White Winged Crossbills at Fort Smallwood Park

Another sunny but cold day, so I set out for Fort Smallwood to find the White Winged Crossbills that have been reported several times. Annapolis is not in its Winter range, so it would be a nice find. I got lucky. I also stopped at Thomas Point to see what ducks might be in residence, but didn’t find anything spectacular.

Lesser  Scaup

Lesser  Scaup

This female Lesser Scaup was enjoying a morning swim.

Bufflehead

Bufflehead

Bufflehead

I often see Buffleheads in small groups.

Sea Gull

I don’t often bother with gulls any more, but they are very graceful in flight.,

Savannah Sparrow

I think this is a Song Sparrow, but I’m checking.

White Winged Crossbill

White Winged Crossbill

White Winged Crossbill

This is a male.
Cornell:
“A medium-sized finch of the boreal forest, the White-winged Crossbill is adapted for extracting seeds from the cones of coniferous trees. It moves large distances between years tracking the cone crop from place to place.”

White Winged Crossbill

The “Crossbill” is clear in this photo.

White Winged Crossbill

White Winged Crossbill

White Winged Crossbill

This is a female.

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Red Bellied Woodpecker

I’ve always got time for a Red Bellied Woodpecker.

DownyWoodpecker

You have to admire the agility of the Downy Woodpecker.

Birding Blackwater National Wldlife Refuge

Back in the 70s I used to go several times a year to Blackwater NWR, so I decided to try again this morning. It’s changed a bit, with better roads and amenities, and a service charge ($3.00), but the birds are as numerous and spectacular.
I saw two Bald Eagles even before I entered, and many more during the morning (I stayed about 4 hours). Swans, Geese, Herons, and Ducks were numerous, and I saw one Duck that was new to me. I spent some time on the marsh trail and heard numerous woodpeckers, including a Pileated who escaped my lens.
A spectacular day!

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

This Bald Eagle was one of a pair sitting on a dock just before the entrance to the refuge. It’s one of my best Eagle images to date.

Bald Eagle

A very good look at the tail feathers.

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Better light would have been nice, but I’ll take it.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

This Great Blue Heron wasn’t quite awake yet.

Snow Goose

Snow Goose

Large flocks of Snow Geese were feeding in the marsh.

Hooded Merganser

Hooded Merganser

Hooded Merganser

Hooded Merganser

This Hooded Merganser and his mate were hanging out with a flock of Mallards.

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

A fellow birder pointed out this Belted Kingfisher.

Mallard

I saw more Mallards than any other duck.

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

This Bald Eagle was quite content to have his picture taken.

Great Blue Heron 81

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Two Great Blue Herons were fishing side by side.

Northern Shoveller

I had to look in my book to identify these Northern Shovellers as I’ve never seen one before.

American Kestrel

The American Kestrel used to be known as the Sparrow Hawk.

Turkey Vulture

I was lucky to snap this photo just as the Turkey Vulture was landing.

Great Blue Heron in Flight

Great Blue Heron in Flight

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

The light was beginning to improve when I found this Great Blue Heron.

Red Shouldered Hawk at Kinder Farm Park

It was a gorgeous day, bright sunshine and temps in the high 30s. I’ve been hearing about ducks at Kinder Farm Park, so I headed out around 9:30 and used my senior pass to get in free. This is a good deal:buy a yearly pass at one park and get in several others for free, for life.
I didn’t find any interesting ducks, but I did find a nice hawk and a few small birds.

Red Bellied Woodpecker

This Red Bellied Woodpecker was in some thick branches, and it was hard to get a good image.

Red Shouldered Hawk

Red Shouldered Hawk

Red Shouldered Hawk

I first saw this Red Shouldered Hawk at a distance, high in a tree, but he flew off almost immediately. I took a chance and went in the direction he flew and got lucky. He was intently watching some sparrows, and ignored me even as I got quite close, and several people walked by.

Song Sparrow

The hawk had his eye on this Song Sparrow.

Golden Crowned Kinglet

This Golden Crowned Kinglet moved too quickly for a clear image, but he was an interesting find.

Mockingbird

This Mockingbird was enjoying a morning snack.

Bluebird

It’s always a pleasure to find a Bluebird.

Song Sparrow at Jonas Green Park

Yesterday I spent about three hours at Terrapin Nature Park, mostly to no avail. Some small birds and Canada Geese were about, but there were virtually no ducks, and the one Eagle I saw didn’t stick around long enough for a photo.
I had planned to stay in today, but there was some Sun for a while, so I took a chance and stopped by Jonas Green Park and Greenbury Point. The results were somewhat better, but I wouldn’t call it a successful day.

Canada Goose

A large flock of Canada Geese was sleeping in the marsh pond, along with a few gulls.

Belted Kingfisher

This Belted Kingfisher was looking for lunch.

Song Sparrow

The Song Sparrows at Jonas Green Park are always happy to pose for me.

Bufflehead

This lone Bufflehead was the only duck I saw at Jonas Green.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

This Great Blue Heron took off as I approached, and I did well to get this shot.

Decoy

I saw this decoy at the boat ramp at Possum Point, and, for a moment, I thought I had something new.

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Red Bellied Woodpecker

This Red Bellied Woodpecker picked a colorful place to perch.