American Avocet at Bombay Hook NWR.

Yet anotherĀ  three day stretch without decent activity. I’ve been to several places without any luck at all, and even the old reliable places are slow.

I made it to Bombay Hook this morning and got a few decent images, but not what I expected from previous years,

Sunrise at Bombay Hook.

Snowy Egret 2018-35 Snowy Egret 2018-34

 

Many Snowy Egrets were foraging in the marsh.

Greater Yellowlegs were in every marsh.

 

Great Egrets were numerous.

 

American Avocet 2018-23

This American Avocet posed nicely.

Northern Pintail 2018-12 Northern Pintail 2018-11

 

A few Northern Pintails were moving around.

 

You can often find Bald Eagles along the marsh drive.

 

One Double Crested Cormorant was relaxing in a tree.

Wood Duck 2018-50

I found this Wood Duck at Lake Artemesia on Saturday.

 

Tennessee Warbler at Terrapin Nature Park.

It’s been a slow and wet September this year. I probably found fewer warblers than every other year.

I managed to get out most days when it wasn’t raining, which it did a lot. In most cases I found very few birds, and not as many migrants as in the usual September.

I made the trek to Bombay Hook this morning to change my luck, and did a great deal better. It still wasn’t as good as I’d like, but I’m sure it will get better soon.

Sandy Point 513

Sandy Point 514

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

American Avocet 2018-19 American Avocet 2018-18 American Avocet 2018-16 American Avocet 2018-15

American Avocet 2018-20

There were easily 200 American Avocets present this morning.

Northern Harrier 2018-7

I could have had a better image of this Harrier, but I was a little too slow.

Greater Yellowlegs 2018-16

Greater Yellowlegs 2018-17

There were only a few Greater Yellowlegs this morning.

Mute Swan 2018-8

I saw this Mute Swan a few weeks ago when the Cygnets were much smaller.

Northern Pintail 2018-8

This appears to be a Northern Pintail hen.

Great Egret 2018-93 Great Egret 2018-92

Great Egret 2018-94

There were many Egrets fishing in the marsh.

Savannah Sparrow 2018-2

I found this Savannah Sparrow near Bear Swamp Pool.

Chestnut Sided Warbler 2018-2

This Northern Parula was at Terrapin Nature Park.

Palm Warbler 2018-8

This Palm Warbler was at Greenbury Point.

Caspian Tern 2018-3d4 Caspian Tern 2018-33

Caspian Tern 2018-34

Caspian Terns are regulars at Sandy Point.

Sanderling 2018-4 Sanderling 2018-3

Sanderling 2018-5

These Sanderlings were foraging in the puddles at Sandy Point.

Great Egret 2018-91

This Great Egret was at Schoolhouse Pond.

Tennessee Warbler 2018-1

I haven’t seen many Tennessee warblers.

Brown Headed Nuthatch at Blackwater NWR.

It’s been a while since I posted anything. The recent hurricane and many days of rain and and severe clouds have kept me from getting out very much, and when I did get out there wasn’t much to see. It’s beenĀ  a warm Summer, and migration seems later than usual.

I’m posting images from several place I’ve been to recently, including Terrapin, Wooton’s landing,Ā  Sandy Point, Greenbury Point, Quiet Waters and Schoolhouse Pond.

Blackwater Dawn 55

Blackwater Dawn.

Red Headed Woodpecker 2018-53

Red Headed Woodpeckers seem to favor dead trees.

Double Crested Cormorant 2018-13 Double Crested Cormorant 2018-12 Double Crested Cormorant 2018-11

Double Crested Cormorant 2018-14

Many Double Crested Cormorants were fishing today.

Great Egret 2018-88 Great Egret 2018-87 Great Egret 2018-86

Great Egret 2018-89

Only a few Great Egrets were around today.

Bald Eagle 2018-65

Bald Eagle 2018-66

Several Eagles were soaking up the sum today.

Chestnut Sided Warbler 2018-1

The Chestnut Sided Warbler was at Wooton yesterday.

Caspian Tern 2018-28

Caspian Tern 2018-32

There are Caspian Terns at Sandy Point at this time of year.

