Yellow Crowned Night Heron at Bombay Hook NWR.

It’s that time of year when birds are hard to find, and I’m not having much luck. I’ve been to several different places recently, and don’t have much to show for the effort.

I made the Bombay Hook trek again this morning, as a friend had good luck there a few days ago, but it was only a mediocre show. Still, it was better than any other place I’ve been recently.

Green Heron 2018-12

Green Heron 2018-13

This Green Heron was foraging at Schoolhouse Pond.

Killdeer 2018-2

This Killdeer was at Schoolhouse pond.

White Eyed Vireo 2018-3

This White Eyed Vireo was the only good image I got at Wooton’s Landing.

Greater Yellowlegs 2018-14 Greater Yellowlegs 2018-13

Greater Yellowlegs 2018-15

There were many Greater Yellowlegs in the marsh.

Forster's Tern 2018-104

I only saw two Forster’s Terns.

Snowy Egret 2018-27

Many Snowy Egrets were present.

Goldfinch 2018-19

Goldfinch 2018-20

This Goldfinch will be getting his Winter plumage soon.

Great Egret 2018-59

Many Great Egrets were present as well.

Semipalmated Plover 2018-5

I saw only a few Semi Palmated Sandpipers.

Least Sandpiper 2018-23

Least Sandpiper 2018-22

A least Sandpiper at Schoolhouse Pond.

Least Sandpiper 2018-24

These Least Sandpipers had a dispute of some kind.

Blue Grosbeak 2018-13

Blue Grosbeaks can be found all Summer.

Great Blue Heron 2018-62 Great Blue Heron 2018-61 Great Blue Heron 2018-60

Great Blue Heron 2018-64

I found this Great Blue Heron at Schoolhouse Pond.

Belted Kingfisher 2018-2

I was lucky to catch this Belted Kingfisher as he flew by.

Killdeer 2018-3

This Killdeer was at Schoolhouse Pond.

Yellow Crowned Night Heron 2018-8

Three Yellow Crowned Night Herons were resting in Bear Swamp Pool.

Yellow Crowned Night Heron 2018-7

Yellow Warbler at Blackwater NWR.

I made the trek to Blackwater in hopes of getting more action, and was only partly successful.  I managed to find a few warblers, but there wasn’t much else to see.

I spoke with fellow birder who had the same kind of luck , but we decided it was just our misfortune and we’d have to try again another day.

Eastern Phoebe 2018-2

This Eastern Phoebe is probably a migrant.

Red Headed Woodpecker 2018-50 Red Headed Woodpecker 2018-50 Red Headed Woodpecker 2018-52 Red Headed Woodpecker 2018-51

Red Headed Woodpecker 2018-51

My friendly Red Headed Woodpeckers were very cooperative today.

Eastern Kingbird 2018-26

Eastern Kingbirds will be heading South soon.

Common Yellowthroat 2018-6

Common Yellowthroat 2018-7

This Common Yellowthroat may have nested at Blackwater.

Osprey 2018-52

This first year Osprey was fishing near his old nest.

Pine Warbler 2018-2

This Pine Warbler is an early migrant.

Yellow Warbler 2018-7

 

Yellow Warbler 2018-6

I was looking for Nuthatches when this Yellow Warbler popped up.

Spotted Sandpiper at Schoolhouse Pond.

My original thought was to try Wooton this morning, but the car made the turn for Schoolhouse Pond instead. I prefer going there on weekends to avoid the traffic.

It was quite dark and cloudy at first, but I could see there were a few good birds, so I waited a while. I got a few images in the poor light, but it wasn’t long before the sun came out and I got a good look at some decent birds.  I suspect I’ll be going back again soon.

I stopped at Governor Bridge on the way home, but didn’t find much.

Chipping Sparrow 2018-5

Chipping Sparrow 2018-6

Chipping Sparrow 2018-4

This juvenile Chipping Sparrow was begging his parent for a treat.

Green Heron 2018-9 Green Heron 2018-8 Green Heron 2018-7 Green Heron 2018-6 Green Heron 2018-5 Green Heron 2018-11

Green Heron 2018-10

Two Green Herons greeted me when I arrived.

Acadian Flycatcher 2018-1

This Acadian Flycatcher was at Governor Bridge.

Mallard 2018-38

These Mallards seemed to be just waking up.

