Wood Duck at Lake Artemesia

I made the (45 minute) trek to Lake Artemesia this morning, in hopes of getting some variety, and I succeeded, but the pickings were slim. It was disappointing, as I’ve had good luck there in the past.

The weather wasn’t much good, either, and a couple of short rain showers combined with the cloudy skies had me leaving after a couple of hours.

Lake Artemesia 1

Lake Artemesia

Beaver 101

Beavers are thriving at Lake Artemesia.

Canada Goose 119

This Canada Goose gosling is almost full grown.

Cedar Waxwing 206

There’s usually a flock of Cedar Waxwings in residence.

Double Crested Cormorant 110

Double Crested Cormorant 109

Three Double Crested Cormorants were fishing in the lake.

Barn Swallow 26

Barn Swallows nest at Lake Artemesia.

Tree Swallow 120

Tree Swallows also nest at the lake.

Wood Duck 260

When I first saw this Wood Duck, she was foraging in the grass with a flock of Canada Geese.

Moth 204

I didn’t have time to look for bugs, and this Moth was a lucky find.

 

Green Heron at Wooton’s Landing

I had another go at Wooton and Sands Road this morning. Wooton wasn’t as active at it’s been in the past, but it was a beautiful morning.

Sands Road had more birds, and the insects are becoming more active. Unfortunately, the heat and humidity are becoming oppressive earlier, making for shorter trips.

Main Pond 3

Main Pond 2

A view of the main pond at Wooton’s Landing.

Goldfinch 209

Goldfinches feed on seeds.

Indigo Bunting 112

Indigo Buntings are doing well in every spot I visit.

Field Sparrow 107

Field Sparrows are abundant at Sands Road.

Eastern Kingbird 122

Eastern Kingbirds were active in both places.

Common Yellowthroat 209 Common Yellowthroat 208 Common Yellowthroat 207

 

Common Yellowthroat 210

Sands Road seems to be a perfect habitat for Common Yellowthroats.

Green Heron 107

Green Heron 106

Green Heron 105

I saw this Green Heron in three different trees.

Dragonfly 55 Dragonfly 54

 

Great Spangled Fritillary 4

Today’s bugs.

Yellow Breasted Chat At Greenbury Point

I had another try at Possum Point sunrise this morning, with mixed results, then moved on to Greenbury Point and Jonas Green Park.

I’m not finding much  variety at Greenbury, so Jonas Green was a nice change, with a few different birds and a change of scenery.

Wooton Sunrise 7

Sunrise at Wooton’s Landing, from a few days ago.

Greenbury Point 1

Bobwhite Trail, at Greenbury Point.

Caspian Tern 120

This is the first Caspian Tern I’ve seen at Jonas Green.

Great Blue Heron 326

This Great Blue Heron was flying East on the Severn River.

Cardinal 197

This Cardinal was foraging at Jonas Green Park.

Red Winged Blackbird 106

Red Winged Blackbird 105

You’ll find Red Winged Blackbirds in every marsh around here.

Catbird 204

 

Catbird 205

I haven’t seen many Catbirds at Jonas Green Park.

 

Chipping Sparrow 103

Chipping Sparrows are usually easy to find at Greenbury Point.

Song Sparrow 135 Song Sparrow 134

Song Sparrow 133

This Song Sparrow was successfully feeding in the rip rap at Jonas Green.

Bluebird 201

Bluebird 200

Bluebirds have been scarce this year.

Yellow Breasted Chat 212

Yellow Breasted Chat 211

This Yellow Breasted Chat is engaged in a courting/territorial display.

Possum Point 78 Possum Point 77 Possum Point 76

Possum Point 79

Sunrise at Possum Point.

 

 

Indigo Bunting at Greenbury Point

I was at Possum Point at dawn again, messing with the Go Pro and the time lapse settings on the Nikon. Still nothing worth posting, but I think I have the fundamentals mastered.

Not much in the way of birds today. I walked a different route today in hopes of changing my luck, but the heat may be keeping the birds at home. I quit at around 9:00 when it got too hot.

Cardinal 196

This Cardinal was singing at Possum Point.

Osprey 348

I’ve decided this Osprey has only one chick.

Mallard 147

This Mallard flew in while I was at the pond.

Indigo Bunting 111

Indigo Buntings are breeding at Greenbury Point.

Bee 204

Spider 247

Today’s bugs.

Yellow Breasted Chat at Sands Road Park

I tried another time lapse sunrise this morning, and discovered I still have much to learn. The technical end is easy, but getting a good scene can be difficult. I’ll have to find a better place.

Wooton’s Landing was a little quiet, but I found a few birds. Sands Road was more active, and I was surprised to hear so many Chats.  I chsd them quite a while before getting a decent image.

Orchard Oriole 108

I’m hearing Orchard Orioles everywhere I go.

Field Sparrow 105

 

Field Sparrow 106

Field Sparrows are OK, but there should be more variety at Sands Road.

Common Yellowthroat 205

 

Common Yellowthroat 206

The reeds were full of Common Yellowthroats.

Great Blue Heron 323

Great Blue Heron 324

I was surprised how long this Great Blue Heron tolerated my presence.

Yellow Breasted Chat 209

My guess is that there were 4-6 Yellow Breasted Chats in the bushes.

Dragonfly 51

Dragonfly 52

This Dragonfly was all I found before it started getting hot.

 

Carolina Chickadee at Greenbury Point.

I had another go at a time lapse sunrise this morning, and I’ll post it here. It’s not much to look at, but more experimenting is in order.

