016-10

I just barely got this Wood Duck as he took off.

Yellow Rumped Warbler 2016-4

Many Yellow Rumped Warblers are still feeding at the park.

Blue Jay 2016-3

A small flock of Blue Jays was roaming the park.

Ruddy Duck 2016-7

Ruddy Duck 2016-8

Ruddy Ducks at Quiet Waters.

Osprey 2016-18

Osprey 2016-15

Osprey 2016-17

Osprey 2016-16

5 Ospreys were fishing in the marsh ponds.

Bald Eagle 2016-38

Bald Eagle 2016-37

Bald Eagle 2016-35 Bald Eagle 2016-36

Bald Eagle 2016-34

I didn’t notice the moon behind this Bald Eagle until I uploaded the images.

 

Starling at Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center.

Sunrise was a little better than average at Sandy Point. The fishermen are starting to show up, so I may have to share my best spots.

I decided to try the Eastern Shore again, and it may not have been my best idea. Terrapin was very slow, and the birds at CBEC are still very elusive.

Someone, likely vandals, burned down the South Blind at Terrapin, taking away a very good site.Sandy Point 212

Sandy Point 211

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

Blind 2

The remains of the South blind, a favorite spot.

Canvasback 2016-17

This Canvasback hen was hidden in the reeds, and flew off as I approached.

Tree Swallow 2016-8 Tree Swallow 2016-7 Tree Swallow 2016-6

Tree Swallow 2016-9

Tree Swallow boxes line the entrance to CBEC.

Wood Duck 2016-8

Wood Duck 2016-9

I was just in time to catch these Wood Ducks as they passed overhead.

Fish Crow 2016-1

This is a Fish Crow, which you can always tell by the croaking song.

Canada Goose 2016-6

Several Canada Geese seem content to stay at CBEC.

Red Winged Blackbird 2016-9

You can usually rely on a Red Winged Blackbird for a photo opp.

Starling 2016-1

Starling 2016-2

These Starlings are in breeding plumage, and posed in good light.

 

 

Pied Billed Grebe at Quiet Waters.

After another good sunrise at Sandy Point, I went to Possum Point. There’s an erosion control project going on, so access may be limited. It’s necessary, but I’m going to miss the place.

Quiet Waters was slower than yesterday, but I managed a couple of decent images. I would have done better, but some dog walkers let their animal off the leash, and he scared off a lot of birds.

Sandy Point 208 Sandy Point 209

Sandy Point 210

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

Camp Stool

I tried out this camp stool today and found it quite useful.

Greater Scaup 2016-13

It was odd to see this Greater Scaup hanging out with 50 Ruddy Ducks.

Horned Grebe 2016-16

Horned Grebe 2016-19 Horned Grebe 2016-18

Horned Grebe 2016-17

This Horned Grebe is nearly in full breeding plumage.

Crow 2016-2

This Crow is carrying some white nesting material, which makes it look as though he has a beard.

Dark Eyed Junco 2016-5

Many Dark Eyed Juncos were foraging in the field.

Osprey 2016-13

Osprey 2016-14

This Osprey is hovering as he searches for a fish.

Pied Billed Grebe 2016-1

I saw this Pied Billed Grebe yesterday, and found him in the same place today.

Ring Necked Duck at Terrapin Nature Park.

Yet another superb day. The sunrise at Sandy Point was quite good. I headed right for Terrapin, as the local park is closed on Tuesdays. Friends have seen some good birds on the Eastern Shore recently and I found them as well.

Terrapin was well populated with ducks and a few passerines are trickling in also.

I stopped at Kent Narrows, which continues to be disappointing.

CBEC had hundreds of distant ducks, but I got close enough to a few for some decent images.

Sandy Point 206

 

Sandy Point 205

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

Blind 1

View from the blind at Terrapin.

Marsh Pond 10

The Marsh Pond at Terrapin.

Tundra Swan 2016-20

Tundra Swans will also be heading North soon.

Canada Goose 2016-5

This Canada Goose will be nesting soon.

Northern Harrier 2016-1

CBEC is a good spot for Northern Harriers.

Northern Pintail 2016-7

Northern Pintails will be heading North to breed soon.

Eastern Phoebe 2016-1

Eastern Phoebes are just arriving from the southern US and Central America.

Northern Shoveler 2016-6

I think this is the first Northern Shoveler I’ve seen at Terrapin.

Wood Duck 2016-7

I was in just the right spot when this Wood Duck flew over.

Wood Duck 2016-6

Wood Duck 2016-5

Not a great shot of these Wood Ducks, but I’ll get better ones soon.

Red Winged Blackbird 2016-8

Red Winged Blackbirds are very active now.

Tree Swallow 2016-4

Tree Swallow 2016-5

Not perfect, but Tree Swallows in flight are tough to get.

Yellow Rumped Warbler 2016-2

Yellow Rumped Warbler 2016-3

Dozens of Yellow Rumped Warblers were feeding near the marsh pond.

Ring Necked Duck 2016-3

This female Ring Necked Duck had me stumped for a few minutes.

 

 

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker at Quiet Waters.

It was so cloudy this morning that I didn’t get started until after 8:00. I decided to stay at Quiet Waters for a while, and it was a good choice. There were more birds and more variety than in a long while.

The Ruddy Ducks that have been missing all Winter were there, as well as Ospreys, Eagles  and Grebes.

Things are looking up!

White Breasted Nuthatch 2016-1

I didn’t have quite enough shutter speed for this White Breasted Nuthatch in the shade.

