I got a late start at Quiet Waters this morning. I’ve been checking for Loons, Ospreys, or Grebes, which should be here by now, but no luck so far. One pair of Wood Ducks posed for a while.

There’s not much visible at the point; a few Scaup, too far out for photos.

The coves paid off. Many Mallards, a few Buffleheads and a flock of Tundra Swans salvaged the morning.

A few Scaup were in the area.

This is probably the same Wood Duck that’s been hanging out for months now.

The Tundra Swans were very active.

I did the usual this morning; Possum Point for sunrise, which was dreary, then Kent Narrows. There were plenty of Scaup, but it was windy and cold, so I moved on to Quiet Waters. I found a pair of Wood Ducks, but nothing else. It’s about time to start having more action. I left and went on to Thomas Point.

There wasn’t much to see at the point proper, but there was some action in the cove, which made up for the lack of birds elsewhere.

There’s always plenty of Mallards in the cove.

Only a few Buffleheads were in the area.

A small flock of Tundra Swans was hanging out in the cove.

There are always Song Sparrows at the point.

I went to Artemesia yesterday, as I like to do on weekends. I really don’t like the weekday traffic.

It wasn’t much of a day; windy, cold, and no cooperation from the birds. Most remained quite distant, laughing at me.

I did Bombay Hook today, and it was better, but not by much. We need some migrating birds.

This Muskrat is showing us his tail.

A Black Duck-Mallard hybrid. A first for me.

I saw only a few Gadwalls.

Three large flocks of Snow Geese flew overhead.

This Double Crested Cormorant was at Bombay Hook.

This Great Blue Heron was fishing at dawn.

A pair of Northern Pintails.

I found only a few Northern Shovelers.

I found this Cooper’s Hawk at Artemesia.

I got to Blackwater just in time for a couple of sunrise shots, and the resident birds got active right away. A Red Tailed Hawk initially eluded me, but I found him later and got a couple of good looks.

The water along WIldlife Drive was ice-free, unlike my last visit.  There weren’t as as many ducks as I wanted, but there was plenty of variety. Swans and Geese were abundant, but difficult to photograph due to distance.

I made a brief stop at Oakley Street, where the water was spraying over the wall. A good day, with good light.

Sunrise at Blackwater NWR.

There were fewer Northern Shovelers than usual.

American Wigeon at Oakley Street.

There were many Canvasbacks.

Many Scaup were in the crowd.

Many Tundra Swans were foraging in the marsh.

I found about 5 Bald Eagles.

I found this Great Blue Heron as I entered the refuge.

I saw this Red Tailed Hawk on three different perches.

I was at Possum Point early, for the sunrise, but it didn’t look promising. Sandy Point wasn’t any better, so I got to Kent Narrows around dawn.

I saw only Scaup, suggesting the other ducks may be on the way out of here.

Thomas Point was kind of sparse, but the cove was chock full of Mallards and a Wood Duck. I also found an American Wigeon near the gate.

Many Tundra Swans are still foraging near the point.

American Wigeons are relatively rare at Thomas Point.

The Mallards in the cove were active.

I found only a few Buffleheads.

This Wood Duck seems to spending the Winter in the cove.

I’ve been having poor luck lately.  If the weather isn’t poor, the birds don’t show up or the light is bad. I’ve been to Schooler’s Pond, Bombay Hook, Lake Artemesia, Quiet Waters and Thomas Point without much to show for it.

Graeme and I drove to Virginia yesterday in hopes of seeing some whales in Virginia Beach, but we got rained out. We made a stop at Ocean City on the way back, but it was a very long day. We did see a couple of good birds in Ocean City.

This long Tailed Duck was at Ocean City inlet.

Three Red Breasted Mergansers were feeding at the inlet.

I haven’t seen a Common Loon in a while.

This Hooded Merganser was at Bombay Hook.

A Bald Eagle enjoying the morning sun.

This Black Duck was stretching his wings.

This pair of Green Winged Teals was at Bombay Hook.

A Northern Shoveler at Lake Artemesia.

This Great Blue Heron was at Schooler’s Pond.

This pair of Northern Pintails was at Bombay Hook.

This Great Blue Heron was dining at Lake Artemesia.

A Double Crested Cormorant flies into Lake Artemesia.

There were over 200 Canada Geese at Schooler’s Pond.

Ponies from Assateague Island.

Graeme Simpson photographing the Assateague ponies.

I found a decent sunrise at Possum Point this morning. I had left home a little late (6:06) and may have missed the very best colors, but it was good enough.

I went right to Kent Narrows, which was only so-so, but some Pigeons performed well enough.

I ended at Thomas Point, which was slow. I found a few birds in the cove, but there wasn’t much to see at the point.

Sunrise at Possum Point.

Several Tundra Swans seemed to be goofing off.

This Canvasback hen was mixing with the Tundra Swans.

Many Scaup were in the area.

A flock of Rock Doves seemed to be practicing for an aerial routine.

I’m seeing a lot of Long Tailed Ducks this year.

I went to Artemesia yesterday, and it was almost a total waste of time. It was windy and cold, and the birds just weren’t there.

Today was different, with calm winds, sunny skies and beaucoup birds. I made several loops of the lake, finding new birds on each trek. I’ve only seen Shovelers there once before.

Dawn at Lake Artemesia.

I got my first good Redhead image here several years ago.

I found only a single Common Goldeneye today.

The Northern Shoveler’s beak is twice as wide at the tip as at the base.

Two small flocks of Hooded Mergansers were feeding.

A single Scaup was cruising the shoreline.

White Throated Sparrows were foraging in the grass along the path.

I saw only a single Bufflehead.

Double Crested Cormorants were resting near the Osprey platform.

The weatherman was calling for rain today, so I slept in late. Imagine my surprise to see a slightly cloudy day, rapidly becoming sunny.

I went to Possum Point first, in hopes of finding some interesting birds, but I had little luck. There were a few birds, but nothing exciting.

I went to Thomas Point next, which was better, but it’s still the same old birds. Good light gave me a few good pics.

I finished up at Quiet Waters, which was nearly barren. There’s still a lot of ice in the river, so it may be few days before the ducks show up.

I don’t often see Foxes in mid-morning.

I heard this Carolina Chickadee long before I saw him.

This Redhead is hanging out with the Canvasbacks.

Many Tundra Swans were hanging out, apparently loafing.

I was surprised to find a single American Wigeon flying right at me.

Canvasback hen, close up.

A few Scaup were mixed in with the Canvasbacks.

A few Buffleheads were swimming nearby.

This Wood Duck is hanging out in the cove.

A few Black Ducks were in the area.

Quiet Waters cove.

Yesterday I made the trip to Blackwater, and it was disappointing.  All the water along Wildlife Drive was frozen, so there weren’t any ducks or other wading birds, which is a big deal at Blackwater. I decided to try Hooper’s Island after that, which was also a waste of time. I made a brief stop at Thomas Point as well.

Today I started at Possum Point, which didn’t look promising, so I went to Sandy Point, where I got some good dawn shots.

Kent Narrows was next, and I did very well there. Lots of good birds in good light.

Dawen at Sandy Point.

Several Great Blue Herons were foraging in the area.

I don’t often see so many Long Tailed Ducks.

This Common Goldeneye seemed to be by itself.

I found these Tundra Swans at Thomas Point.

A Mallard hen takes flight.

I was fairly close to this Bald Eagle when he took off.

The water around this Ruddy Dick was illuminated by the morning sun.