Common Goldeneye at Thomas Point.

It’s been very cold here-low 2 digits, and freezing near shore, which cuts down on the numbers of water birds.

I’ve been to Thomas Point a few times, as it’s some distance out in the bay, and won’t freeze until it’s been very cold for a while.

In truth, there hasn’t been much to see, but it’s improving as it gets colder up North and those birds head South.

Today’s selection is the best it’s been in a while, and it may improve as the weather gets worse.

Crow 2017-8

Crow 2017-7

This Crow was near the entrance gate.

 

 

Tundra Swan 2017-88Tundra Swan 2017-87Tundra Swan 2017-86 Tundra Swan 2017-85

Tundra Swan 2017-89

Tundra Swans can be seen near the shore.

Lesser Scaup 2017-29

Lesser Scaup 2017-28

There are many Scaup at the point, now.

Blue Jay 2017-8

My friend has a nice feeding station in her back yard, and this Blue Jay was taking advantage.

 

Common Goldeneye 2017-40

This is a Common Goldeneye hen.

Bufflehead 2017-69

There’s almost always a few Buffleheads.

Ring Billed Gull 2017-6

There were many more Ring Billed Gulls than usual.

 

Redhead at Thomas Point.

It was a blah day, weatherwise, and I didn’t get out until 9:00. The Sun was just coming out, and the wind was just a little too much, but I went to Thomas point to see what I could see.

There were plenty of birds-Scaup, Buffleheads, Mergansers, but mostly too far out for good pics. I did get an acceptable look at the Mergansers.

I them stopped at my friend’s house on Thomas Point Road, and there was plenty of action. Many Swans, many ducks and a couple of Eagles who may have been hunting.

I hung around for an hour and got several decent shots before heading home.

Tundra Swan 2017-80 Tundra Swan 2017-79 Tundra Swan 2017-83

Tundra Swan 2017-82

There were many Tundra Swans hanging out near shore.

Tundra Swan 2017-84

Tundra Swan 2017-81

This Tundra Swan has a banding collar, and I have sent off for the banding info. The locals have named this bird “Julia” and say she’s been seen for seven consecutive years.

 

Canvasback 2017-23

A medium sized flock of Canvasbacks was also near shore.

Red Breasted Merganser 2017-33 Red Breasted Merganser 2017-32

Red Breasted Merganser 2017-34

I found this Red Breasted Merganser out at the point.

Lesser Scaup 2017-27

Lesser Scaup 2017-28

Only a few Scaup were present.

Redhead 2017-8

Redhead 2017-9

Redheads look good in the right light.

American Coot at Blackwater NWR.

I got out late yesterday, and spent a little time at Sandy Point. It was cool to find a Snow Goose mixed in with a flock of Canada Geese, a most unusual find for this area. There were lots of distant ducks and a few passerines also.

I went to Blackwater this morning, and found all the usual suspects, as well as a few nice ducks at Oakley Street.

Blackwater Dawn 43

Blackwater Dawn 42

Blackwater Dawn.

Lesser Scaup 2017-23

This Scaup was feeding at Sandy Point.

Bald Eagle 2017-227

Bald Eagle 2017-226

There were fewer Bald Eagles than usual.

Great Blue Heron 2017-134 Great Blue Heron 2017-133 Great Blue Heron 2017-138

Great Blue Heron 2017-135

Great Blue Herons were abundant this morning.

Snow Goose 2017-33

a huge flock of Snow Geese left the refuge early.

Snow Goose 2017-32

This Snow Goose was by himself, in a flock of Canada Geese.

Red Bellied Woodpecker 2017-6

I found this Red Bellied Woodpecker at Sandy Point.

Northern Pintail 2017-68

There were only a few Northern Pintails.

Lesser Scaup 2017-25

This Scaup is another Oakley Street denizen.

American Wigeon 2017-12

This American Wigeon was at Oakley Street.

Canvasback 2017-20

I only found two Canvasbacks.

Northern Shoveler 2017-54

There weren’t many Northern Shovelers.

Belted Kingfisher at Bombay Hook NWR.

I went to Lake Artemesia yesterday, and it was pretty slow. I also stopped at Buddy Attick, and didn’t do any better. I got a few good enough images, but nothing great.

Today I made the trek to Bombay Hook, which wasn’t nearly as productive as in the past. There was a fair amount of ice, which meant the dabbling ducks had to go elsewhere. There were thousands of Snow Geese, though, which was a spectacular sight. Tundra Swans, Canada Geese, Black Ducks and Mallards were plentiful.

Bombay Hook 7

Dawn at Bombay Hook.