I didn’t find much at Possum Point, and Greenbury Point wasn’t a lot better, but I found a few birds.  It’s starting to get hot, so I had a shorter day than usual.

Possum Point 74

The sun cast a startlingly red reflection.

Eastern Kingbird 121

Eastern Kingbird 120

This Eastern Kingbird was flycatching at the point.

Yellow Breasted Chat 208

Yellow Breasted Chats don’t always pose this well.

Osprey 347

I’m hoping to catch this Osprey couple feeding their chicks, but no luck so far.

Osprey 346

Osprey 345

Possum Point has at least 8 active Osprey nests.

Brown Thrasher 102

Brown Thrasher 101

This Brown Thrasher was singing loudly.

Chickadee 218

Chickadee 217

This Chickadee seemed to ignore me.

 

Osprey Chicks at Possum Point

I was undecided this morning, as rain seemed imminent, but I really wanted to try the Go Pro, so I headed to  Possum Point to try to catch the sunrise in time lapse.  The experiment was a success, but it wan’t a very interesting sunrise.

There are at least 8 active Osprey nests at the point, and I got some decnt pics of the nearest one.

It was raining by then, but I stopped for a while at the nursery center, where I found a few birds and bugs.

Indigo Bunting 109

 

Indigo Bunting 110

Birds were scarce today, but this Indigo Bunting landed quite near me.

Osprey 340 Osprey 344 Osprey 343 Osprey 342

Osprey 341

This pair of Ospreys seem to have two chicks.

Assassin Bug Nymph 4

 

Beetle 11

Dragonfly 50

Praying Mantis 47

 

Snout Beetle 5

Today’s bugs.

Baltimore Oriole at Wooton’s Landing

I flipped a coin this morning, and it came up Wooton’s.

I arrived just after dawn, and met my friendly beaver, then chased a Baltimore Oriole for a while. lt was actually quite birdy this morning, but good photo opps were scarce.

I made a short stop at Sands Road afterward, and found a few birds and bugs to make for a decent morning.

Bluebird 199

This Eastern Bluebird seemed to be watching the sun rise.

Common Yellowthroat 204

Common Yellowthroat 203

Common Yellowthroat 202

I found several Common Yellowthroats at Sands Road.

Orchard Oriole 107

Orchard Oriole 106

This young Orchard Oriole was also singing loudly and at length.

Blue Grosbeak 209

I’m guessing this is a young Blue Grosbeak coming into his adult colors.

Great Blue Heron 322

I spooked this Great Blue Heron and was lucky to get this shot.

Baltimore Oriole 106

This Baltimore Oriole was singing for a good hour from various perches, but I couldn’t get a better look.

Great Spangled Fritillary 3 Insect 722 Moth 203

Japanese Beetle 107

 

Stink Bug 10

Insect 721

Today’s bugs.

Beaver 100

If you arrive early, you’ll almost always see a beaver.

 

Great Crested Flycatcher at Greenbury Point

I started at Possum Point this morning, and took a few sunrise pics. Nothing really spectacular.

I moved on to the Nature Center in hopes of finding some birds, and I found a few willing to pose well. I also found a few insects, and I’m hoping for some good butterflies later this month.

My Go Pro camera arrived today, and I’ll be posting some videos when I get it figured out.

Possum Point 72

Possum Point 71

Possum Point 70

Sunrise at Possum Point.

Indigo Bunting 108

I saw several Indigo Buntings.

Flower 47

 

Flower 46

 

Tree Swallow 117Tree Swallow 116

 

Tree Swallow 118

 

Tree Swallow 119

Tree Swallows in flight are tough to get, but this one was flying in a regular pattern, so I got a couple of decent images.

Cardinal 195

Cardinal 194

When all else fails, you can get a Cardinal.

Goldfinch 208

Goldfinch 206

Greenbury Point is a reliable spot for Goldfinches.

Great Crested Flycatcher 208

 

Great Crested Flycatcher 206

 

Great Crested Flycatcher 209

Great Crested Flycatcher 207

Cornell: “A large, assertive flycatcher with rich reddish-brown accents and a lemon-yellow belly, the Great Crested Flycatcher is a common bird of Eastern woodlands. Its habit of hunting high in the canopy means it’s not particularly conspicuous—until you learn its very distinctive call, an emphatic rising whistle. These flycatchers swoop after flying insects and may crash into foliage in pursuit of leaf-crawling prey. They are the only Eastern flycatchers that nest in cavities, and this means they sometimes make use of nest boxes.”

Dragonfly 49

Beetle 10

Skipper 21

Today’s bugs.

Cedar Waxwing at Governor Bridge Natural Area

I started out at Depot Pond again, but  there wasn’t much happening, so I went on to Schoolhouse Pond, which was also dead.

Governor Bridge was much better, but I didn’t find the birds I was hoping to see. The bugs were out, though, and I got a few interesting ones.

Flower 45

Today’s unknown flower.

 

Blue Grosbeak 208

Blue Grosbeak 207

Governor Bridge is usually reliable for Blue Grosbeaks.

Barn Swallow 25

This Barn Swallow was at School house Pond.

Cedar Waxwing 204 Cedar Waxwing 205

 

Cedar Waxwing 203

A small flock of Cedar Waxwings was looking for forage in the big field.

Great Spangled Fritillary 1 Grasshopper 201 Insect 720 Damsel Fly 33 Grasshopper 74 Broad Headed Sharpshooter 100 Candystripe Leafhopper 106 Fly 97 Great Spangled Fritillary 2 Spider 245

Spider 246

Today’s bugs.