Trumpeter Swans at Beach Road.

The routine hasn’t changed much; Local parks, check the heronry, try the Eastern Shore. Graeme and I went to Bombay Hook a few days ago and saw a lot of birds, including a tree full of Night herons.

I’d been hearing the Trumpeters were in the area,  but had only seen them once until I found them at Beach Road. It looks a lot like they’re building a nest, but it’s not a sure thing.  I thin k that’s a relatively rare occurrence in MD, so it could be exciting.

No warblers to speak of yet, but a couple of owls and some Wood Ducks make up for it.

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Many Great Egrets were in the marshes.

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This Great Egret was feeding at Quiet Waters.

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Many Ospreys are nesting at Possum Point.

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Wood Ducks are doing well.

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We found this American Kestrel as we left Bombay Hook.

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A single Common Merganser showed up at Bombay Hook.

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Green Winged Teal were abundant.

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This Red Winged Blackbird was looking for a mate.

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Mute Swans regularly breed at Bombay Hook.

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We saw over ten Bald Eagles.

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I counted fifteen Black Crowned Night Herons.

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These Great Horned Owl chicks are doing well.

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Look Closely to see this Barred Owl.

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All t he birds in the heronry seem to be incubating.

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This barnyard Mallard is nesting at Quiet Waters.

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The Trumpeter Swans disappeared into the reeds, where they appear4ed to be making a nest.

Great Egret at Quiet Waters Park.

In ten years of watching I had never seen an egret of any kind at Quiet Waters, so this was a surprise. They’re marsh birds, and not really expected at QW which is more woodsie.

It’s the season of Wood Ducks, Gadwalls and Great Blue Herons so far. I’m still tracking the heron nests, and I found an owl nearby.

My only small migrant so far is an Eastern Phoebe, but the warblers will be here soon .

Ring Billed Gulls squabbling over a morsel.

 

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A friend found this Great Horned Owl and two chicks.

This distant Red Throated Loon was a bonus, as I haven’t seen many.

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Wood Ducks did very well here last year.

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Gadwalls seem to be thriving.

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Gadwalls seem to be thriving.

This Heronry has at least three active nests

Yellow Rumped Warbler 2022-2

Yellow Rumped Warblers have been consistently hanging around the pond.

Carolina Chickadee 2022-25

Carolina Chickadees were very active.

Eastern Bluebird 2022-102

Eastern Bluebirds seem abundant this year.

Osprey 2022-104

Osprey returned to the area around the first of March.

All the Hooded Mergansers seem to have left the pond.

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A half dozen or more Northern Rough Winged Swallows are hanging around the pond.

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Great Blue Heron 2019-68 Bald Eagle 243a Bald Eagle 2019-26a Bluebird 43 Fox 122a

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A fanciful Heron.

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First Hermit Thrush of the year.

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I saw 10 Horned Grebes at Thomas Point.

This Great Egret stopped briefly at Quiet Waters.

Heronry Near Jonas Green Park.

I discovered this heronry last year, but Covid kept me from monitoring it, so I’m going to keep a watch this year.  Right now I’ve seen three nests and as many as 7  Great Blue Herons. Gadwalls, Wood Ducks and Red Winged Blackbirds are numerous.

I dropped Photoshop a month ago and switched to GIMP, the Open Source, free photo editing program. The cloud version of PS had slowed my system to a crawl and cost $10.00/month. I’m including a few images created from the G’MIC (“Gimmick”) filter suite made for GIMP

Wood Ducks abound, Ospreys have returned and people are reporting warblers, so all is well. A Great Horned Owl and a Screech Owl made an appearance as well.

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I found this Pied Billed Grebe at Beach Road.

 

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Wood Ducks are thriving at Quiet Waters.

 

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A friend found this Great Horned Owl.

DSC_6103 Fox 87a

Great Blue Heron 1

My sister approved of this one.

Bald Eagle 243a

I found this Bald Eagle at Blackwater.

Bufflehead 2022-5

A recent Bufflehead.

Diamondback Terrapin 8

The reptiles aren’t exempt.

 

Trumpeter Swan 1

A fanciful Trumpeter Swan.

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This Screech Owl has been at Quiet Waters for a while now.

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This Heronry is very active at the moment.

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Long Tailed Ducks at Jonas Green Park.

Since my rant about gas over $4.00. it’s gone over $5.00 and I’ve acquired a bicycle. That kind of money will seriously cramp my style as far as traveling is concerned. I’m guessing it’s much worse for people who don’t have any choice but to drive.

