Cooper’s Hawk at Thomas Point

Posted on December 6, 2015 by Hugh

The sunrise was almost wiped out by fog this morning, and I was lucky to get the shot I did.

A brief stop at Jonas Green Park was fruitless, once again, so I went to Quiet Waters, which wasn’t much better, even though the weather was near perfect after the fog lifted.

Thomas Point was much more productive, even though most of the birds were in poor light.

Sunrise at Sandy Point. The fog settled in shortly afterward.

There was still a little fog around when I found this Hooded Merganser.

I saw this Cardinal as I was leaving Quiet Waters.

I asked this Common Loon several times to move into better light.

I had my back turned when these Tundra Swans flew over, and it took some fast moving to get this shot.

This Red Breasted Merganser was with a flock of Buffleheads.

There was still some fog around when this Great Blue Heron flew by.

This Carolina Chickadee was feeding at Quiet Waters.

I wasn’t even aware of this Cooper’s Hawk until I reviewed the images. Sometimes birds fly by quickly and you don’t get a good look.

Common Loon at Kent Narrows

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Hugh

Again with the sunrise, which was just average, then off to Terrapin and Kent Narrows.

Terrapin was slow, with a surprise RB Merganser, too far for a good image. Lots of Canada Geese and Mallards.

I decided to check Kent Narrows, which is a good spot later in the Winter. To my surprise, a Common Loon was feeding near the docks, and I was able to get some good closeups, albeit in poor light.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

The marsh pond at Terrapin.

I wasn’t going to post this Double Crested Cormorant because of the poor lighting, but I fiddled with it and it’s almost presentable.

I like this shot of a Mallard pair landing in the pond.

Canada Geese are everywhere nowadays.

This Great Blue Heron stayed still for over half an hour.

A pair of Blue Jays seemed to be huddling from the cold.

Common Loons are one of my favorite birds.

Ring Necked Duck at Quiet Waters.

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Hugh

I did the usual sunrise at Sandy Point, which was good enough, but cold and windy.

A quick stop at Jonas Green Park produced nothing, so I went to Quiet Waters, which had a nice variety of birds, including an FOS and first ever Ring Neck in that location.

Thomas Point was completely barren of water fowl, except for a few distant Tundra Swans.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge (HD).

It’s good to see Hooded Mergansers coming back to the area.

This Belted Kingfisher continues to tease me.

It’s tough to get a good Bald Eagle shot at Quiet Waters.

Mallards are almost always present in my favorite cove.

Cornell: “The male Ring-necked Duck is a sharply marked bird of gleaming black, gray, and white. Females are rich brown with a delicate face pattern. At distance, look for this species’ distinctive, peaked head to help you identify it. Even though this species dives for its food, you can find it in shallow wetlands such as beaver swamps, ponds, and bays. Of all the diving duck species, the Ring-necked Duck is most likely to drop into small ponds during migration.”