Forster's Tern 2018-107

Many Forster’s Terns were fishing at Blackwater.

Snowy Egret 2018-31 Snowy Egret 2018-30

Snowy Egret 2018-32

This Snowy Egrets was at Bombay Hook.

American Avocet 2018-14

This American Avocet is another Bombay Hook bird.

Goldfinch 2018-23

Goldfinches are regulars at Greenbury Point.

Seagulls 2018-1

Many gulls hung out at Sandy Point while the storm passed.

Great Blue Heron 2018-72

Great Blue Heron 2018-71

You can always find a few Great Blue Herons.

Canada Goose 2018-35

This Canada Goose was at Schoolhouse Pond.

Mockingbird 2018-3

Just a low light experiment with a Mockingbird.

Song Sparrow 2017-14

I think this Song Sparrow was at Jonas Green Park.

Great Crested Flycatcher 2018-6

This Great Crested Flycatcher is preparing for the flight South.

Brown Headed Nuthatch 2018-2 Brown Headed Nuthatch 2018-1

Brown Headed Nuthatch 2018-3

Brown Headed Nuthatches were very active today.

Dragonfly 121

This Dragonfly seemed to be drying his wings.

Monarch 62 Moth 226 Butterfly 75 Painted Lady 8 Great Spangled Fritillary 6 Sulfur 5 Painted Lady 7 Monarch 61

Common Buckeye 17

It’s the right time of year for butterflies.

Northern Harrier at Bombay Hook.

My internet has been screwed up for a few days, so I haven’t been able post anything. Stay away from Comcast, folks.

I made a trip to Bombay Hook a few days ago, which was OK, but not as fruitful as I’d hoped. We need some cool weather and some rain to speed up migration.

Today I stopped early at Sandy Point, but the sunrise wasn’t worth photographing, and the birds on the beach were the same-old, same-old.

Greenbury Point was much better, and I suspect I found enough variety to proclaim that migration has begun!

Sandy Point 514

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

Mockingbird 2018-2

This Mockingbird gave a nice wing flutter just as I clicked the shutter.

 

 

Eastern Wood Peewee 2018-1

This Peewee is a migrant, heading South.

Baltimore Oriole 2018-14

Several juvenile Baltimore Orioles showed their colors.

Blue Grosbeak 2018-14

I found several Blue Grosbeaks this morning.

Blue Grosbeak 2018-16 Blue Grosbeak 2018-15

Indigo Bunting 2018-7

I found several Blue Grosbeaks this morning.

Rose Breasted Grosbeak 2018-1

I usually wouldn’t keep such a poor photo, but this is one of my favorite birds, a Rose Breasted Grosbeak (Juvenile).

Carolina Wren 2018-3

You can hear Carolina Wrens just about anywhere you go around here.

Baltimore Oriole 2018-13 Great Blue Heron 2018-68 Great Blue Heron 2018-67

 

Great Blue Heron 2018-69

This Great Blue Heron was at Sandy point.

Goldfinch 2018-22

Goldfinches are at Greenbury Point all year.

Indigo Bunting 2018-6

This is a juvenile Indigo Bunting.

Northern Harrier 2018-5 Northern Harrier 2018-4

Northern Harrier 2018-6

I was in the right place when this Northern Harrier flew by.

Snowy Egret 2018-29

This Snowy Egret flew right in front of me.

Great Egret 2018-80

I’ve seen a lot of Great Egrets this year.

Caspian Tern 2018-26

Caspian Tern 2018-27

This Caspian Tern was at Bombay Hook.

Black Crowned Night Heron 2018-11

Black Crowned Night Heron 2018-10

This is a juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron.

Red Spotted Purple 17

This Red Spotted Purple was feeding at Greenbury Point.

 

Great Egret at Schoolhouse Pond.

I’m still not hearing any interesting news from the local spots, so, back to Schoolhouse Pond.

It wasn’t nearly as productive, but the weather and the lighting were much better.

Double Crested Cormorant 2018-10

A singly Double Crested Cormorant flew over the pond.

