After another blah sunrise at Sandy Point, I tried Possum Point, Beach Road, Jonas Green Park, Quiet Waters and Thomas Point.

Possum Point had a few ducks, but I was striking out until I got to Thomas Point. I think things will pick up as the ducks start moving North, but this has been different from previous years.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

This Canvasback pair was also at Thomas Point.

This Goldfinch was feeding at Thomas Point.

I’ve only seen a few Red Breasted Mergansers this year.

Lesser Scaup at Cambridge.

Greater Scaup at Sandy Point.

First Horned Grebe of the year.

I met Graeme early this morning and we headed to Blackwater for the morning.

We saw Eagles right away, as well as a thousand or more Snow Geese, Pelicans, Ducks and miscellaneous passerines.

Afterward, we stopped at Oakley street for some cool duck closeups.

A day at Blackwater is always worthwhile.

Graeme Simpson and I at Oakley Street.

Mallards were plentiful.

You can almost always find American Wigeons at Blackwater in the winter.

This Greater Scaup posed in perfect light.

This Canvasback was at Oakley Street.

Bald Eagles are always prolific at Blackwater.

We got quite close to this Great Blue Heron, who didn’t move at all.

I found this Field Sparrow by the side of the road.

There were several hundred Tundra Swans.

Snow Geese flew right over our heads.

Thousands of Snow Geese and Tundra Swans spend the Winter months at Blackwater.

We found only one flock of Northern Pintails.

Of the hundred or so ducks, we saw only one Redhead.

There were only 6-8 Northern Shovelers.

I left my ski pants at home this morning and enjoyed the warm weather that’s been here for a couple of days.

It was another plain vanilla sunrise this morning, but I found a few birds in the marina, so it wasn’t a total waste.

There were lots of Cormorants offshore at Possum Point, but too far for decent images.

Quiet Waters was unusually quiet, but there was a little action at Thomas Point, including a pair of nesting Bald Eagles.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

This Mallard practically flew into my face.

Both Sandy Point and Possum Point had many Double Crested Cormorants.

Both Eagles were tending to this nest.

After another slightly boring sunrise, I headed to the Eastern Shore, where the reports say many ducks have gathered.

Terrapin was pretty boring except for a very early Catbird, and Kent Narrows continues to be surprisingly boring.

CBEC was another story, with thousands of ducks and Swans, although most were too distant for good photos. Still, a very good sign.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

These Tundra Swans flew in to join the large flock at CBEC.

This Red Winged Blackbird was singing in the marsh grass at Terrapin.

Terrapin is always good for a few Mallards.

This Gray Catbird is about a month early.

Northern Pintails have been at CBEC for a month or more.

I started with Sandy Point, as usual. Not a great sunrise, but good enough. I went by the marina, which didn’t have much to offer, then on to Possum Point.

There were some distant mergansers, but nor much else. I was hoping to find some early Ospreys, but not yet.

Quiet Waters had nothing at all to offer, which was a surprise.

Thomas Point had a few distant ducks, but too far out for images, so I stopped at my friend’s house on Thomas Point Road and came up with a few decent images. I expect things will pick up soon.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

I found this Greater Scaup at Sandy Point before the sun rose.

Tundra Swan s will be with us for two weeks or so.

Two Canada Geese were hanging around the dock at my friend’s house.

I found this Double Crested Cormorant at Possum Point.

A large flock of Canvasbacks flew over the point.

I had planned to go to Blackwater NWR this morning, but the high winds kept me close to home.

After catching the sunrise, I looked over the marina at Sandy Point and found a few ducks in close.

I then tried Quiet Waters in hopes of seeing the Great Honed Owl I spotted a few days ago, but no luck. A few Mallards and some distant Scaup were the sum of activity there.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

A few Mallards were flying about at Quiet Waters.

This Ruddy Duck is also a marina resident.

This Great Blue Heron was fishing at Quiet Waters.

This Greater Scaup was in the marina with a few friends.

Very mild weather this morning made life a little easier and probably added some color to the sunrise. Sandy Point still doesn’t have any significant number of ducks.

Possum Point had a lot of distant Ruddy Ducks, but not much else.

Quiet Waters was the same, but a Red Tailed Hawk was nearby.

Thomas Point wasn’t as good as yesterday, but an eagle appeared just as I arrived, and I got a back lit closeup.

This Bald Eagle flew right over my head.

I spooled this Red Tailed Hawk as I approached.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

The temps were a bit milder this morning, which I’m coming to appreciate with age. I was slow leaving the house this morning, so I may have missed the best part of the sunrise. Got to get motivated earlier in the future.

There were a few Scaup at Sandy Point, but not much else. Possum Point didn’t have any interesting waterfowl, but a couple of Woodpeckers cooperated. Jonas Green continues to be a bird desert.

Thomas Point was somewhat better, but the ducks continue to be too far out for good images.

I stopped at a friend’s house on Thomas Point Road and found some of the missing ducks.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

These American Wigeons were just a little too far away in poor light.

A large flock of Canvasback s flew over Thomas Point.

This Herring Gull was watching the Gadwalls.

This Red Bellied Woodpecker was also at Possum Point.

Several Northern Flickers were feeding at Possum Point.

I found this Greater Scaup at Sandy Point.

Three Gadwalls were dabbling near the shore at Thomas Point.

The cold has kept me in for a few days, and it was nice to awake to a reasonable temperature. Sandy Point was calm, with just enough clouds to hide the Sun, so it wasn’t much of a sunrise.

Possum Point was hosting hundreds of ducks, for a change, mostly Ruddy and Buffleheads.

Jonas Green Park was barren, but Thomas Point had some interesting ducks, including Gadwalls and Common Goldeneyes. Light and distance conspired against and good photos of these birds, but another day will come.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

A distant Gadwall.

This American Crow was very noisy.

This Great Blue Heron was fishing at Sandy Point.

There were hundreds of Ruddy Ducks at Possum Point.

These Buffleheads were just close enough for pictures.

It was cold again this morning, but there was very little breeze, so it was tolerable. The sunrise was good enough, but I was a little late once again, and may have missed the best part. There were a few ducks feeding near shore, but not much else.

I spent a half hour at Jonas Green Park without finding much, then moved on to Thomas Point, where I didn’t a single usable image.

I stopped at a friend;’s house along Thomas Point Road, and got a good look at some Tundra Swans who congregate there.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

These Tundra Swan s are fed by the neighbors.

You’ll always find Song Sparrows at Jonas Green.