Bald Eagle at Blackwater NWR.

I got out out briefly yesterday, and didn’t really find much. I was surprised at the lack of birds at Quiet Waters.

I went back to Blackwater this morning, and the Eagles were in good form, but it was cold and windy and I couldn’t get close to much else.

Blackwater Dawn 1

Dawn at Blackwater NWR.

Bufflehead 2017-29

These Buffleheads were feeding at Thomas Point.

Black Duck 2017-1

Black Ducks are often found at Thomas Point.

Common Loon 2017-1

I found this Common Loon yesterday at Thomas Point.

Great Blue Heron 2017-12

There’s always a few Great Blue Herons fishing at Blackwater.

Northern Shoveler 2017-7

Northern Shovelers and Mallards are the dominant ducks at the moment.

Common Goldeneye 2017-35

Common Goldeneye at Thomas Point.

Horned Grebe 2017-8

Horned Grebe at Quiet Waters.

Bald Eagle 2017-36

Bald Eagle 2017-35 Bald Eagle 2017-34

Bald Eagle 2017-32

I was too close to this Bald Eagle when he flew from his perch.

Ring Necked Ducks at Lake Artemesia.

It wasn’t much of a morning; overcast and cool, but I tried Artemesia anyway. It was disappointing, with very few birds and not much variety.

I was going to go home, but I decided to give Thomas point a try, and it wasn’t any better. There  were birds, but only a few and too far away for interesting images.

Horned Grebe 2017-7

This Horned Grebe was at Thomas Point.

Hooded Merganser 2017-80

Hooded Merganser 2017-779

I saw these Hooded Mergansers as I was leaving.

Pied Billed Grebe 2017-1

Two Pied Billed Grebes were fishing in the lake.

Red Shouldered Hawk 2017-3

This Red Shouldered Hawk was just a little too far away.

Northern Flicker 2017-1

It was too overcast to get a good look at this Northern Flicker.

Ring Necked Duck 2017-1

I kind of like the serenity of these birds. Buffleheads and Ring Necks.

Snow Geese at Blackwater NWR.

I wasn’t sure what to do this morning,as the weather was a little iffy. I decided to take a chance on Blackwater, as it was a little windy here.

It was windy and cloudy at Blackwater, which isn’t ideal, but I managed a couple of shots early before it it got really cloudy.

Ruddy Duck 2017-1

I haven’t seen many Ruddy Ducks at Blackwater.

Tundra Swan 2017-27

Many Tundra Swans were foraging in the marsh.

Tundra Swan 2017-26

Tundra Swan 2017-28

This Tundra Swan was also at Thomas Point yesterday.

Mallard 2017-6

This Mallard flew right over me.

Northern Shoveler 2017-6

Blackwater is a good place to find Northern Shovelers.

Northern Pintail 2017-5

Northern Pintail 2017-4

Sometimes you have to look closely to see the Northern Pintails in the marsh.

Great Blue Heron 2017-11

Great Blue Heron 2017-10

There’s always a few Great Blue Herons fishing in the marsh.

Redhead 2017-5

I found this Redhead yesterday at Thomas Point.

Snow Goose 2017-4

Snow Goose 2017-3

Snow Goose 2017-2

A large flock of Snow Geese flew in as I arrived.

 

Northern Pintail at Blackwater NWR.

When I have a good day at Blackwater I wonder why I ever go anywhere else. If it were closer, I might do that.

Lots of eagles, swans, geese and ducks today. There were also far more people than usual, which is a bit of a drag, as they frighten off the birds.

A good day, regardless.

Lesser Scaup 2017-16

I don’t often get this close to a Lesser Scaup.

American Wigeon 2017-3

American Wigeon 2017-2

I see American Wigeons more often at Oakley Street than anywhere else.

Canvasback 2017-6

This is a female Canvasback.

Redhead 2017-4

These Redheads were at Oakley Street.

Red Shouldered Hawk 2017-2

Red Shouldered Hawk 2017-1

I found this juvenile Red Shouldered Hawk on the way to Cambridge.

American Kestrel 2017-4

This is the same banded American Kestrel I found last week. She was banded as a nestling on 22 June 2013 in a nest box in Sussex Co., NJ.

Tundra Swan 2017-24

Many Tundra Swans hang out at Blackwater.

Bald Eagle 2017-25

Bald Eagle 2017-24

Bald Eagle 2017-23

Bald Eagle 2017-22

Bald Eagle 2017-21

I came across several pairs of Bald Eagles.

Hooded Merganser 2017-76

Hooded Merganser 2017-74

Hooded Merganser 2017-77

Hooded Merganser 2017-75

Hooded Mergansers tend to be very skittish, so I was lucky to get this close.

Snow Goose 2017-1

There was a large flock of Snow Geese.

Great Blue Heron 2017-8

Great Blue Heron 2017-7

This Great Blue Heron was one of the first birds I saw.

Northern Pintail 2017-3

Northern Pintail 2017-2

I saw two large flocks of Northern Pintails.

Canvasback at Beach Road.

We didn’t  get the promised weather this morning,so I didn’t get out until after 10:00. I made a short trip to Sandy Point, where there were a few ducks close to shore, then headed to Beach Road, which has been a good winter spot in the past.

I did find some good birds at Beach Road, but most were too far away for good images.

Lesser Scaup 2017-14 Lesser Scaup 2017-13

Lesser Scaup 2017-12

This Lesser Scaup posed at Sandy Point.

Eastern Bluebird 2017-3

I’m seeing a lot of Eastern Bluebirds lately.