Bird-wise it’s been pretty good. Lots of Swans and Ducks, including the Long Tails, Ring Necked,  Gadwalls and Wood Ducks.  A couple of Trumpeter Swans have appeared occasionally.  Bald Eagles  are appearing and I saw the season’s first  Osprey yesterday.

The warblers are coming!

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Small flocks of Cedar Waxwings feed on berries in the Winter.

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Double Crested Cormorants are here in large numbers.

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Redheads are very striking.

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Horned Grebes have been scarce this season.

 

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It’s a good year for Wood Ducks.

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Eastern Bluebirds may be making a comeback.

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Mockingbirds are common, but I don’t often photograph them.

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I saw fewer Hooded Mergansers this year.

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This Barnyard Mallard has been hanging out at Quiet Waters for months.

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Canada Geese are nesting everywhere I go.

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This Great Blue Heron was fishing at Quiet Waters.

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Canvasbacks and Lesser Scaup are here in large numbers.

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Buffleheads were very common this year.

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About 200 Tundra Swans spent the Winter near Thomas Point.

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Long Tailed Ducks are a favorite.

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Hooded Mergansers at Quiet Waters.

Yesterday I put $52.00 worth of gas in the car. First time I’ve ever gone over $50.00 on a fill-up. $3.47/gal. That’s slowing me down a bit, but there’s plenty of good birds close to home.

The main attraction has been waterfowl, of course, with  the Thomas Point Swans and ducks in big numbers, but we’ve gotten some thawing recently, so other ducks are showing up in the coves.  The Canvasbacks were largely driven out by the ice for a while.

Possum Point has been largely non-productive, which  is consistent with other places in this too-warm season. Maybe February will bring us some sea ducks.

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Gadwalls at Jonas Green Park.

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Redhead 2022-8

A dapper Redhead.

Canvasback 2022-16Canvasback 2022-15

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Canvasbacks in the South River.

 

 

Black Duck 2022-5

A Black Duck was mixing with the other ducks.

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A hundred or more Tundra Swans are regulars in Winter.

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Bufflehead 2022-12

It seems to me there’s more Buffleheads than usual this year.

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A few Lesser Scaup always seem to mix with the Canvasbacks

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Mallards can be very enthusiastic at times.

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There are numerous Crows in every park.

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Bluebirds were picking up pebbles off the beach at Jonas Green Park.

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This Wood Duck pair seems to be early.

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Several Hooded Mergansers are sojourning at Quiet Waters and Jonas Green Parks.

Long Tailed Ducks at Jonas Green Park.

Between snow, bitter cold and a painting project, I’ve been a bit homebound lately.

I’m mostly hanging out locally, though I made a couple of unproductive trips to Sandy Point.  Thomas Point has plenty of birds, but some species just haven’t arrived yet.

Bufflehead 2022-10

Bufflehead 2022-5

This Bufflehead was at Thomas Point.

Black Duck 2022-1

Black Duck 2022-4

South end of a diving Black Duck.

Lesser Scaup 2022-3 Lesser Scaup 2022-2

Lesser Scaup 2022-8

Female Lesser Scaup.

Redhead 2022-7

This Redhead was at Thomas Point.

Tundra Swan 2022-21 Tundra Swan 2022-19

Tundra Swan 2022-26

Tundra Swans are doing well this year.

Canvasback 2022-6

Canvasback 2022-12

Hundreds of Canvasbacks are sheltering near Thomas Point.

Long Tailed Duck 2022-6 Long Tailed Duck 2022-5

 

Long Tailed Duck 2022-7

Long Tailed Ducks are a favorite.

Yellow Rumped Warbler 2022-1

I see Yellow Rumped Warbler in all the parks.

Eastern Bluebirtd 2022-2

This Eastern Bluebird was feeding at Thomas Point.

Red Bellied Woodpecker 2022-1

Red Bellied Woodpeckers can be found in every local park.

Cedar Waxwing 2022-1

Cedar Waxwing 2022-2

A small flock of Cedar Waxwings was feeding at Thomas Point.

Redhead at Thomas Point.

The warm weather is having an effect on our bird population.  Very few winter ducks have arrived and even the sparrows seem to be fewer than usual.  There’s Wood Ducks still lingering at Quiet Waters, and I’m usually shedding clothes by 8:00 AM.

I’m still staying close to home. It costs about $50.00 to fill  the tank now, and my car is a gas hog. I got to Sandy Point once, and it was a waste.

So, here’s the best from the last three weeks or so.

Jonas Green 110

The view from Jonas Green.

Canada Goose 2021-126

Many Canada Geese spend the winter in the bay.

Black Duck 2021-18

Black Ducks are still favoring Thomas Point.