Little Blue Heron 2018-15

The Little Blue Heron was much harder to find today.

Solitary Sandpiper 2018-16 Solitary Sandpiper 2018-15 Solitary Sandpiper 2018-14

Solitary Sandpiper 2018-17

I had better lighting for this Solitary Sandpiper today.

Solitary Sandpiper 2018-15 Solitary Sandpiper 2018-14

Great Blue Heron 2018-66

A single Great Blue Heron was present all morning.

Great Egret 2018-75 Great Egret 2018-79 Great Egret 2018-77 Great Egret 2018-78

Great Egret 2018-76

There were only 4 Great Egrets present today.

Great Egret at Schoolhouse Pond.

With the Labor Day weekend snarling traffic and filling the parks, I decided to go back to Schoolhouse Pond, which has been so productive recently.

There were plenty of the same birds, and the light got quite decent after an hour or so, so I managed a few decent images.

Osprey 2018-55

Osprey 2018-56

This Osprey has the whole pond to himself.

Solitary Sandpiper 2018-13

Several Solitary Sandpipers were feeding in the marsh.

Little Blue Heron 2018-14

The Little Blue Heron seems to be hanging out for a while.

Great Egret 2018-73 Great Egret 2018-70 Great Egret 2018-74 Great Egret 2018-69 Great Egret 2018-68 Great Egret 2018-67

Great Egret 2018-72

This small stump attracts many birds, including this Great Egret.

Great Egret 2018-71

A great Egret is about 1.5 feet taller than a little Blue Heron.

Little Blue Heron at Schoolhouse Pond

The weather is “unsettled” this weekend, which can sometimes bring in good birds, so I decided to try Schoolhouse Pond for vagrants. Sandy Point would have been my first choice, but it’s Labor Day weekend and bound to be very crowded.

I made the right choice. I chatted with some fishermen for a while, and birds were continually flying in, which is always a good sign.

I noticed a distant bird I couldn’t ID, so I walked to the other end of the pond and saw it was a juvenile little Blue Heron, a bird I don’t see often. Eventually it moved much closer and gave me some good looks.

A good morning, indeed, and I may go back tomorrow.

Killdeer 2018-5 Killdeer 2018-4

Killdeer 2018-6

A single Killdeer was foraging at the South end of the pond.

Least Sandpiper 2018-25

Several Least Sandpipers were feeding on the mudflats.

Spotted Sandpiper 2018-11 Spotted Sandpiper 2018-10

Spotted Sandpiper 2018-12

This Solitary Sandpiper was well camouflaged.

Great Blue Heron 2018-65

This Great Blue Heron stayed in one place all morning.

Great Egret 2018-64 Great Egret 2018-63 Great Egret 2018-62 Great Egret 2018-61 Great Egret 2018-60

Great Egret 2018-65

6 Great Egrets were foraging in the pond.

Mallard 2018-39

There’s always a small flock of Mallards in the pond.

Canada Goose 2018-33 Canada Goose 2018-32

Canada Goose 2018-34

Two large flocks of Canada Geese stopped by for a while.

Osprey 2018-53

A single Osprey was looking for fish.

Common Yellowthroat 2018-8

I found this Common Yellowthroat at Wooton’s Landing.

Chickadee 2018-4

This Chickadee was also at Wooton.

Little Blue Heron 2018-10 Little Blue Heron 2018-9 Little Blue Heron 2018-7

Little Blue Heron 2018-12

The shape of the head and the color of the beak distinguish the Little Blue Heron from the Snowy Egret.

Yellow Crowned Night Heron at Bombay Hook NWR.

It’s that time of year when birds are hard to find, and I’m not having much luck. I’ve been to several different places recently, and don’t have much to show for the effort.

I made the Bombay Hook trek again this morning, as a friend had good luck there a few days ago, but it was only a mediocre show. Still, it was better than any other place I’ve been recently.

Green Heron 2018-12

Green Heron 2018-13

This Green Heron was foraging at Schoolhouse Pond.

Killdeer 2018-2

This Killdeer was at Schoolhouse pond.

White Eyed Vireo 2018-3

This White Eyed Vireo was the only good image I got at Wooton’s Landing.

