About Hugh

Later

American White Pelican at Blackwater NWR.

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Hugh

I’ve heard some good reports from Blackwater, so I made the trip this morning. I didn’t see any rarities, but the mammals came to my rescue and made a decent showing.

I made three or four loops of Wildlife Drive, including stops at the Visitor Center and The Tubman Center for Hummingbirds and Sparrows. I also checked out the Key Wallace bridge, but there wasn’t much there as yet.

Blackwater Dawn.

This Rabbit ignored my presence.

The feeder at the Visitor attracted many Ruby Throated Hummingbirds.

THis Osprey has found a nice fish.

Red Headed Woodpeckers will be audible all Summer.

This Red Winged Blackbird was looking for bugs at the Visitor Center.

I saw about 15 Bald Eagles this morning.

A single American White Pelican paddled slowly by on Wildlife Drive.

I see Delmarva Fox Squirrels often, but they don’t usually pose so well.

This Sika Deer was foraging near the blind.

Marsh Wren at Bombay Hook NWR.

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Hugh

Some days it seems as though the Spring Migration is passing me by again. I’ve spent lot of time seeking, and not enough time finding. My guess is everything is two weeks behind normal.

I spent the morning at Bombay Hook and got a few decent images. I also stopped at Truxtun Park to get a look at the Blue Angels annual show. I haven’t finished processing everything yet, so I’ll probably add some pics later.

These Egrets remained quite close together for a while.

This Yellow Warbler was very active.

I heard several Blue Grosbeaks today, but found only one.

Hundreds of Short Billed Dowitchers were feeding in the shallows.

Dunlins and Dowitchers were foraging in mixed flocks.

Tree Swallows were constantly on the move.

Hundreds of Least Sandpipers were visible from the road.

This is a juvenile Bald Eagle.

It’s easy to hear Marsh Wrens, but harder to get a decent pic.

These Fox kits are living in a den adjacent to the main road, and are probably used to people getting quite close.

Nest of a Marsh Wren.

The Blue Angels as seen from Truxtun Park.

Yellow Warbler at Bombay Hook.

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Hugh

It’s unusual for me to go this long without a post, but it’s been slow birding for a while. It’s been a wet, cold Spring so far, and that may be affecting migration. I’m finding very few interesting migrants.

I’ve been to Sandy Point, Greenbury Point and Quiet Waters, and they’ve all been quiet. I decided to change my luck with a trip to Bombay Hook, and it paid off. I’ve had better days there, but it was an above average day.

I found only two Black Necked Stilts.

This is a young Red Winged Blackbird.

Blue Grosbeaks are often found along the edge of the marsh.

There were many hundreds of Least Sandpipers.

I saw more Bald Eagles than usual.

This very dark Bald Eagle is likely this year’s young.

Four Mute Swans were calmly feeding in Raymond Pool.

This Great Egret may be in Breeding plumage.

Hundreds of Short Billed Dowitchers were feeding in the marsh.

I don’t get close to Crows very often.

I saw this Cardinal at Greenbury Point.

It’s Easy to find Yellow Breasted Chats at Greenbury Point.

This Spotted Sandpiper was at Lake Artemesia.

Canada Geese have hatched their young already.

This Ring Billed Gull was at Sandy Point.

Some fellow birders pointed out this Yellow Warbler.

Blue Grosbeak at Bombay Hook NWR.

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Hugh

I wasn’t sure where to go when I went to bed, but Bombay beckoned this morning, and off I went.

The weather was seriously foggy when I left the house but largely cleared by the time I arrived. Some fog and clouds returned later, which was disappointing.

The early morning low tide attracted many shorebirds, but the population quickly diminished as the water rose. Eagles were well represented. There were a lot of photographers for a weekday morning.

I also found some Terns and the Grosbeaks. A good day.

I found a single Gray Catbird.

Several Forster’s Terns were fishing in Raymond Pool.

Many Bald Eagles were fishing this morning.

This Great Egret Landed right in front of me.

Greater Yellowlegs are becoming more common.

You have to look closely to ID the Short Billed Dowitcher.

A Dunlin on the left, a least Sandpiper(?) on the right.

Several Forster’s Terns were fishing in Raymond Pool.

A single Laughing Gull flew over the area.

Many Snowy Egrets were present, but there will be many more as the season progresses.

This is a female Blue Grosbeak.

Canada Goose at Terrapin Nature Park.

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Hugh

It’s been a tough few days. We’re right at the start of Spring migration, people are finding warblers, and I’m getting nowhere. Spring birding is about warblers, and they don’t seem to like me.

