It’s been a while since my last post. Between a nasty cold and lousy weather, I haven’t gotten out much at all.  I managed a trip to Possum Point and Thomas Point this morning, but conditions weren’t ideal.

Possum Point is still fairly dead, with only a few cormorants. Thomas Point wasn’t much better, with a few flyby birds but none feeding near the point. I did find a few birds at a friend’s house on Thomas Point Road.

Sunrise at Possum Point.

Tundra Swans often flock along Thomas Point Road to be fed by the residents.

A flock of Common Goldeneyes with a couple of Canvasbacks mixed in.

This American Wigeon was hanging out with the swans.

This Dinosaur statue is in Thomas Point Park.

Sunrise was  kind of average, but good enough. I made a brief stop at Possum Point, which seemed to be devoid of ducks, and the same at Jonas Green.

There were no ducks or loons at Thomas Point, but the eagles were very active, fishing and doing their courting ritual. A Northern Flicker posed unusually well.

One of the omnipresent fisherman finally caught a decent fish, and posed for me.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

Two Bald Eagles were very visible.

I found this White Throated Sparrow deep in the woods.

Two Bald Eagles were very visible.

I see many fishermen, but not many fish.

The Sandy Point sunrise was quite good this morning.

The local parks are closed on Tuesdays,  so I headed to Terrapin, and it’s still kind of slow, but picking up.

Kent Narrows remains barren, but CBEC was a big improvement, with a good variety of distant ducks and the Fox Sparrow.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

I don’t see as many Northern Harriers as I’d like to.

This White Throated Sparrow was one of two decent shots I got at Terrapin.

This Belted Kingfisher flew right over my head.

This Fox Sparrow was a pleasant surprise at CBEC.

The sunrise was much better this morning. Lots of reds and pinks with an almost completely still bay surface.

I stopped at Possum Point first, and a couple of eagles treated me to a  fishing spectacular, but they were too far away for a good image.

Jonas Green Park remains devoid of ducks, so I went on to Thomas Point, which is improving, but not very active just yet.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

“My” Common Loon is still fishing at the point.

There were 50 or so Buffleheads near the entrance to Thomas Point.

This Bald Eagle flew by as I was photographing the Buffleheads.

After yet another boring sunrise at Sandy Point, I did the usual rounds, with a brief stop at Jonas Green Park, which still has no ducks, and then to Thomas Point.

There were a few Buffleheads at the point, but still no large flocks of ducks. A couple of loons and some swans helped, and I found a few smaller birds.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

I see a lot of White Throated Sparrows, but they’re never boring.

This Cardinal was foraging near the entrance to the park.

I wonder if Common Loons have taken up residence for the Winter?

These Tundra Swans flew over the point, as they often do.

Leda and the Swan
BY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS
A sudden blow: the great wings beating still
Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed
By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill,
He holds her helpless breast upon his breast.

The Sandy Point sunrise continues to disappoint.  Cloudy, mildly foggy mornings seem to be the worst conditions.

I went straight to Thomas Point afterward, and it was fairly barren, but a Long Tailed hen was a nice surprise. A couple of loons and a fishing gull provided some decent photos.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

This Herring Gull was unable to handle this relatively large fish.

Two Common Loons were fishing at the point.

Long Tailed Ducks were scarce last year.

When I arrived at Sandy Point, the sky was so blah I almost left. I waited long enough to see a little color, but it never got exciting.

I stopped again at Jonas Green Park, but there’s still nothing to see there.

Thomas Point was nearly barren, with a few distant Swans and a couple of Common Loons, one of whom eventually got close enough for a decent image.

The construction at Quiet Waters deterred me from trying any photography there.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

Fish Crows were calling loudly.

I waited half an hour for this Common Loon closeup.

Not much of an image, but it’s the first time I’ve seen a Common Loon in flight.

Common Loon, diving.

After a mediocre sunrise at Sandy Point, I went to Jonas Green Park, which remains devoid of interesting birds.

Possum Point was better. I managed to spook two adult Bald Eagles, but there were a few gulls around. Still no ducks that I could see.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

Only a few Black Backed Seagull were in residence this morning.

I saw several woodpeckers, but only this Downy Woodpecker posed for me.

After an average sunrise at Sandy point, I went back to Terrapin, which had many more birds, but not much variety.

Kent Narrows had nothing at all, so CBEC was next, and it had many birds, but too distant for good images. Still the weather was perfect and I got to see a lot of birds.

Sunrise at Sandy Point.

Mallards are common, but the light and the reflection makes this one special.

There’s almost always a Great Blue Heron in the marsh ponds.

Many Herring Gulls were fishing in the pond.

Cornell: “The waterborne American Coot is one good reminder that not everything that floats is a duck. A close look at a coot—that small head, those scrawny legs—reveals a different kind of bird entirely. Their dark bodies and white faces are common sights in nearly any open water across the continent, and they often mix with ducks. But they’re closer relatives of the gangly Sandhill Crane and the nearly invisible rails than of Mallards or teal.”

This Fox was foraging along the shore of the marsh pond at Terrapin.

The sunrise was almost wiped out by fog this morning, and I was lucky to get the shot I did.

A brief stop at Jonas Green Park was fruitless, once again, so I went to Quiet Waters, which wasn’t much better, even though the weather was near perfect after the fog lifted.

Thomas Point was much more productive, even though most of the birds were in poor light.

Sunrise at Sandy Point. The fog settled in shortly afterward.

There was still a little fog around when I found this Hooded Merganser.

I saw this Cardinal as I was leaving Quiet Waters.

I asked this Common Loon several times to move into better light.

I had my back turned when these Tundra Swans flew over, and it took some fast moving to get this shot.

This Red Breasted Merganser was with a flock of Buffleheads.

There was still some fog around when this Great Blue Heron flew by.

This Carolina Chickadee was feeding at Quiet Waters.

I wasn’t even aware of this Cooper’s Hawk until I reviewed the images. Sometimes birds fly by quickly and you don’t get a good look.