I heard this Carolina Wren singing softly in the brush, and moved around to get a clear look.

A Chickadee always brightens the day.

This Lesser Scaup was one of a large raft at Fort Smallwood.

When you’re hard pressed to find a good bird, you can count on the Red Bellied Woodpecker.

Here’s another Dark Eyed Junco for my sister.

The Song Sparrow is another dependable bird.

Look at the water surrounding this Lesser Scaup to get an idea of the wind and cold.

This Long Tailed Duck is almost lost in the waves.

The wind speed was much lower at Quiet Waters, and these Lesser Scaup look much more comfortable.

This Great Blue Heron was fishing on the opposite shore.

I see Mallards at most places I go.

It’s not unusual to see Herring Gulls hanging out with the ducks.l

I haven’t seem many Red Breasted Mergansers. so this pair was a nice surprise.

Buffleheads are often mixed in with the Lesser Scaup.

When I returned to the truck, a flock of Bluebirds was foraging in the trees.

This Mockingbird was eating right alongside the Bluebirds.

A flock of Goldfinches was very active also.

I saw this Hooded Merganser in a small cove through the trees and was able to sneak up on him, as they are very sktittish.

This Red Bellied Woodpecker has found a seed.

A little luck got this Cooper’s Hawk.

Wikipedia:
“The Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes.”

Thomas Point Lighthouse was barely visible in the fog.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge looked good in the early light.

The Long Tailed Ducks seldom come in close to shore.

The Surf Scoter is an odd looking bird.

Decent light would help this Bufflehead image.

It began to rain, so I headed back to the truck, to find this Cardinal, who was very interested in my mirror.

There was a smallish, mixed raft of ducks off the point, including these Bufflehead hens.

Low light is still conspiring against me, but this Common Goldeneye is a nice looking bird anyway.

Here’s a long distance look at our Oldsquaw.

This light was improving as this Lesser Scaup took off.

Long Tailed Duck (Hen) in flight.

These Tundra Swans flew over while I was watching.

Common Goldeneye, the landing. This bird has been banded.

This was the scene when I arrived.

Common Goldeneye, silhouetted against the sunlit bay.

Low-light captures of birds in flight, like this Bufflehead, are tricky, but I’ll keep working on it.

There was a flock of Tundra Swans in the area, and three of them flew over the point.

The “Golden Eye” is clearly visible here.

This boat is heading into the bay from the Thomas Point Coast Guard Station.

These Common Loons stayed around for about an hour.

A little artistic license was taken.

This Belted Kingfisher flew shortly after I spotted him, but even this distant shot is decent.

Great Blue Herons are easy to find at Blackwater, but I’m still slightly shocked to see them in trees.

I had to move quite a distance to get a good angle on this Bald Eagle.

I was pleased to find this American Coot, as it’s a first for me.
Cornell:
“The waterborne American Coot is one good reminder that not everything that floats is a duck. A close look at a coot—that small head, those scrawny legs—reveals a different kind of bird entirely. Their dark bodies and white faces are common sights in nearly any open water across the continent, and they often mix with ducks. But they’re closer relatives of the gangly Sandhill Crane and the nearly invisible rails than of Mallards or teal.”

It’s unusual for me to get this close to a Great Blue Heron .

Wildlife Drive runs right through the marshes at Blackwater, and I usually make two circuits. This Red Tailed Hawk was waiting for me at the beginning of the second loop.

The Northern Shoveller can be hard to photograph, as he is constantly moving to feed.

OK, too many Great Blue Herons, but how do you pass up a shot like this?

This Snow Goose is a juvenile.

The most recent census counted 8800 Canada Geese at the refuge.

Several Tundra Swans flew over.

This is another common bird, but Cedar Waxwings are very beautiful.

These Buffleheads flew back and forth several times.

You can always count on a Song Sparrow to pose.

These Long Tailed Ducks took off as I approached.

From this angle, the Surf Scoter seems to have a perpetual grin.

I don’t know the meaning of this behavior.

I wandered around Sandy Point for about 2-3 hours and this Downy Woodpecker was the only bird worth photographing.

This is an unusual angle to capture a Red Bellied Woodpecker, and it clearly shows the derivation of the name.

The texture of the water adds something to this image of a female Lesser Scaup.

I had no idea of the name of this bird when I first saw it. It’s an adult male Surf Scoter.
Cornell:
“A black-and-white seaduck common on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts in winter, the Surf Scoter has a boldly patterned head that is the basis for its colloquial name “skunk-headed coot.””

I’m seeing small flocks of Buffleheads everywhere I go.

I’m getting a little better at this, so I was ready when this Canvasback flew over.

I saw this gull dive into the shallow water, but I’m not sure what he’s caught.

It’s not a great picture, but you can easily see how the Long Tailed Duck got his name.

The Common Goldeneye is a striking bird.

It’s been a couple of months since I’ve seen a Red Breasted Nuthatch.

I couldn’t pass up this Dark Eye Junco and his perfect pose.

The White Throated Sparrow is common, but very handsome.

The tiny (5.25″) Brown Creeper is hard to photograph as he quickly moves up a tree trunk.

The White Winged Crossbills were still present at Fort Smallwood, and there was a photographer for every one.

We saw Bufflehead, ducks like this female, Scaup, Goldeneye and a distant Wood Duck.

I haven’t seem many Common Goldeneyes.

A flock of Canvasbacks flew overhead several times.

Thomas Point Lighthouse

Lesser Scaup are still present in large numbers.

Tundra Swans were present on both sides of the point.