Canvasback 2017-4

Canvasback 2017-5

Two or three Canvasbacks were on the pond at Beach Road.

Red Tailed Hawk 2017-1

This Red Tailed Hawk soared over the pond at Beach Road.

 

A Comment on President Trump.

This blog is about birds, but I’ll make an exception tonight.

Martin Luther King talked about, “The content of your character” as a way to measure a man, and I believe we’ve seen enough of Mr. Trump’s character to take his measure.

I believe he’s unqualified by temperament, training and experience to be the president, and will fail spectacularly, soon, unless some miraculous change comes over him. Failing that, we’re in deep trouble, and we’ll have to rely on the republican congress to keep him in check, and that’s a really sorry lot to have to depend on.

God help us.

Infamy

Common Merganser at Blackwater NWR.

I left early to get to Blackwater around sunrise.  It was a good day to be there. I’ve seen Common Mergansers there before, but never quite so close. Unfortunately, my camera was acting up, so the images aren’t very good.

Eagles and ducks were out in numbers, and a quick stop at Oakley Street paid off as well.

Tidal Pool 1

The Tidal Pool at Blackwater.

Lesser Scaup 2017-11

Northern Pintail 2017-1

I used to see more Northern Pintails in the past.

Redhead 2017-3

You can usually find a Redhead at Oakley Street.

American Wigeon 2017-1

The American Wigeon is a handsome bird.

Red Winged Blackbird 2017-1

Red Winged Blackbirds were very active today.

American White Pelican 2017-1

the American White Pelicans were still hanging out on the mud flats.

American White Pelican 2017-23

Many Tundra Swans were foraging in the marsh.

American Kestrel 2017-2

American Kestrel 2017-1

If you’re careful, you can sometimes get a look at a Roadside American Kestrel.

Bald Eagle 2017-14

Bald Eagle 2017-13

Bald Eagle 2017-12

Bald Eagle 2017-11 Bald Eagle 2017-9

Bald Eagle 2017-8

Bald Eagle 2017-7

Bald Eagle 2017-6

Many Bald Eagles were out today.

Northern Shoveler 2017-3

Northern Shoveler 2017-2

I saw more Northern Shovelers today than usual.

Common Merganser 2017-3

Common Merganser 2017-2

Common Merganser 2017-1

I was very disappointed these Common Merganser images didn’t come out better. It’s a cool bird.

 

Horned Grebe at Thomas Point.

It was seriously foggy this morning, and it didn’t clear up for a couple of hours. I didn t get much at the point, as most of the birds stayed well off shore most of the time.

I stopped at my friend’s house on Thomas Point Road and found a lot of ducks and swans close to shore.

Greater Scaup 2017-1

Another juvenile Scaup.

Horned Grebe 2017-5

Horned Grebe 2017-6

Tundra Swan 2017-22

Tundra Swans often gather near shore in small groups.

Canvasback 2017-3

 

 

Canvasback 2017-2

Hundreds of Canvasbacks were sleeping near shore.

Redhead 2017-2

There’s something very attractive about Redheads.

Redhead at Thomas Point.

It was a little cloudy this morning, but it cleared up by the time I got to the point. There was decent light, not too much breeze and just enough ducks to keep it interesting.

I stopped at a friend’s house and found some swans and ducks very close to shore, where the residents feed them during the Winter.

Dee Green 2

Dee Green, looking for ducks.

Tundra Swan 2017-12 Tundra Swan 2017-11 Tundra Swan 2017-14

Tundra Swan 2017-13

Tundra Swans get very feisty at times.

Mallard 2017-2 Mallard 2017-1

Mallard 2017-3

These Mallards were at Thomas Point Road.

Red Breasted Merganser 2017-12 Red Breasted Merganser 2017-11 Red Breasted Merganser 2017-10 Red Breasted Merganser 2017-9

Red Breasted Merganser 2017-13

Several Red Breasted Mergansers flew in as I was watching.

Black Scoter 2017-4

This is a female Black Scoter.

Lesser Scaup 2017-6

Scaup used to show up in larger numbers.

Surf Scoter 2017-23

Surf Scoter 2017-24

Surf Scoters were feeding near shore.

Surf Scoter 2017-22

Hen Party! Scaup, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter.

 

Common Goldeneye 2017-33

Common Goldeneye 2017-34

A small flock of Common Goldeneyes was foraging nearby.

Canvasback 2017-1

There more than a hundred Canvasbacks present.

Redhead 2017-1

This Redhead was hard to pick out from the large number of Canvasbacks.

Common Goldeneye at Thomas Point.

The weatherman predicted icky weather today, but it was still clear at 7:30, so I went to Thomas Point to see what was up.  Quite a few ducks were around, and I stayed long enough to get a couple of swans and the closest ducks.

It started raining around 9:30 and I headed home.

 

Hugh 2017-1

Some thoughtful person has installed a couple of benches at the point so us old folks can sit and enjoy the show.

Tundra Swan 2017-10

Tundra Swan 2017-9

Two Tundra Swans flew around the point.

Surf Scoter 2017-21

Surf Scoter 2017-20

Surf Scoter 2017-19

Surf Scoter 2017-18

This Surf Scoter hen took off as I was watching.

Red Breasted Merganser 2017-8

Two Red Breasted Mergansers were foraging near the point.

Common Goldeneye 2017-31

Common Goldeneye 2017-30

Common Goldeneye 2017-29

This Common Goldeneye hen flew in close to me.