Greater Yellowlegs 2018-14 Greater Yellowlegs 2018-13

Greater Yellowlegs 2018-15

There were many Greater Yellowlegs in the marsh.

Forster's Tern 2018-104

I only saw two Forster’s Terns.

Snowy Egret 2018-27

Many Snowy Egrets were present.

Goldfinch 2018-19

Goldfinch 2018-20

This Goldfinch will be getting his Winter plumage soon.

Great Egret 2018-59

Many Great Egrets were present as well.

Semipalmated Plover 2018-5

I saw only a few Semi Palmated Sandpipers.

Least Sandpiper 2018-23

Least Sandpiper 2018-22

A least Sandpiper at Schoolhouse Pond.

Least Sandpiper 2018-24

These Least Sandpipers had a dispute of some kind.

Blue Grosbeak 2018-13

Blue Grosbeaks can be found all Summer.

Great Blue Heron 2018-62 Great Blue Heron 2018-61 Great Blue Heron 2018-60

Great Blue Heron 2018-64

I found this Great Blue Heron at Schoolhouse Pond.

Belted Kingfisher 2018-2

I was lucky to catch this Belted Kingfisher as he flew by.

Killdeer 2018-3

This Killdeer was at Schoolhouse Pond.

Yellow Crowned Night Heron 2018-8

Three Yellow Crowned Night Herons were resting in Bear Swamp Pool.

Yellow Crowned Night Heron 2018-7

Yellow Warbler at Blackwater NWR.

I made the trek to Blackwater in hopes of getting more action, and was only partly successful.Ā  I managed to find a few warblers, but there wasn’t much else to see.

I spoke with fellow birder who had the same kind of luck , but we decided it was just our misfortune and we’d have to try again another day.

Eastern Phoebe 2018-2

This Eastern Phoebe is probably a migrant.

Red Headed Woodpecker 2018-50 Red Headed Woodpecker 2018-50 Red Headed Woodpecker 2018-52 Red Headed Woodpecker 2018-51

Red Headed Woodpecker 2018-51

My friendly Red Headed Woodpeckers were very cooperative today.

Eastern Kingbird 2018-26

Eastern Kingbirds will be heading South soon.

Common Yellowthroat 2018-6

Common Yellowthroat 2018-7

This Common Yellowthroat may have nested at Blackwater.

Osprey 2018-52

This first year Osprey was fishing near his old nest.

Pine Warbler 2018-2

This Pine Warbler is an early migrant.

Yellow Warbler 2018-7

 

Yellow Warbler 2018-6

I was looking for Nuthatches when this Yellow Warbler popped up.

Spotted Sandpiper at Schoolhouse Pond.

My original thought was to try Wooton this morning, but the car made the turn for Schoolhouse Pond instead. I prefer going there on weekends to avoid the traffic.

It was quite dark and cloudy at first, but I could see there were a few good birds, so I waited a while. I got a few images in the poor light, but it wasn’t long before the sun came out and I got a good look at some decent birds.Ā  I suspect I’ll be going back again soon.

I stopped at Governor Bridge on the way home, but didn’t find much.

Chipping Sparrow 2018-5

Chipping Sparrow 2018-6

Chipping Sparrow 2018-4

This juvenile Chipping Sparrow was begging his parent for a treat.

Green Heron 2018-9 Green Heron 2018-8 Green Heron 2018-7 Green Heron 2018-6 Green Heron 2018-5 Green Heron 2018-11

Green Heron 2018-10

Two Green Herons greeted me when I arrived.

Acadian Flycatcher 2018-1

This Acadian Flycatcher was at Governor Bridge.

Mallard 2018-38

These Mallards seemed to be just waking up.

Great Egret 2018-58

A single Great Egret arrived as I was leaving.

Spotted Sandpiper 2018-8

Spotted Sandpiper 2018-9

I haven’t seen a Spotted Sandpiper since the Spring.

Saddleback Caterpillar 108

I found this Saddleback Caterpillar at Quiet Waters yesterday.

Viceroy 5

I don’t see Viceroy butterflies often.