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.

 

Pied Billed Grebe at Lake Artemesia.

I like to find birds when I go out, and I’m not finding many around here. It seems to me that wasn’t always so. In any event, I headed to College Park this morning, despite the traffic, which I came to loathe years ago.

Lake Artemesia was OK-not over abundant, but a good variety, including my first decent Grebes of the season.

I also stopped by Buddy Attick Lake, which is only a couple of miles away, and found a few good birds.

A good morning.

Lake Artemesia 96

Lake Artemesia 97

Lake Artemesia.

Common Loon 2017-8

I found this Common Loon at Quiet Waters yesterday.

 

Ring Necked Duck 2017-19

This Ring Necked image is enhanced by the reflection of the fall colors.

Great Blue Heron 2017-129 (1)

A single Great Blue Heron was fishing at Buddy Attick.

 

Pied Billed Grebe 2017-16

I found 4 Pied Billed Grebes at Lake Artemesia.

Hooded Merganser 2017-808

Hooded Merganser 2017-809

Two female Hooded Mergansers were resting at Buddy Attick.

Ring Necked Duck 2017-18 Ring Necked Duck 2017-16

Ring Necked Duck 2017-17

Ring Necked ducks always seem to be at Lake Artemesia in the Winter.

Mallard 2017-53

Many Mallards are at both lakes.

Tundra Swan 2017-70

This is the same Tundra Swan I found a couple of weeks ago.

Pied Billed Grebe 2017-15

Pied Billed Grebe 2017-16

I found 4 Pied Billed Grebes at Lake Artemesia.

Eastern Bluebird at Blackwater NWR.

I don’t usually make long (ish) trips two days in a row, but that’s what I did this morning. Blackwater beckoned, and I answered.

It wasn’t exciting, but the Snow Geese have finally arrived and a Bluebird posed nicely.

The ducks are trickling in, and perhaps it will get more active close to home soon.

Blackwater Dawn 37

Blackwater Dawn 36

Blackwater Dawn.

Northern Pintail 2017-65Northern Pintail 2017-64Northern Pintail 2017-63

Northern Pintail 2017-62

Large flocks of Northern Pintails were very active.

Bald Eagle 2017-217 Bald Eagle 2017-215

Bald Eagle 2017-218 Bald Eagle 2017-219

This tree is a convenient perch for Bald Eagles on Wildlife Drive.

Great Blue Heron 2017-127

Several Great Blue Herons were quietly fishing.

Great Blue Heron 2017-128 Northern Shoveler 2017-52

Double Crested Cormorant 2017-116

There’s always Double Crested Cormorants at the dock on Key Wallace Drive.

Mallard 2017-52

There seem to be many more Mallards than usual.

Mallard 2017-52

There seem to be many more Mallards than usual.

Eastern Bluebird 2017-15

I haven’t seen many Eastern Bluebirds at Blackwater.

Snowy Owl at Eastern Neck NWR.

A Snowy Owl was reported at Eastern Neck, so I gave it a try, with mixed results. My trip last year was a major disappointment, as I missed all the good birds.This year was better, but not a major success. The Owl was too far away, and there wasn’t the variety of birds I’d hoped to see.

Still, the hour and a half trip wasn’t a total loss, and I may try again before the season is over.

Eastern Neck 2

The marsh boardwalk.

Ruddy Duck 2017-14

Ruddy Duck 2017-15

A small flock of Ruddy Ducks was feeding near the bridge.

Black Duck 2017-9

A few Black Ducks were foraging near the Tundra Swans.

American Wigeon 2017-6

Several American Wigeons were following the Tundra Swans.

Great Blue Heron 2017-126

I spooked this Great Blue Heron.

Bald Eagle 2017-214

A juvenile Bald Eagle flew overhead.

Tundra Swan 2017-68 Tundra Swan 2017-67

Tundra Swan 2017-69

A couple of dozen Tundra Swans were in the cove.

 

Eastern Bluebird 2017-14

I found this Easter Bluebird at Possum Point yesterday.

Snowy Owl 2017-1

That little white dot is a Snowy Owl. He stayed 300-400 yards away all morning.