Tundra Swan 2021-127 Tundra Swan 2021-111

Tundra Swan 2021-128

There’s about 100 Tundra Swans in the Thomas Point area.

Bufflehead 2021-92 Bufflehead 2021-77 Bufflehead 2021-79

Bufflehead 2021-96

I think there’s more Buffleheads than usual.

Cedar Waxwing 2021-20

I found a flock of 50, or more Cedar Waxwings at Jonas Green.

Wood Duck 2021-311-

Two or more Wood Ducks are still lingering at Quiet Waters.

White Throated Sparrow 2021-41

White Throated Sparrows are everywhere.

Mallard 2021-75

This barnyard Mallard found her way to Quiet Waters somehow.

Carolina Chickadee 2021-6

Carolina Chickadees are very vocal.

Blue Jay 2021-20

You can often find Blue Jays at Jonas Green.

American Wigeon 2021-5

This American Wigeon was swimming at Thomas Point.

Starling 2020-6

Many Starlings hang out at Thomas Point.

Yellow Rumped Warler 2021-9

Yellow Rumped Warblers used to be more common.

Cedar Waxwing2021-18

Crow 2021-13

There’s a lot of Crows.

Ring Billed Gull 2021-5

Many Ring Billed Gulls are foraging at Sandy Point.

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker 2021-7

This Yellow Bellied Sapsucker was at Quiet Waters.

Hooded Merganser 2021-20

Hooded Merganser 2021-21

A few Hooded Mergansers spend the Winter at Jonas Green.

Song Sparrow 2021-65

This Song Sparrow was at Thomas Point.

Great Blue Heron 2021-161

A Great Blue Heron at Thomas Point.

Gadwall 2021-48

Gadwall 2021-49

These Gadwalls were at Jonas Green.

Lesser Scaup 2021-31

Very few Scaup have been close enough to photograph.

Redhead 2021-33

This is the first Redhead of the season.

American Wigeon at Thomas Point.

It’s been a relatively slow couple of weeks since I posted.  I’ve been making the rounds locally for a while, as I’m not hearing about much elsewhere. Last year we had Siskins and Nuthatches, but no treats so far this season.

Wood Ducks are still at Quiet Waters, Buffleheads and Tundra Swans are well established and White Throated Sparrows are numerous everywhere. I’m still waiting for more Winter ducks, and the Wigeon, a single bird, was a welcome sight.

Cove 35

Cove 32

Quiet Waters Cove.

Northern Pintail 2021-1

Northern Pintail 2021-4

This Northern Pintail was at Bombay Hook.

Great Blue Heron 2021-150

Great Blue Herons appear to be very patient.

Forster's Tern 2021-24

I’ve seen fewer Forster’s Terns this day than usual.

American Avocet 2021-20

American Avocet 2021-21

These American Avocets were at Bombay Hook.

Greater Yellowlegs 2021-43

This is a Greeter Yellowlegs.

Black Duck 2021-13

Black Duck 2021-12

Most Years I can find Black Ducks at Thomas Point.

Great Egret 2021-216

This Great Egret is headed South for the Winter.

Northern Shoveler 2021-7

The Northern is aptly named for his huge beak.

Mallard 2021-66

Mallard 2021-67

The morning light can be magical at times.

Canada Goose 2021-121

Two Canada Geese taking off from Jonas Green Park.

Gadwall 2021-40

I’ve been finding Gadwalls at Jonas Green Park for several years.

Hooded Merganser 2021-14

Hooded Mergansers often visit Jonas Green in the Fall.

Hooded Merganser 2021-12

Northern Harrier 2021-1

This Northern Harrier was foraging at Bombay Hook.

Pied Billed Grebe 2021-4

We should be seeing a few Pied Billed Grebes soon.

Great Egret 2021-218

Double Crested Cormorant 2021-19

Double Crested Cormorants are a common sight.

Bufflehead 2021-68

Dozens of Buffleheads are in the South River.

Cowbird 2021-7

A flock of Cowbirds is feeding in Quiet Waters.

Chipping Sparrow 2021-37

Watch the White Throated Sparrows and you may find the occasional Chipping Sparrow.

Wood Duck 2021-294-

These Wood Ducks seem to be staying a bit late.

Dark Eyed Junco 2020-26

I expect to see more Dark Eyed Juncos soon.

Cardinal 2021-60

Cardinals are plentiful.

White Throated Sparrow 2021-37

Chipping Sparrows are regulars at Quiet Waters.

American Wigeon 2021-3

American Wigeon 2021-4

I found this American Wigeon at Thomas Point.