Great Egret 2018-58

A single Great Egret arrived as I was leaving.

Spotted Sandpiper 2018-8

Spotted Sandpiper 2018-9

I haven’t seen a Spotted Sandpiper since the Spring.

Saddleback Caterpillar 108

I found this Saddleback Caterpillar at Quiet Waters yesterday.

Viceroy 5

I don’t see Viceroy butterflies often.

Yellow Warbler at Greenbury Point.

Things are starting to pick up. I’ve been hanging out at  Sandy Point and Greenbury Point waiting for more birds to show, and today might have been the breakthrough.

I started at Sandy point, where I found a couple of decent shore birds, then went on to Greenbury Point.

I found plenty of activity right off the bat, including some birds I hadn’t seen there in a while. I think migration is under way!

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher 2018-6

I haven’t seen a Blue Gray Gnatcatcher at Greenbury since the Spring.

Eastern Kingbird 2018-25

Eastern Kingbirds may be gathering to migrate.

Downy Woodpecker 2018-6

This Downy Woodpecker was eating noisily.

Red Eyed Vireo 2018-2

It’s been weeks since I’ve found a Red Eyed Vireo.

Great Crested Flycatcher 2018-5

A Great Crested Flycatcher was busily gforaging .

Caspian Tern 2018-25

This Caspian Tern was at Sandy point.

Semipalmated Plover 2018-4

I usually see Semi Palmated Plovers on the Eastern shore.

Sandpiper 2018-3 Least Sandpiper 2018-15 Least Sandpiper 2018-14

Least Sandpiper 2018-16

Least Sandpipers were foraging high on the beach.

Snowy Egret 2018-24

Snowy Egret 2018-25

This Snowy was feeding in the surf at Sandy Point.

Willet 2018-6

This Willet didn’t belong at Sandy point at all, and was a rare treat.

Goldfinch 2018-18

You can find Goldfinches at Greenbury Point all year.

Yellow Warbler 2018-5

I seldom see Yellow Warblers at Greenbury Point.

Red Spotted Purple 15 Dragonfly 120 Skipper 67 Monarch 60

Red Spotted Purple 16

Today’s bugs.

American Goldfinch at Greenbury Point.

I stayed close to home today, and started at Sandy Point. I did see a nice Fox, but not a single bird worthy of  a photo.

Greenbury Point is only 10 minutes away, so I headed there next in hopes of finding some butterflies or early migrants.

I did see a few of the usual butterflies, and bird activity was better than usual, but I didn’t find anything really interesting.

Indigo Bunting 2018-5

Indigo Buntings seem to nest here every year,

Eastern Kingbird 2018-23

Eastern Kingbird 2018-24

Like last year, Eastern Kingbirds seem to gathering in numbers.

Cardinal 2018-14

This Cardinal is molting.

Skipper 66

Several Skippers were feeding near the nursery center.

Goldfinch 2018-16

Goldfinch 2018-17

I saw more Goldfinches than usual.

Spicebush Swallowtail 32 Spicebush Swallowtail 31 Red Spotted Purple 14 Monarch 59 Butterfly 73

Skipper 66

Several Skippers were feeding near the nursery center.

This statement was censored by Facebook.

I posted the statement below i response to an “All news is fake news” post, and FB says: “This comment goes against our Community Standards on hate speech.” That is wayyyyy overboard.

What do you think?

“The news is just fine-better than ever, in fact because it’s so much easier to fact-check. I notice that you “Fake News” folks never post any verifiable such news from legitimate sources. Could it be because IT DOESN’T EXIST? Any mainstream source that published false or misleading news would be out of business in a hurry, unless it had a loyal audience of uneducated, brain-dead white trash. Third party votes are stupid. In most cases they are wasted votes.”

Yellow Crowned Night Heron at Bombay Hook.

Back to Bombay Hook this morning because there’s still not much going on locally.

I arrived at dawn, but the sunrise wasn’t interesting, so I made a quick circuit as the sun rose. It was clear that many birds were visiting, so I went more slowly the second time around.

I didn’t find much in the way of migrating birds, but it was good to see that numbers are increasing. I also found a couple of friends who were visiting as well.

 

Many Caspian Terns were feeding in the marsh.

Eastern Kingbird 2018-22

I saw at least three Eastern Kingbirds.

