Ospreys and Wood Ducks at Quiet Waters.

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Hugh

A decent day at last. I was getting quite weary of rain, snow and clouds nearly every day.
I got a late start and went right to Quiet Waters, where I spent some time looking for migrants before heading to the cove at Holly Pavillion, which has been so productive in the past.
I was surprised to find 5 Ospreys fishing ion this small cove, as well as the first Wood Ducks I’ve seen at Quiet Waters.
It’s a real treat to watch these expert fishers plunge headlong into the water and come up with a fish (About one in 4 tries). On a couple of occasions, the birds seemed to struggle to get out of the water, which may have been due to the size of the fish they caught.

This Red Tailed Hawk flew over as I was watching the Ospreys.

I spent some time in Quiet Waters last year without finding a single Wood Duck.

This Double Crested Cormorant is in breeding plumage.

I watched these Ospreys fishing for nearly 3 hours.

Common Merganser at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Hugh

The best weather in a long time. I was undecided where to go, but ended up at Wooton, which was a bad choice for this time of year. There were plenty of good ducks, but they spooked very easily, and I didn’t get a singly decent shot.
Jug Bay isn’t far away, so I headed there around 9:30 and did much better.

Several Ospreys were fishing in the river

I don’t see Common Mergansers often.

Four Great Blue Herons were fishing together, which is unusual.

This Eastern Phoebe is the only image I got at Wooton.

These Wood Ducks flew in while I was watching the Mergansers.

Red Necked Grebe at Truxtun Park

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Hugh

The weatherman called for snow and rain this morning, but I looked out and saw partly cloudy, so I took a chance and went to Truxtun Park. It’s quite close to home and I hadn’t visited in awhile.
A muskrat made a visit, and I could see some birds in the distance, so I went to the boat launch and found some very nice birds indeed.
You just never know in this hobby.

Red Necked Grebes are still being found in amazing numbers.

Yet another Eastern Phoebe.

These Tundra Swans are heading North.

This Canvasback hen was by herself.

This Muskrat popped up right behind me.

I haven’t seen American Coots at Truxtun before.

Eastern Phoebe at Governor Bridge Natural Area

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Hugh

Sunshine was promised, and delivered. I started the day at Governor Bridge, which was slow, but I found a few birds.
I stopped at Jonas Green on the way home, and found some fighting geese, as well as a few ducks.
C’mon, Spring

It’s been a while since I’ve seen an Eastern Phoebe. A sure sign of Spring.

When Canada Geese are courting, they can be very aggressive. They are big birds (15 lbs.) and it’s quite a sight.

This young Bald Eagle was looking for a meal in the lake.

This Song Sparrow was just relaxing in the Sun.

Several pairs of Gadwalls were foraging in the pond.

Hooded Merganser at Jonas Green Park

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Hugh

Another dreary, cloudy day, but at least the temps were reasonable. No place came to mind, so I headed back to Jonas Green and Quiet Waters.
Poor light and distant birds, but I got a couple of decent shots.

These Red Breasted Mergansers were at Quiet Waters.

I don’t often bother with Crows, but this one was very close.

This Cardinal was foraging at Jonas Green

I haven’t seen many Northern Flickers lately.

There are quite a few Wood Ducks in the small pond.

This Horned Grebe was solo, like most I’ve seen.

This Hooded Merganser is a female. The male wouldn’t pose for me.

Belted Kingfisher at Schoolhouse Pond

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Hugh

Photographers need light, and there’s been a severe shortage lately.I found some decent birds this morning, but the images would have been much better with good lighting.

A pair of Northern Shovellers.

This Osprey found a very small fish.

I don’t often get this close to a Belted Kingfisher.

Schoolhouse Pond is a great place to get close to Great Blue Herons.

This White Throated Sparrow has found a sign of Spring.

The Wilson’s Snipe is another bird it’s hard to close to.

Wood Ducks and Gadwalls at Jonas Green Park

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Hugh

We had decent weather for a change, so I headed back to Jonas Green to see if I could get some better shots. The Grebes were still around, and I found some nice birds in the adjacent pond.
I made a quick stop at Quiet Waters on the way home and found some nice birds there as well.
It won’t be long before the warblers arrive.

These Red Necked Grebes will soon be heading to the Arctic to breed.

Red Breasted Mergansers are still hanging out at Quiet Waters.

Only a few Lesser Scaup are still in residence.

I’d heard there were Gadwalls in the pond, but this is the first time I’ve found them.

These Wood Ducks were quite distant, but I think I can get a better image.

You can always find Mallards at the park.

Horned Grebes will be leaving soon also.

Grebes to the Left of Me, Grebes to the Right…

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Hugh

We were promised the first nice day in a long time, and the weather Gods delivered.
I left early for Jonas Green Park, and it was a real treat. I’ve never seen so many Grebes in one place, and there were a few other nice birds to make it a great trip.

I don’t often see Long Tailed Ducks at Jonas Green.

There was a good turnout of Horned Grebes.

Cornell:”The Red-necked Grebe breeds on small inland lakes in Canada and Alaska, and winters along both coasts of North America. Boldly marked, vocal, and aggressive during the breeding season, it is quiet and subtly attired in winter.”
We’ve had an unusual number of these birds this year.

First Slug of the season.

Long Tailed Duck at Thomas Point

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Hugh

Rain was predicted, but the morning looked promising, so I decided to try Quiet Waters for a while. I did well in a short while, so I then headed to Thomas Point, where I found a few good birds before the rain began.

I saw Horned Grebes at Quiet Waters and Thomas Point.

This Canada Goose may have been showing off for some females.

You’ll almost always find a Great Blue Heron at Quiet Waters.

I haven’t seen many Long Tailed Ducks this year.

I frequently see Common Goldeneyes at Thomas Point, but they stay well offshore.

I’m seeing a lot of Hermit Thrushes this year.

Red Shouldered Hawk at Wooton’s Landing

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Hugh

If I hadn’t been a little stir crazy I might have stayed home today. 6 inches of snow, gray and cloudy skies, all added up to an unpromising trip.
I left for Wooton around 10:00, and only stayed an hour or so, but I did find a few birds.