This Belted Kingfisher flew shortly after I spotted him, but even this distant shot is decent.

Great Blue Herons are easy to find at Blackwater, but I’m still slightly shocked to see them in trees.

I had to move quite a distance to get a good angle on this Bald Eagle.

I was pleased to find this American Coot, as it’s a first for me.
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.”

It’s unusual for me to get this close to a Great Blue Heron .

Wildlife Drive runs right through the marshes at Blackwater, and I usually make two circuits. This Red Tailed Hawk was waiting for me at the beginning of the second loop.

The Northern Shoveller can be hard to photograph, as he is constantly moving to feed.

OK, too many Great Blue Herons, but how do you pass up a shot like this?

This Snow Goose is a juvenile.

The most recent census counted 8800 Canada Geese at the refuge.

Several Tundra Swans flew over.

This is another common bird, but Cedar Waxwings are very beautiful.

These Buffleheads flew back and forth several times.

You can always count on a Song Sparrow to pose.

These Long Tailed Ducks took off as I approached.

From this angle, the Surf Scoter seems to have a perpetual grin.

I don’t know the meaning of this behavior.

I wandered around Sandy Point for about 2-3 hours and this Downy Woodpecker was the only bird worth photographing.

This is an unusual angle to capture a Red Bellied Woodpecker, and it clearly shows the derivation of the name.

The texture of the water adds something to this image of a female Lesser Scaup.

I had no idea of the name of this bird when I first saw it. It’s an adult male Surf Scoter.
Cornell:
“A black-and-white seaduck common on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts in winter, the Surf Scoter has a boldly patterned head that is the basis for its colloquial name “skunk-headed coot.””

I’m seeing small flocks of Buffleheads everywhere I go.

I’m getting a little better at this, so I was ready when this Canvasback flew over.

I saw this gull dive into the shallow water, but I’m not sure what he’s caught.

It’s not a great picture, but you can easily see how the Long Tailed Duck got his name.

The Common Goldeneye is a striking bird.

It’s been a couple of months since I’ve seen a Red Breasted Nuthatch.

I couldn’t pass up this Dark Eye Junco and his perfect pose.

The White Throated Sparrow is common, but very handsome.

The tiny (5.25″) Brown Creeper is hard to photograph as he quickly moves up a tree trunk.

The White Winged Crossbills were still present at Fort Smallwood, and there was a photographer for every one.

We saw Bufflehead, ducks like this female, Scaup, Goldeneye and a distant Wood Duck.

I haven’t seem many Common Goldeneyes.

A flock of Canvasbacks flew overhead several times.

Thomas Point Lighthouse

Lesser Scaup are still present in large numbers.

Tundra Swans were present on both sides of the point.

This female Lesser Scaup was enjoying a morning swim.

I often see Buffleheads in small groups.

I don’t often bother with gulls any more, but they are very graceful in flight.,

I think this is a Song Sparrow, but I’m checking.

This is a male.
Cornell:
“A medium-sized finch of the boreal forest, the White-winged Crossbill is adapted for extracting seeds from the cones of coniferous trees. It moves large distances between years tracking the cone crop from place to place.”

The “Crossbill” is clear in this photo.

This is a female.

I’ve always got time for a Red Bellied Woodpecker.

You have to admire the agility of the Downy Woodpecker.

This Bald Eagle was one of a pair sitting on a dock just before the entrance to the refuge. It’s one of my best Eagle images to date.

A very good look at the tail feathers.

Better light would have been nice, but I’ll take it.

This Great Blue Heron wasn’t quite awake yet.

Large flocks of Snow Geese were feeding in the marsh.

This Hooded Merganser and his mate were hanging out with a flock of Mallards.

A fellow birder pointed out this Belted Kingfisher.

I saw more Mallards than any other duck.

This Bald Eagle was quite content to have his picture taken.

Two Great Blue Herons were fishing side by side.

I had to look in my book to identify these Northern Shovellers as I’ve never seen one before.

The American Kestrel used to be known as the Sparrow Hawk.

I was lucky to snap this photo just as the Turkey Vulture was landing.

The light was beginning to improve when I found this Great Blue Heron.

This Red Bellied Woodpecker was in some thick branches, and it was hard to get a good image.

I first saw this Red Shouldered Hawk at a distance, high in a tree, but he flew off almost immediately. I took a chance and went in the direction he flew and got lucky. He was intently watching some sparrows, and ignored me even as I got quite close, and several people walked by.

The hawk had his eye on this Song Sparrow.

This Golden Crowned Kinglet moved too quickly for a clear image, but he was an interesting find.

This Mockingbird was enjoying a morning snack.

It’s always a pleasure to find a Bluebird.

A large flock of Canada Geese was sleeping in the marsh pond, along with a few gulls.

This Belted Kingfisher was looking for lunch.

The Song Sparrows at Jonas Green Park are always happy to pose for me.

This lone Bufflehead was the only duck I saw at Jonas Green.

This Great Blue Heron took off as I approached, and I did well to get this shot.

I saw this decoy at the boat ramp at Possum Point, and, for a moment, I thought I had something new.

This Red Bellied Woodpecker picked a colorful place to perch.

It’s not hard to find flocks of Canada Geese in the morning at this time of year.

This Flicker was hard to see in the low light.

This Great Blue Heron is using a vacant Osprey nest for a perch.

Flocks of Cedar Waxwings were active throughout the area.

The 2-3 foot waves seemed to make no difference to this pair of Lesser Scaup

Ruddy Ducks and Buffleheads seem to be the most common ducks in the area.