Dark, gloomy and cold. It was a marginal kind of day, but I decided to Try Jonas Green to see if any waterfowl were there. There wasn’t anything in the river side, but the adjacent pond had a few ducks and geese. They were somewhat distant, and the light sucked, so the images aren’t much.
This Northern Cardinal was the only close up I got today.
The pond usually has a few Wood Ducks.
This is only my second Hooded Merganser this season.
Cold and Windy. My least favorite combination of conditions. I had thought to go further, but decided to stay close to home, given the weather.
I stayed in my favorite cove for an hour or so, and saw a couple of good birds and a flyover eagle.By the time I had a few decent images I was getting cold. I had errands to run anyway, so I cut the day short.
This Great Blue Heron missed the fish he was hunting.
This Belted Kingfisher is a regular visitor, but I seldom get this close.
It was cold this morning, but fairly clear and warming.
I got to Quiet Waters early, but there was’t much to see, which is unusual.
Thomas Point was only slightly better, as yesterday’s large concentration of ducks was much diminished. It was quite windy, and I only stayed a short while.
Tundra Swans will have much greater numbers soon.
Horned Grebes regularly forage close to the shore.
I’ve always liked the Common Loon .
The ducks are here. I stooped at Quiet Waters for a while this morning, where I found a nice heron, then went to Thomas Point to see if anything was happening.
There were hundreds of ducks and a few swans, so I’ll be spending more time there as the weeks go by.
Quiet cove at Quiet Waters
Bay view at Thomas Point
A foggy day at Quiet Waters.
I watched this Great Blue Heron fishing for quite a while.
There were easily a hundred Buffleheads at the point.
I only saw these three Tundra Swans
It was in the thirties this morning, but rapidly warming, and I got to Wooton about dawn. There was surprisingly little activity, so I went to Sands Road after an hour or two and did much better. Most of the activity still takes place in the marsh near the parking lot.
A view of the big field from the marsh.
Dark Eyed Juncos are a little harder to find than sparrows.
Ruby Crowned Kinglets are still plentiful.
Northern Flickers were very active this morning.
Our run of good weather has continued and I gave Terrapin another chance this morning. Still no waterfowl to speak of, and not much in the way of other birds. I did see a couple of eagles, but nothing else special.
An exceptionally nice Dark Eyed Junco.
Field Sparrows were scarce today.
Mockingbirds are always willing to pose.
This is one of the few backgrounds that might hide a Cardinal
Yellow Rumped Warblers were foraging near the beach.
This immature Bald Eagle may be building a nest.
I've seen several bucks this week.
I met Graeme at Governor Bridge at dawn, and we set out looking for birds. There were some sparrows around, and we found some waxwings, but not much else. A trip to the lake turned up a few more, but it wasn’t a really birdy day.
Small pond near the parking lot.
This Carolina Chickadee was foraging near the lake.
This Ruby Crowned Kinglet has found a nice meal.
A small flock of Cedar Waxwings found these berries.
The warblers are gone, and the sparrows are fast disappearing. The ducks aren’t here yet, so it’s hard to know where to go.
I got to Sands Road around dawn and spent a hour or two looking around the edge of the big field without much luck. The marshy area near the parking lot had a lot of birds, but it was tough to get a good shot through all the brush. I did find a few birds in the open, but it was a slow morning over all.
Sands Road-looking from the marsh toward the big field.
This Whitetail Buck was standing in the field when I arrived.
Swamp Sparrows are easily seen near the marshes.
Song Sparrows are in every part of the park.
Goldfinch flocks are frequent.
White Throated Sparrows usually feed in flocks near the ground.
Field Sparrows aren't as common as the others.
The weather was a bit better than anticipated, so I took a quick trip to Truxtun Park, which was mostly dead.
Quiet Waters was better, with my FOS merganser and a heron.
It’s early for ducks, but I tried Thomas Point anyway. No waterfowl, but I saw a few birds in the woods.
Not a bad day.
Fall in Quiet Waters.
This Northern Flicker was feasting on berries.
This Downy Woodpecker was also taking advantage of the berry crop.
I heard several White Breasted Nuthatches.
I was surprised at how fast this Brown Creeper moved.
You'll almost always find Mallards in the cove.
This cove is also a favorite of the Great Blue Heron,
I found this Ruby Crowned Kinglet at Thomas Point.
I was lucky get this Hooded Merganser, who flew off almost immediately.
Apparently, great weather is no guarantee of good birds. Clear skies and warming temps convinced me to try Terrapin again. The place which was inundated with birds a few days ago was virtually barren today. I did see a distant eagle and a few ducks, but the small birds seem to have moved on.
I was lucky to find this Ruby Crowned Kinglet in a corner of the park.
Several Carolina Chickadees were feeding in this pine tree.
Even Yellow Rumped Warblers were scarce this morning.
You can almost always find Canada Geese on the marsh ponds in Winter.