 

Brown Pelican at Thomas Point State Park.

We had rain yesterday, so I only got out for a short time. Sandy Point was a waste of time, and I didn’t see much at Jonas Green Park, either.

I did OK at Quiet Waters, so I went back this morning. It’s very slow, but there’s a few good birds around if you’re willing to wait for the action.

I was undecided about going to Thomas Point because it’s still early in the season. I gave it a try and was rewarded with two Brown Pelicans who flew by as I arrived. A Loon and a Pileated Woodpecker made for a decent day.

Cove 20

Cove 19

Quiet Waters.

Gadwall 2017-10

This Gadwall was at the pond across from Jonas Green. You can almost always find ducks there.

Mallard 2017-49 Mallard 2017-48

Mallard 2017-50

I was really drawn to the colors in the water surrounding these Mallards.

Pileated Woodpecker 2017-3

Pileated Woodpecker 2017-4

I saw this Pileated Woodpecker at a distance yesterday. When I heard him this afternoon, I was able to slowly sneak up on him.

Common Loon 2017-7

Common Loon 2017-5

Common Loon 2017-6

I’m always pleased to find a Common Loon.

Bufflehead 2017-62 Bufflehead 2017-61 Bufflehead 2017-60 Bufflehead 2017-59 Bufflehead 2017-58 Bufflehead 2017-57 Bufflehead 2017-56 Bufflehead 2017-55 Bufflehead 2017-54 Bufflehead 2017-53

Bufflehead 2017-632

Buffleheads will be at Quiet Waters for quite while.

Canada Goose 2017-57

This Canada Goose was at Jonas Green.

Brown Pelican 2017-1

Brown Pelican 2017-2

My timing was perfect to find these Brown Pelicans. A couple of minutes later and I would have missed them.

Northern Pintail at Blackwater NWR.

I got to Blackwater in time for a quick dawn shot, but I missed the best colors by half an hour.

The few clouds dispersed quickly, and I had good light for most of the morning. Pintails are still plentiful, there are many more Shovelers, and Eagles were easy to find.

I made a stop at Oakley Street, but it’s still too early to find ducks in any quantity.

Blackwater Dawn 31

Blackwater Dawn.

Bald Eagle 2017-212 Bald Eagle 2017-211 Bald Eagle 2017-210 Bald Eagle 2017-209 Bald Eagle 2017-208

Bald Eagle 2017-213

Eagles were very active today.

Northern Pintail 2017-60 Northern Pintail 2017-59 Northern Pintail 2017-58 Northern Pintail 2017-57 Northern Pintail 2017-56

Northern Pintail 2017-61

There seem to be more Northern Pintails than in previous years.

Northern Shoveler 2017-50

The Northern Shoveler population is increasing.

Great Blue Heron 2017-125

Several Great Blue Herons were fishing in the marsh.

Red Headed Woodpecker 2017-81

This is a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker.

Hooded Merganser 2017-805

These Hooded mergansers took off soon after I spotted them.

Ruddy Duck 2017-13

I saw only a few Ruddy Ducks.

Bald Eagle 2017-207

I found this juvenile Bald Eagle at Jonas Green Park yesterday.

American Wigeon 2017-5

This American Wigeon was the only duck at Oakley Street.

Delmarva Fox Squirrel 27

It took a while to get in the right position for a good look at this Delmarva Fox Squirrel.

 

Two Falcons and a Snow Goose at Bombay Hook NWR.

The weather man promised sunny, and he delivered.  I got to Bombay Hook near dawn, and there were plenty of good birds just waiting to be photographed.

I was glad to see the usual suspects, Ducks, Avocets and Swans, but the Falcons and a single Snow Goose were the icing.

I imagine I’ll make a few more trips before the season is over.

Bombay Hook Entrance

The entrance to Bombay Hook.

Great Blue Heron 2017-124

This Great Blue Heron was the first bird I saw this morning.

Northern Shoveler 2017-48

Northern Shoveler numbers are increasing.

Black Duck 2017-8

Many Black Ducks were feeding in the marsh.