Wood Ducks at Quiet Waters

The passerines seem to have finished migrating and I’m waiting for the waterfowl. I’ve seen Buffleheads recently, and I heard one report of Swans, so it won’t be much longer.

I’m still going to the same places, with a couple of looks at Terrapin and CBEC, both of which had flooding problems. I’ve tried Sandy Point a couple of times with no luck. It will get better.

Thomas Point  is open now, but there’s not much to see yet. Plenty of Sparrows and Bluebirds, but no ducks or Swans yet. No Eagles, either.

So, these are the best from the last couple of weeks.

Cove 31

Cove 32

Quiet Waters.

 

Jonas Green 104

Annapolis from Jonas Green Park.

Eastern Bluebird 2020-69

Dark Eyed Junco 2020-23

Fark Eyed Juncos arrived just a few days ago.

Chipping Sparrow 2021-31

Chipping Sparrows seem to be numerous.

Bufflehead 2021-60

I’ve seen only a few Buffleheads so far.

Gadwall 2021-32

Gadwalls are regular visitors at Jonas Green.

Gadwall 2021-38. Blue Jay 2021-19

Great Blue Heron 2021-147

This Great Blue Heron regularly roosts on the Osprey platform.

Double Crested Cormorant 2021-16

I see Double Crested Cormorants often.

White Throated Sparrow 2021-35

I’ve read that White Throated Sparrows are one our most numerous birds.

Goldfinch 2021-13

There are many Goldfinches at Thomas Point.

Canada Goose 2021-118

Many Geese seem to stay the entire Winter.

Red Tailed Hawk 2021-11

I used to see Red Shouldered Hawks more often.

Palm Warbler 2021-15

The last Palm Warbler of the season.

White Breasted Nuthatch 2021-23

White Breasted Nuthatches seem to be thriving.

Blue Jay 2021-16

Many Blue Jays migrated through our area.

ruby crowned kinglet 2021-5

A few Ruby Crowned Kinglets are still in the area.

Mallard 2021-62

I find Mallards in every suitable place I visit.

Black Duck 2021-11

Black Ducks have been regulars at Thomas Point for years.

Hooded Merganser 2021-7

Hooded Mergansers have visited Jonas Green for several years.

Song Sparrow 2021-62

I captured this Song Sparrow in an unusual pose.

Wood Duck 2021-284- Wood Duck 2021-283-

Wood Duck 2021-288-

Wood Duck 2021-287-

Wood Ducks seem to be staying later than usual.

Palm Warbler at Greenbury Point.

We must be getting close to the end of migration, and I’m complaining less than usual.  I’ve been very conservative about where I’ve been going. It’s all local with the exception of the occasional trip across the bridge.  The best nearby marshes are at CBEC  and  Terrapin. The best nearby lake is  Artemesia, but I haven’t been going that far, as the reports are dismal.

The best birds have been at Greenbury Point and the pond at Jonas Green.

We’ll have swans and ducks soon, and I’ll be adding Thomas Point to the list.

 

Great Blue Heron 2021-143

Great Blue Heron 2021-143

This Great Blue Heron often uses this Osprey nest.

Great Blue Heron 2021-146

This Great Blue Heron often uses this Osprey nest.

Great Blue Heron 2021-146

Common Yellowthroat 2020-15

This young Common Yellowthroat is headed south for the Winter.

Bald Eagle 2021-29

I found three Bald Eagles over Greenbury Point.

White Throated Sparrow 2021-32

White Throated Sparrow 2021-34

White Throated Sparrows are here in large numbers.

Mockingbird 2021-7

There’s usually several Mockingbirds at Greenbury Point.

Yellow Rumped Warler 2021-7

Laerge flocks of Yellow Rumped Warblers are everywhere.

Blue Jay 2021-15

Many Blue Jays are migrating through.

Mallard 2021-58

Mallards frequently visit the Jonas Green Pond.

Canada Goose 2021-116

Canada Geese are also frequent guests.

Eastern Bluebird 2020-67

This Easter Bluebird was at Greenbury Point.

Eastern Towhee 2021-3

Eastern Towhees are heading south.

Eastern Phoebe 2021-12

Many Eastern Phoebes are in the area.

Red Bellied Woodpecker 2021-21

Red Bellied woodpeckers are present in just about every place I visit.

Cooper's Hawk 2021-8Cardinal 2021-59

Savannah Sparrow 2021-2

This Savannah Sparrow was at Greenbury Point.

Wood Duck 2021-275-

Wood Ducks did well this year at Jonas Green.

Palm Warbler 2021-13

This Palm Warbler is headed to Central America.