Bald Eagle 2016-31

Bald Eagle 2016-29 Bald Eagle 2016-27

Bald Eagle 2016-30

Bald Eagles were numerous today.

Ruddy Duck 2016-4

Ruddy Duck 2016-3

Ruddy Ducks are usually numerous at Quiet Waters in the Winter, but not this year.

Osprey 2016-11

This Osprey was almost directly overhead.

Bald Eagle 2016-28

Yet another Eagle/Osprey dispute.

Horned Grebe 2016-15

Horned Grebe 2016-14

Horned Grebe 2016-13

Horned Grebe 2016-12

Horned Grebes seem to be everywhere this week. They’ll be leaving to breed in Canada soon.

Double Crested Cormorant 2016-10

Double Crested Cormorant 2016-11

You can often find Double Crested Cormorants at Quiet Waters, but not in large numbers.

Robin 2016-2

I found this Robin in my front yard when I got home.

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker 2016-1

This is the first Yellow Bellied Sapsucker I’ve seen in quite a while.

 

 

 

Osprey at Quiet Waters.

A beautiful day, with good light and good birds.

I started at Sandy Point, which was so foggy that I didn’t stay long.

Possum Point was next, and it was much better. The fog had almost cleared, and there were more birds than usual, including some Red Breasted Mergansers, who have been in short supply this year.

Jonas Green Park was deserted. Quiet Waters had a little activity and may get better soon.

Mallard 2016-25

I just barely caught this Mallard as he landed.

Mourning Dove 2016-1

This Mourning Dove didn’t mind my presence at all.

Double Crested Cormorant 2016-9

Double Crested Cormorant 2016-8

This Double Crested Cormorant was feeding at Quiet Waters.

Northern Flicker 2016-3

I was lucky to catch this Northern Flicker as he flew by.

Song Sparrow 2016-2

This Song Sparrow was foraging right at my feet.

Cardinal 2016-2

There are lots of Cardinals singing now.

Tundra Swan 2016-19

Not a great shot, but this Tundra Swan is migrating later than most.

Red Breasted Merganser 2016-7

Red Breasted Merganser 2016-6

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

 

Horned Grebe 2016-10

Horned Grebes are very abundant now.

Bald Eagle 2016-24

Bald Eagle 2016-23

2-3 Bald Eagles are regulars at Possum Point.

Bald Eagle 2016-25

The Osprey was very annoyed that this Bald Eagle was roosting near his nest.

Osprey 2016-6 Osprey 2016-5

Osprey 2016-7

The return of the Ospreys is in full swing.

 

 

Carolina Chickadee at Quiet Waters.

Graeme and I went to Possum Point this morning, with a brief stop on the new Severn River bridge to catch the sunrise. Possum Point was a bit slow, so we headed to Beach Road, which was busier, but the light was lousy.

Quiet Waters remains quiet. There should be more ducks at this time of year.

Possum Point 126

Sunrise at Possum Point.

 

NSR Bridge 1

Morning at the new Severn River bridge.

Red Winged Blackbird 2016-5

Red Winged Blackbirds are enthusiasitc singers.

Horned Grebe 2016-8

This is the time of year to see Horned Grebes.

Greater Black Backed Seagull 2016-2

Greater Black Backed Seagull 2016-1

Greater Black Backed Seagulls are fairly common on the bay.

Osprey 2016-4

This Osprey was fishing at Possum Point.

Chickadee 2016-1

This Carolina Chickadee was foraging at Quiet Waters.

Horned Grebe at Beach Road.

I started at Sandy Point this morning, and saw a decent sunrise, but very few birds.

Possum Point was next, and the Osprey numbers are increasing, but there wasn’t much else of interest.

I spent more time at Beach Road this morning, without much success, but I see future possibilities.

Quiet Waters was Quiet once again.

Sandy Point 201 Sandy Point 200

Possum Point 125 Possum Point 124

Sandy Point 199

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

Osprey 2016-3

This Osprey pair will soon be mating and nest building.

Red Winged Blackbird 2016-4

Yet another Red Winged Blackbird seeking a mate.

Bufflehead 2016-13

Bufflehead 2016-12

These Buffleheads were the only ducks I saw at Quiet Waters.

Horned Grebe 2016-7

Horned Grebe 2016-6

This Horned Grebe is in breeding plumage.

Wood Duck at Quiet Waters

I started out at Possum Point this morning, but the sunrise was just so-so. There were plenty of birds, though, including my first Ospreys of the year. Hundreds of Canada Geese were flying North.

I stopped at Beach Road nest, and was surprised to find 14 Horned Grebes, a record for me. This area has been opened up, and looks like it will have future possibilities.

Quiet Waters was better than usual, with a few more ducks, including several Wood Ducks. A good day.

Possum Point 123

Sunrise at Possum Point.

Bufflehead 2016-11

These Buffleheads were also at Quiet Waters.

Double Crested Cormorant 2016-7

This Double Crested Cormorant was sunning himself at Quiet Waters.

Mallard 2016-24

These Mallards were in the marina.

Canada Goose 2016-4

I probably saw 500 Canada Geese flying North this morning.

Red Shouldered Hawk 2016-2

This Red Shouldered Hawk is nesting at Quiet Waters. I’ll try to keep an eye on it.

Osprey 2016-1

Osprey 2016-2

First Ospreys of the year. There will be many more soon.

Horned Grebe 2016-4

Horned Grebe 2016-5

14 Horned Grebes were foraging along the shore.

Wood Duck 2016-3 Wood Duck 2016-2

Wood Duck 2016-4

Quiet Waters has always been a good spot for Wood Ducks.