Northern Pintail 2017-53 Northern Pintail 2017-51 Northern Pintail 2017-50 Northern Pintail 2017-49

Northern Pintail 2017-55

Northern Pintail 2017-54

Northern Pintails were well represented.

American Avocet 2017-13American Avocet 2017-12

American Avocet 2017-14

A large flock of American Avocets was present.

Green Winged Teal 2017-27

Green Winged Teal 2017-28

There were more female Green Winged Teals than females.

Peregrine Falcon 2017-3

This Peregrine Falcon was a big surprise. Bombay Hook isn’t their usual habitat, and I haven’t seen very many.

Merlin 2017-1

Today’s second Falcon was this Merlin, another bird I don’t often see.

Snow Goose 2017-24

It seemed odd that only one Snow Goose was present.

 

 

 

Hooded Merganser at Buddy Attick Lake.

Birds are still scarce around here, and I’ve been hearing good things about Buddy Attick Lake, so I gave it a try this morning.

I started at Artemesia, which was unusually slow, then headed to Buddy Attick, which is only a few miles away, and wasn’t any better than Artemesia.

I did find a single Merganser, and a few birds at Artemesia, but it was a really slow day.

Lake Artemesia 95

Lake Artemesia 94

Lake Artemesia.

Ruddy Duck 2017-12

The reflection of the Fall colors really adds to this Ruddy Duck image.

Pied Billed Grebe 2017-13

Several Pied Billed Grebes were foraging in the middle of the lake.

 

Tundra Swan 2017-66

This juvenile Tundra Swan has been hanging around Artemesia, solo, for several days.

Ring Necked Duck 2017-15

There’s usually a flock of Ring-necked ducks in Winter.

Mallard 2017-46

Mallard 2017-45

The Fall colors complement the Mallard’s colors.

Hooded Merganser 2017-803

I knew this Hooded Merganser was going to spook when I got close enough, and I was ready for him.

Wood Duck at Blackwater NWR.

There’s still not much happening around here, so I went to Blackwater again this morning.

Things are definitely picking up, with many more ducks, more active eagles and a lot of sparrows.

Perfect light and a small flock of Wood Ducks made it a very good day.

Blackwater Dawn 30

Blackwater Dawn 29

Blackwater Dawn.

Northern Shoveler 2017-46

Northern Shoveler 2017-47

Northern Shovelers have returned, but not in large numbers.

Bald Eagle 2017-204 Bald Eagle 2017-203

Bald Eagle 2017-205

Many Bald Eagles were hunting this morning. I saw 4 in the air at one time.

Wood Duck 2017-99 Wood Duck 2017-98

Wood Duck 2017-100

A female and first year male Wood Duck. The first I’ve seen at Blackwater.

Hooded Merganser 2017-801

Hooded Merganser 2017-802

A male Hooded Merganser.

Mallard 2017-44

I saw many, many Mallards.

Ruddy Duck 2017-11

Ruddy Ducks are still scarce.

Northern Pintail 2017-47 Northern Pintail 2017-46 Northern Pintail 2017-45 Northern Pintail 2017-44

Northern Pintail 2017-48

A large flock of Northern Pintails was the largest I’ve ever seen.

Cackling Goose 2017-9

Canada Goose 2017-56

Hundreds of Canada Geese were feeding in the marsh.

Ground Hog 4

Groundhogs don’t often sit still long enough for a portrait.

Mute Swan at Lake Artemesia.

It was really cold this morning (21), so I wore my ski pants and carried my gloves. I’m not as indifferent to cold as I used to be.

Cold brings the ducks, however, and a  juvenile Mute Swan. A very surprising, very late Osprey was a treat as well.

Lake Artemesia 93

Lake Artemesia.

Ring Necked Duck 2017-14

Ring Necked Duck 2017-13

A large flock of Ring-necked Ducks was cruising the lake.

Osprey 2017-107

Prior to this, the latest I’ve seen Ospreys was October 31.

Robin 2017-7

This Robin seemed to be enjoying the sunshine.

Mute Swan 2017-3 Mute Swan 2017-2

Mute Swan 2017-4

This is the first time I’ve seen a Mute Swan at Artemesia.

Deer-68

This young buck let me get very close, and even ignored a nearby dog.