My friend Judy Werber posted this photo on FB (It was shot through a screen door) and I offered to clean it up a little.
The image appears faded and lacks contrast. It’s also too far left in the frame.
I applied a little Levels (Shift Right) and a minor curve adjustment, then Unsharp Mask. I don’t see an easy way to add more background.
I’ve been very busy lately, which is good for my budget, bur not so good for the birding vocation. I managed to get out a couple of times, but I’m not getting a look at any great Winter birds, so I’m going to have to expand my search.
Today’s images are from the last couple of very slow days.
This Ruddy Duck is part of the small flock hanging out at the Possum Point boat ramp.
This Black Backed Seagull was flying past the marina.
This Mockingbird remained in place, overlooking the path, even as several people walked by.
White Throated Sparrows are easy to find, but they often disappear into thick brush, making a good photo difficult.
I had to do a bit of clambering to get even this close to this Bufflehead.
It seems to be easier to find Cedar Waxwings in the Winter.
It was 32 degrees when I awoke, but the weatherman promised sun and temps in the 50s, so I set out for a friend’s house in St. Margarets to do a quick computer repair, then went to Possum Point, which is only a short distance away. The weather was as promised, so the images I got should have good lighting, and any errors are my fault. The first thing I noticed was a flock of Cedar Waxwings flying back and forth, and later I found a flock of Ruddy Ducks down by the boat ramp. They’re the first ducks other than Mallards I’ve seen there since June.
This small flock of Cedar Waxwings was very active.
I don’t know what berries these are, but they were the attraction.
I’m beginning to wonder if Ruddy Ducks do anything but sleep.
This Great Blue Heron was overseeing the sleeping Ruddys.
This pair of Mallards paddled slowly around the cove.
This Black Backed Seagull remained motionless while I was there.
It’s nice to have good light when a Red Bellied Woodpecker comes along.
This young deer hasn’t learned to distrust humans yet.
The Naval Academy has placed a lot of Bluebird boxes, and the resident population is doing very well.
Like many Downy Woodpeckers, this little guy was indifferent to my presence.
The weather looked much more congenial than yesterday, so I went to Quiet Waters Park, just a few minutes from home. I’m hoping to find more exotic ducks, or perhaps some interesting stray birds. After hanging out with some Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads and Mallards, I headed for Sandy Point State Park. As I crossed the Naval Academy bridge, I saw a Bald Eagle fishing in the Severn, so I stopped at Jonas Green Park to see if I could get a picture. He didn’t re-appear, but a Song Sparrow posed for me.
I then continued to Sandy Point, where there were a lot of ducks in the water off shore, and a cold wind that made me wonder what the Hell I was doing out there. I got a few decent shots, and headed home to warm up.
This White Breasted Nuthatch was checking me out.
I’m not sure what these Buffleheads were up to.
This attractive Song Sparrow was hanging out in the grass near shore.
Mockingbirds always seem a little angry to me.
I believe this is a male Lesser Scaup.
This flock of Buffleheads took off as I approached.
When I left the beach, I took the path through the woods (Blue Crab Trail) to avoid the cold wind, and found this cooperative Red Bellied Woodpecker.
There’s no shortage of Ruddy Ducks at Quiet Waters. I’d guess there’s close to one hundred in this picture.
I awoke early to get some work done before heading out, and it was raining quite hard. It stopped, and cleared up by 7:00, so I determined to try Quiet Waters again, only to realize it’s closed on Tuesdays. After dithering a bit, I headed for the Eastern Shore.
It was much windier than it was here, but there was some activity, so I spent a few hours wandering around, and didn’t really see much until I was leaving, when a lovely Red Shouldered Hawk provided the one image that makes a trip worthwhile.
This is an old image from October. I’ve been going through some of my files for images to delete or improve. Some people seem to like this shot.
Canada Geese were present in large numbers, and at times were extremely loud.
This Red Bellied Woodpecker didn’t stick around very long.
Many species have moved South, but Cardinals remain plentiful.l
When I first saw this Red Shouldered Hawk he was somewhat distant, and in poor light, so I spent some time slowly moving closer.
As I began moving, he apparently saw me, and left his perch. I thought that was the end of this opportunity.
Fortunately for me, he landed in a nearby tree, but he was partly blocked by the branches, so I looked for a better position.
In the end, this was the best I could do.
Cloudy with fog and warm temperatures. Not auspicious, but I’ve been cooped up for two days, so I headed to Quiet Waters to see what I could see.
Oddly, there were no birds sounds at all as I walked down to the water, and I heard only a few ducks and woodpeckers in the two or so hours I was there.
I followed the edge of the water for several hundred yards trying to get closer to the many Ruddy Ducks rafting in the backwaters, and got a few decent images, but not much variety.
Here, I’m set up in one of the many coves.
It was a good day to be a Mallard.
Every time I see Ruddy Ducks, they seem to be sleeping.
All told, there were probably over a hundred Ruddy Ducks in the cove.
Occasionally, they would awake long enough to paddle around.
Despite some very good weather, birding has been pretty slow for a few days. Trips to Truxtun Park, Quiet Waters, Terrapin Nature Center and Greenbury Point haven’t produced many interesting birds, especially waterfowl. I did get a few good images, though, and here’s the best of them.
These Mallards were dabbling at Quiet Waters Park.
I was surprised to see that this Yellow Rumped Warbler has an injured leg.
I’ve seen Cedar Waxwings in every place I visit, but there were an unusually large number visible at Greenbury Point today.
Bluebirds are still present in large numbers.
Today’s weather was much more promising than yesterday’s, and I set out for Quiet Waters after a much needed trip to the grocery store.
I was eager to try out my 2.0X teleconverter, and I’d heard there were more ducks coming in at QW, as well as Sandy Point State Park. I did see some nice birds at Quiet Waters, but they were reluctant to pose (And I’m still learning). Experiments with the teleconverter are somewhat disappointing.
I got to Sandy Point around 10:00 and stayed about an hour. I explored a part I hadn’t seen before, and found a young deer and a few small birds, as well as more Ruddy Ducks.
These Ruddy Ducks were at Quiet Waters, and the reflection off the water is nice.
I’ve seen several flocks of Ruddy Ducks now, and they often seem to be sleeping.
This Bufflehead was probably more than one hundred yards way. The trade off between sharp and small is hard to evaluate. The slow shutter speed and high ISO probably doesn’t help.
f13 1/160 ISO800
Conventional lens.
f6.3 1/500 ISO400
I believe there were two Brown Creepers in the area, but they move so quickly and mimic the bark so well, it’s hard to get a good shot.
It’s just a Mallard, but the ripples on the calm water add a lot.
I encountered a small flock of Ruddy Ducks near the shore at Sandy Point, but they flew off as I approached.
This Dark Eyed Junco was foraging near the beach.
If you spend any time looking, you’ll find a flock of Cedar Waxwings.
This young deer seemed totally unafraid of me.
This is probably a young Black Backed Seagull.
Don’t go over the dam like I did.
The weatherman said it would be a cloudy morning, and the fog was very thick; too thick for photography, so I set out anyway. Remind me not to do that again. By the time the Sun decided to peek out, it was time for me to leave, so I basically wasted several hours for some lousy shots. Live and learn.
This Carolina Wren was the first decent bird I saw, and I had to use the flash.
Blue Jays and Cardinals were the most active birds.
A dog walker told me about this perched Bald Eagle, so I walked for about 15 minutes and he was still in the same place.