With good weather forecast, I travelled to Delaware and the Bombay Hook NWR.  It’s not much further than Blackwater, and they get shorebirds that never appear at Blackwater.

It was crowded early, with many different species, and some were in large numbers. There were some nice flyover birds as well.

I got a few decent images, and was a little surprised that most of the birds disappeared a couple of hours after I arrived.

Tree Swallows were numerous.

There will be more Snowy Egrets later in the season.

Good light makes the male Northern Shoveler really stand out.

This Northern Shoveler hen is foraging in the marsh.

Greater Yellowlegs will also be more numerous in a few weeks.

Many Great Blue Herons were fishing.

A single Great Egret was present.

The American Avocet is a striking bird when in breeding plumage.

I don’t see Blue Winged Teal very often.

This Black Duck was just chillin’.

I saw only one Black Necked Stilt, and was lucky to get this shot.

Bombay Hook is the only place I’ve seen Short Billed Dowitcher.

I started at Sandy Point, where the sunrise didn’t materialize at all. Too many clouds and fog. The fog stayed around much of the morning.

I went to Terrapin next. I was hoping for some early warblers (Like every year) but it was not to be. The Egrets were a treat, and first of the year.

On to CBEC. I spent some time with the Tree Swallows before circling the lake. There were plenty of ducks, but they stayed well out in the middle.  The Ospreys were kind enough to pose a few times.

A decent morning.

These Red Breasted Mergansers were a surprise.

These Tree Swallows may be squabbling over a nest box.

These Ospreys are still building their nest.

These Lesser Scaup are lingering a while.

I found Wood Ducks at Both CBEC and Terrapin.

Snowy Egrets!

I went to bed last night sure that I was going to Schoolhouse Pond this morning, but the car drove to Lake Artemesia instead. I suppose a relatively sure thing has its attractions.

The usual suspects were present, although there’s nothing usual about the Long Tailed Ducks who should be well North of here by now.

Some birds were quite cooperative, and the excellent weather was a big help.

I would not have found the Merlin without help, so thank you, Nathan.

The gazebo at Lake Artemesia.

This Swamp Sparrow may have just arrived.

Two Long Tailed ducks have been attracting birders for several days.

This Caspian Tern was fishing successfully.

Many Wood Ducks were foraging near shore.

A small flock of Canada Geese was resting on the lake.

This Merlin was well hidden and hard to find.

I went back to Artemesia yesterday, as no local place is standing out for migrants. For some reason, Artemesia seems to get more accidentals than other places I visit.

I picked a good day. The LT Ducks have been there a few days, and I found several other good birds as well. Many birders were visiting as well.

A quick stop at Buddy Attick didn’t find much interesting.

This female Cardinal had her eye on me.

I found this Northern Shoveler at Buddy Attick.

Forster’s Terns aren’t often seen at Artemesia.

2 Pied Billed Grebes were cruising the lake.

First Yellow Rumped Warbler of the year.

Wood Ducks were very active today.

These birds are supposed to use freshwater lakes in the colder months, but this is the first time I’ve seen one I’ve seen outside the Chesapeake Bay.

I started out at Sandy Point this morning, and got some decent sunrise images.  The Sun is rising further to the North now, so the Possum Point sunrise is less impressive.

I went straight to CBEC, but later in the season I’ll stop at Terrapin also.

There’s still a lot of ducks at CBEC. They’re probably the usual suspects, but are too far out to see with binoculars. I did find  a few ducks on the pond, along with a nesting Osprey pair.

A quick stop at Quiet Waters was fruitless, which is a little odd for this time of year.

A flock of Cormorants flew past the lighthouse.

Dawn at Sandy Point.

This Crow is building a nest nearby.

These Mallards will probably nest in the area.

A few Northern Shovelers are still lingering.

Tree Swallows are occupying the many nest boxes at CBEC.

It’s been a longish dry spell for decent bird images. I’ve been getting out every day, but I’m not finding any migrants even though I know they’re around.

I got to Lake Artemesia yesterday, and did better than at other places, so that will have to do.

This year seems slower than previous years.

Lake Artemesia.

There’s been an Osprey nest on this ballfield light for at least 7 years, and probably many more.

This Canada Goose seemed very relaxed at Quiet Waters Park.

A Wood Duck pair was checking out a nest box at Lake Artemesia.

A few Pied Billed Grebes were fishing at Artemesia.

I saw several Great Blue Herons.

This Mourning Dove eyed me at Quiet Waters.

This Beaver wasn’t in any hurry to swim the lake.

I like Artemesia on the weekends because there’s very little traffic to deal with. The weatherman promised sun with light winds, and he delivered.

There was a Loon reported yesterday, but I (And several other photographers) had no luck finding it. That was OK because there was a good variety of species and good light. Many of the birds cooperated by getting usefully close.

A good morning, over all.

Lake Artemesia.

This Osprey flew right at me.

Several Mallards were flying around the lake.

This Pied Billed Grebe is in breeding plumage.

Many Scaup were foraging on the lake.

A single Canvasback was hanging out.

A flock of Crows was very noisy.

This Horned Grebe is also in breeding plumage.

This Tree Swallow seems to be annoyed about something.

Several Wood Ducks seem to be nesting nearby.

I got up early, determined to give Blackwater a try even though it’s early in the season. It wasn’t a waste, but the good birds just weren’t there.

A few Eagles put on a show, and there were plenty of Northern Shovellers, but not much else.

I stopped at Oakley Street for a while and got e few decent shots of the last of the season’s ducks.

Bald Eagles are active at this time of year.

A few Canvasbacks are still lingering.

Scaup were well represented in the crowd of ducks.

A few Redheads were feeding near shore.

Many Northern Shovellers were foraging in the marsh.

Dozens of Song Sparrows were in the area.

I see more American Wigeons at Oakley Street than any other place.

It was a sunny morning at Artemesia, and there was a large variety of waterfowl, probably more than I’ve seen before.

I started with Northern Shovelers at the North end, then Wigeons a hundred yards further on. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen Wigeons at Artemesia before.

I made three or four circuits, and had a nice morning. I’m not showing images of everything, as some stayed too far away for good images.  I suspect this was a little migratory spurt, and it was welcome.

This is my first good Eastern Bluebird of the year.

The Tree Swallows have arrived!

A few Double Crested Cormorants were fishing.

The Canvasback male was foraging near shore.

This Northern Shoveler pair flew right by me.

This Ring Necked female was swimming with her mate.

First Pied Billed Grebe of the season.

I wish this American Wigeon had been a little closer.

I flipped the coin and chose Artemesia this morning. It was kind of dreary and gray, but I figured it was worth a try.

The first hour was slow, not much light and a bit cold. The good part was that there was a large variety of birds, and about 200 Canada Geese.

I walked the loop 3 times, and almost had the place to myself. I did a little better than I had expected.

Yet another Common Goldeneye at Artemesia.

Several Double Crested Cormorants were fishing.

Only a few Canvasbacks were patrolling the lake.

A single pair of Wood Ducks was paddling about.

A few Northern Shovelers were foraging near shore.

Why do Buffleheads have pink feet?

The low light enhances this Canada Goose’s image.

Note how the male Ring Necked Duck is firmly holding the hen with his beak, as they mate.

This Ring Necked Duck has a firm grip on the hen’s head as they mate.

A few Ring Necked Ducks were foraging.