Black Necked Stilt 2018-21

There were only two Black Necked Stilts.

Bald Eagle 2018-64

I don’t see Bald Eagles in flight very often at Bombay Hook.

Great Egret 2018-56

Great Egret 2018-54 Great Egret 2018-53 Great Egret 2018-52

Great Egret 2018-55

Many Great Egrets were feeding in the marsh.

Short Billed Dowitcher 2018-8

Short Billed Dowitchers aren’t getting close to the camera.

Greater Yellowlegs 2018-9

I saw many Greater Yellowlegs, mostly in the distance.

Great Blue Heron 2018-57

Great Blue Herons were in every pool.

Yellow Crowned Night Heron 2018-4

I found three juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Herons at Bear Swamp Pool. I’ve only seen this bird once before.

Yellow Crowned Night Heron 2018-6

 

Black Crowned Night Heron at Bombay Hook

I went to Blackwater yesterday, with Chris, an old friend, then to Bombay Hook this morning. Blackwater was almost a total bust, with cloudy, rainy weather, but Bombay Hook was much better.

We had good light all morning, and saw thousands of interesting, but mostly distant birds. Small Sandpipers were the major species, but there were also Avocets, Geese, Terns and Egrets.  A couple of Night Herons and an Eagle provided a nice show as well.

Great Blue Heron 2018-55

Great Blue Herons were scattered here and there.

Great Blue Heron 2018-54

Great

Great Blue Heron 2018-53 Great Blue Heron 2018-52 Great Blue Heron 2018-51

Great Blue Heron 2018-56

We saw several Great Blue Herons.

Caspian Tern 2018-22 Caspian Tern 2018-21 Caspian Tern 2018-20 Caspian Tern 2018-19 Caspian Tern 2018-18

Caspian Tern 2018-23

3-4 CAspian Terns were fishing in Shearness Pool.

Short Billed Dowitcher 2018-7

Several small flocks of Short Billed Dowitchers were feeding in the marsh.

Semipalmated Plover 2018-3

We found a few Semi Palmated Plovers.

Blue Grosbeak 2018-11 Blue Grosbeak 2018-10

Blue Grosbeak 2018-12

This Blue Grosbeak was singing loudly.

Bald Eagle 2018-62

Bald Eagle 2018-63

Two Bald Eagles were sunning themselves near the road.

Laughing Gull 2018-10

These Gulls were taking a break.

Forster's Tern 2018-100Laughing Gull 2018-9Forster's Tern 2018-99

We found Forster’s Terns at Blackwater.Black Crowned Night Heron 2018-12 Black Crowned Night Heron 2018-11 Black Crowned Night Heron 2018-10

Black Crowned Night Heron 2018-13

Two juvenile Black Crowned Night Herons were preening in Bear Swamp Pool.

Tri-colored Heron at Sandy Point.

The weather has been unsettled for the last several days. You never know if it’s going to pour rain or blaze sunshine, and it can change in just a few minutes.

I’ve been hanging out at Sandy Point, because it’s nearby and I don’t have to go far from the car if I need shelter. There’s always a chance of finding stray birds there, as well, and I’ve found a few.

Today’s Tri-colored Heron was a treat, tagged as “Rare” by Ebird, along with a few nice Terns and plenty of the usual gulls.

Crow 2018-5

There’s always plenty of Crows at Sandy Point.

Royal Tern 2018-7

Royal Tern 2018-5 Royal Tern 2018-4 Royal Tern 2018-3 Royal Tern 2018-2 Royal Tern 2018-1

Royal Tern 2018-6

4-5 Royal Terns were hanging out on the beach today.

Laughing Gull 2018-7

Laughing Gull 2018-8

Laughing Gulls and others seem to like bathing in the puddles on the beach.

Forster's Tern 2018-99

I don’t often see Common Terns.

Black Vulture 2018-1

I couldn’t pass up this Black Vulture.

Osprey 2018-50

Osprey 2018-51

Several Ospreys are fishing at the park.

Tri-colored Heron 2018-4 Tri-colored Heron 2018-3

Tri-colored Heron 2018-2

I’ve seen two Tri-colored Herons this year, and I don’t see any at all most years.

Fox 108

Fox 1099

I spotted this Fox as I was waiting for the sunrise.