Graeme has a very nice exhibit in place at Patuxent NWR, so I met him there early this morning and we went looking for birds before the Visitor Center opened at 9:00.

We spent a couple of hours walking in the soggy woods, but we didn’t have much luck until we were almost back at the Center.

There were quite a few Sparrows around, but they spook easily and we didn’t get many opportunities to get decent images. A Chipmunk crossed our path, and a Fox Sparrow paused long enough for a decent picture.

We spent an hour in the Visitor Center looking at his exhibit and the other displays, which I confess I hadn’t visited before. They are excellent and very professional.

Goose Pond can be very attractive in the Fall.

There were several Blue Jays in the area.

A pair of Eastern Bluebirds were foraging near the marsh.

A single Chickadee was searching for breakfast.

This is the first Fox Sparrow I’ve seen all year.

We saw several Song Sparrows.

Graeme, standing in front of the exhibit.

It was seriously cold this morning, but I tried for some sunrise images at Sandy Point anyway. It was a waste of time.You really can’t tell what’s going to happen until you’re there, and even then you may have to wait a while to see if a good sky will develop. I’ve wasted a lot of mornings this year when the sky remained gray from horizon to far overhead.

I stopped at Possum Point after Sandy Point, and found a few ducks, but nothing worth spending time on. Thomas Point wasn’t really much better, with just a few birds close enough for pictures.

I then stopped at my friend’s house on Thomas Point Road, where there was a good variety, with most  of the birds being fairly close.

Many Tundra Swans were hanging out at the dock.

This pair of Canvasbacks will remain most of the Winter.

Buffleheads are getting more numerous.

Many Mallards were in the area.

I found this Ruddy Duck at Possum Point.

I saw only a few Redheads.

The doldrums have struck again, at least locally, so I made the trip to Bombay Hook again this morning.  It’s about an hour and a half, which is about my limit for road trips these days.

The water us still high in the pools, which limits the variety of birds, especially Sandpipers, who prefer foraging on mud flats and shallow water. Even the ducks were limited, but that will change as the season progresses.

A thousand or more Snow Geese flew over, and a small flock of American Avocets, but there weren’t any decent photo ops.

The Hairy Woodpecker was a nice find, as I don’t see many.

Only a few Tundra Swans were in evidence.

This Red Tailed Hawk flew over as i was leaving.

Only a few sleeping Northern Pintails were around.

This Dark Eyed Junco is for my sister.

A few Yellow Rumped Warblers were foraging on the boardwalk trail.

This appears to be a Savannah Sparrow.

This Swamp Sparrow was in the field across from the visitor center.

I found only one Great Blue Heron this morning.

This is a Northern Shoveler, probably a juvenile.

I see more Black Ducks at Bombay Hook that anywhere else.

I seem to be seeing a lot of Mallards this year.

The long beak and lack of red on the head identifies this as a female Hairy Woodpecker.

It’s been slow birding and crummy weather for nearly a week, so it was nice to have a decent morning for a change.

I got to Artemesia early, and there wasn’t much to see for over an hour. Canada Geese started arriving, and a few Wood Ducks and Grebes got active.

Early on, I found a few Buffleheads and Ring Necked Ducks, as well as a couple of Great Blue Herons. A decent morning, all things considered.

I’m throwing in a few images from other brief recent trips.

Quiet Waters Cove.

Lake Artemesia.

A pair of Wood Ducks was cruising the lake.

A few Bufflehead were feeding near shore.

I just barely got a look at this Great Blue Heron.

I found this Mallard at Thomas Point.

The Tundra Swans have returned!

This Bald Eagle flew over just as I arrived at Thomas Point.

There were 20 or more Ring Necked Ducks cruising the lake.

I met Graeme at Lake Artemesia this morning, and we circled the lake several times in hopes of finding a few good birds.

We can’t really complain, as I got a couple of first of season birds, and the weather was quite good for November.

There could have been more variety, but the light was perfect, the weather was excellent and we nearly had the place to ourselves.

Lake Artemesia.

Graeme Simpson contemplates the next shot.

I found this Cardinal yesterday at Quiet Waters.

Several White Throated Sparrows were forging near Indian Creek.

A single Pied Billed Grebe was swimming in the lake.

Starlings can be very attractive in the right light.

This juvenile Bald Eagle circled the lake for several minutes.

We saw only a few Mallards.

A large flock of Canada Geese spent the night at the lake.

Two flocks of Buffleheads were hanging out near shore.

A few Ring Necked Ducks were foraging near the Buffleheads.

A single Great Blue Heron was fishing.

This Belted Kingfisher was fishing yesterday at Quiet Waters.

We had a couple of days of rain, so It was good to be able to get out again.

I’ve hard of some nice bird at Bombay Hook, so I left Annapolis around 5:00 AM and got to Bombay Hook at 6:30. There’s very little traffic at that hour.

The morning was quite sunny, but the resident birds were staying well out in the marsh and it was tough to get good images.

Most of the ducks (Shovelers, Pintails, Teal, Mallards) were young or females. I suppose that’s standard for Fall migration. There were very few Sandpipers, which is probably because the water was quite high.

Hopefully, there’ll be more variety soon.

A lake at Bombay Hook.

Northern Pintails were in every pool.

This Turkey Vulture seemed to be drying his wings.

I found only one Greater Yellowlegs.

This Bald Eagle is probably in his first year.

Many juvenile White Crowned Sparrows were in the field across from the visitor center.

Only a few Great Egrets are still hanging around.

Black Ducks seem to favor Bombay Hook.

Most of the American Avocets were too far away for photos.

Many Mallards were feeding in the marsh.

Most of the Northern Shovelers were females or juveniles. 

It’s still a bit slow around here, so I journeyed to Blackwater this morning. It was quite nice for early November, and a few birds are trickling in. It’s not exciting yet. A few Pintails were around, but too distant, and only a few Sandpipers. Plenty of Mallards and Canada Geese, but not much else.

Dawn at Sandy Point.

Several Northern Pintails were feeding in the marsh.

This Great Blue Heron flew right across my path.

Many Canada Geese were moving around the refuge.

I saw 100 or more Mallards.

This might be the first Cardinal I’ve ever photographed at Blackwater.

The usual Double Crested Cormorants were at the Key Wallace bridge.

Two Greater Yellowlegs were foraging along Wildlife Drive.

I found only a few Bald Eagles.