I met my friend Natalie Ann at Sandy Point early this morning, and we immediately decided that the fog was too thick for a decent sunrise. It was still foggy when we got to Terrapin. There was actually a decent selection of birds, but not enough light for any good images.
By the time we got to CBEC, the light had started to improve, and it was good enough in the end.
Modern cameras can compensate for a lot, but there’s a limit.
Natalie and I were talking about Northern Flickers when this one appeared.
This Canada Goose is still nesting.
Mallards and Wood Ducks are the main ducks we see at this time of year.
Great Blue Herons are appearing more often.
We saw several Green Herons this morning.
This female Red Winged Blackbird was feeding in the marsh pond.
I usually see Tree Swallows in nest boxes instead of their natural homes.
I don’t recall seeing a Mallard in a tree before.
Although not rare, it’s unusual to see a Ruddy Duck in MD at this time of year.
This oddly marked Mallard is probably a hybrid of some kind.
This Redhead should be far West of here at this time of year.
Catbirds are still plentiful.
The low light seemed to slow even the Ospreys.
Canada Goose goslings are plentiful in early Spring.
We saw eight Cattle Egrets in the field today instead of the usual one.
Cornell: “The dapper Spotted Sandpiper makes a great ambassador for the notoriously difficult-to-identify shorebirds. They occur all across North America, they are distinctive in both looks and actions, and they’re handsome. They also have intriguing social lives in which females take the lead and males raise the young. With their richly spotted breeding plumage, teetering gait, stuttering wingbeats, and showy courtship dances, this bird is among the most notable and memorable shorebirds in North America.”