I’ve been out every day it’s not raining, and I know where to go, but nothing’s working.

I did Terrapin and CBEC this morning, and I’ve been to Artemesia, Wooton, Sands Road, Quiet Waters and Truxtun Park without seeing a single warbler or interesting migrant. Grrr.

This red Winged Blackbird serenaded me at Terrapin.

I was lucky to get even this poor photo of a Barn Swallow at Artemesia.

White Throated Sparrows are among the last to leave.

There were only three birds fishing at Terrapin, including these Egrets.

I found this Wood Duck at Artemesia.

These Canada Goslings are only a few days old.

White Crowned Sparrow at Blackwater NWR.

Posted on April 23, 2019 by Hugh

It was sunny and calm, as predicted, but it wasn’t a prolific kind of day. I remember thinking a few years ago that migration seemed to be moving slowly.

Eagles were everywhere, but wading birds and warblers were seriously sparse.

The White Crowned Sparrows were a welcome sight, perhaps a harbinger of better things to come.

I found this White Eyed Vireo yesterday at Terrapin.

Several Ospreys nest at Blackwater.

This Eagle pair seemed to be enjoy an aerial duel.

A single Eastern Kingbird greeted me this morning.

Red Winged Blackbirds were in full song.

This Green Heron was at Terrapin yesterday.

A small flock of White Crowned Sparrows was passing through.

Beaver Family at Lake Artemesia.

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Hugh

The weather man was making dire predictions, but I headed for Artemesia anyway, and found decent weather rather than the predicted rain. I read years ago that you could flip a coin and get it right as often as the weather folks.

Wood Ducks made a good showing, as well as geese, but no interesting migrants came along.

I also stopped at Buddy Attick on the way back, but found nothing of note in an hour. That’s unusual for that location.

Several Wood Ducks were foraging near shore.

Barn Swallows have begun nest building.

This Song Sparrow was singing out loudly.

Cardinals could be heard all around the lake.

The full moon added color to the water, making these Mallards look good.

This Canada Goose also benefited from the reflected colors.

This Deer greeted me early on.

I was hoping to get a good look at the Beaver’s tail.

At least 5 Beavers seemed to be having a family outing.

This appears to be a family outing of Beavers.

I often photograph this Willow tree.

Little Blue Heron at Terrapin Nature Park.

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Hugh

I got a late start this morning, and arrived at Terrapin about dawn. I found a White Eyed Vireo right away, but it was slow until I got to the marsh.

The Little Blue Heron was a very nice surprise, as I’ve only seen one other at Terrapin, and that one was a juvenile. There were a few other birds, but the light was poor and they were far away.

CBEC was slow as well I spent some time with the Tree Swallows, but the Wild Turkeys were the star. I don’t see them often, and they’re always fun.

Another good day after a short string of near dismal outings.

A single Snowy Egret flew over the park.

I’m not sure what Tern this is.

I don’t recall photographing a White Eyed Vireo at Terrapin before.

The Osprey are still building their nest.

This Brown Thrasher was close, but badly backlit.

This Canada Goose was relaxing at CBEC.

5 Wild Turkeys were sauntering down the entrance road.

Two Bald Eagles flew over the marsh.

When I first saw this Little Blue Heron, I thought it was a Green Heron.

Green Winged Teal at Bombay Hook NWR.

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Hugh

I was hoping that things would pick up at Bombay Hook by now, but I didn’t get lucky. Each pool was sparsely populated, and there wasn’t much exciting or new to see.

I made several round trips of the marsh drive, and birds were moving in and out, but I didn’t see any migrating birds to speak of.

Not a wasted morning, but disappointing for this time of year.

This may be the last Blue Winged Teal of the season.

Great Egrets will be here until Fall.

A few Greater Yellowlegs have arrived for the season.

I saw several juvenile Bald Eagles.

This is a Black Duck-Mallard hybrid.

I found only one Killdeer.

I found this Green Heron yesterday at Truxtun Park.

This Osprey was building his nest at CBEC.

Green Winged Teal were in every pool.

Bald Eagles at Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center.

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Hugh

The sunrise didn’t look promising, so I stayed home until 6:30 and set out for Terrapin Nature Park. Terrapin is “iffy” in early Spring. You can do well, or just plain strike out. I didn’t find anything exciting, and moved quickly on to CBEC,

There’s still late ducks on the lake, along with a few geese. Eagles and Ospreys were active. We’ll have more migrants soon.