Lake Artemesia 98

Lake Artemesia.

Hooded Merganser 2017-816

These Hooded Mergansers were at Lake Artemesia.

Great Blue Heron 2017-131

Great Blue Heron 2017-132

Several Great Blue Herons were fishing in an ice-free pond.

Turn up the volume to hear the geese.Snow Goose 2017-28

Snow Goose 2017-27

There may have been 20,000 Snow Geese in residence.

American Wigeon 2017-11

This American Wigeon was at Buddy Attick.

Pied Billed Grebe 2017-17

This pair of Pied Billed Grebes was at Lake Artemesia.

Canada Goose 2017-59

This Canada Goose was leaving Lake Artemesia.

Ring Necked Duck 2017-23Belted Kingfisher 2017-38

Belted Kingfisher 2017-37

I saw this Belted Kingfisher from a distance, and was lucky to get so close.

 

American Wigeon at Oakley Street.

The weatherman predicted good weather today, so I went back to Blackwater. It was OK, but there’s still not the quantity of birds I’ve seen in the past. I blame the warm weather.

Even so, I did find a few interesting subjects and it was hardly a waste.

When I left Blackwater I stopped at Oakley street in Cambridge to see if the locals have been attracting the resident ducks with offerings of food, and I found a decent flock of Wigeons , along with few Canada Geese.

Blackwater Dawn 40

Blackwater Dawn 39

Blackwater Dawn.

Bald Eagle 2017-225 Bald Eagle 2017-224

Bald Eagle 2017-223

Bald Eagles continue to be numerous.

Canada Goose 2017-58

A few Canada Geese were also looking for a handout.

Great Blue Heron 2017-130

I saw 4-5 Great Blue Herons.

Hooded Merganser 2017-814

Hooded Merganser 2017-815

I found only a few Hooded Mergansers.

Northern Shoveler 2017-53

Northern Shovelers are still being found in small numbers,

Snow Goose 2017-26

A large flock of Snow Geese was leaving as I arrived.

American Wigeon 2017-7

American Wigeon 2017-8

This America Wigeon has just landed.

Hooded Merganser at Thomas Point.

It was cloudy this morning, so I didn’t go out until 8:00 or so. I usually stop at Quiet Waters first, but today I went straight to Thomas Point. There were a few decent birds, but mostly too far out for good images.  I did manage a decent shot of a Loon.

I then stopped at a friend’s house on Thomas Point Road, and had much better luck. She and her neighbor’s often feed the Swans, and they, as well as many ducks often congregate there. There was a decent variety today, and they were fairly close.

Bufflehead 2017-66 Bufflehead 2017-64

Bufflehead 2017-65

This Bufflehead came quite close to shore.

Mallard 2017-56

Mallard 2017-57

Many Mallards were swimming near the dock.

Tundra Swan 2017-76

Tundra Swan 2017-77

There were probably 75 or so Tundra Swans.

 

Common Loon 2017-15

A single Common Loon was foraging at the point.

Hooded Merganser 2017-813

This Hooded Merganser and his mate were near the entrance to the park.

Common Loon at Thomas Point.

It’s been a slow couple of days. I got out to Sandy Point yesterday, after being rained out in the morning, and to Lake Artemesia the day before, but there hasn’t been much to see. A Blackwater trip was ruined by a  deer hunt that I failed to see on the Blackwater web page.

I did OK today. Not a lot of birds, but a few good pics, especially of the Loon, one of my favorite birds.

Northern Pintail 2017-66

I found this Northern Pintail at Blackwater.

Tundra Swan 2017-75 Tundra Swan 2017-74 Tundra Swan 2017-73 Tundra Swan 2017-72

Tundra Swan 2017-71

Tundra Swans have arrived in good numbers.

Canvasback 2017-19

I saw only three Canvasbacks.

Mallard 2017-54

 

Mallard 2017-55

This Mallard was also at Blackwater.

Bufflehead 2017-63

I’m seeing more Buffleheads now.

Ring Necked Duck 2017-22

Ring-necked Ducks have a subtle beauty.

Surf Scoter 2017-28

A few Surf Scoters were feeding at Thomas Point.

Bald Eagle 2017-221

You can almost always find a Bald Eagle at Blackwater.

Northern Harrier 2017-21 Northern Harrier 2017-19

Northern Harrier 2017-20

This Northern Harrier was more cooperative than most.

Common Loon 2017-12 Common Loon 2017-10 Common Loon 2017-9

Common Loon 2017-11

This Common Loon and two of his friends were hanging around the point this morning.