1-2-3 Cute As Can Be – #28
Playing catch-up with Spring migration, here’s a nice selection of more little birds who gave me a moment of their time in the past couple months!
(hover over a bird to see it’s name or click on an image to scroll through with bird names)
U.S. Navy Blue Angels 2023
On May 24th, the Blue Angels performed an amazing show over the Severn River in Annapolis for the Naval Academy Commissioning week.
We were able to listen to the announcements, commentary, and the “Top Gun” music during the entire performance on our boat radio, it was pretty cool!
The show opened with the appearance of the Blue Angels tactical transport aircraft, a C-130J Super Hercules affectionately known as “Fat Albert”.
“Fat Albert” made his huge presence known, then flew off and disappeared.
Several Osprey were fishing or trying to get their catch to their local nests around us, oblivious to what was to come. (yep, slipping in my bird shots! hehe)
Scanning the horizon around us while the music started, we then saw them coming, six Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets screaming into the scene at speeds throughout the performance of up to 700 mph, WOW!
(Click on any of next images to see enlarged)
We were anchored in the mouth of the Severn River and the Blue Angels performed all around us, it was hard to keep track of where they all were at times. It felt like we were smack dab in the middle of aerial combat, wowza!
As the show ended with a Delta formation, the Blue Angels flew out of the river and passed us.
As the Blue Angels banked behind us, I happened to get this next shot of an Osprey still busy fishing with all the commotion.
Osprey still fishing….or…..trying to be part of the Blue Angel formation 😉
Thank you, Blue Angels, for another thrilling performance, you guys rock!
The Blue Angels Mission:
The mission of the Blue Angels is to showcase the teamwork and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps through flight demonstrations and community outreach while inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country.
This year marks the 77th anniversary of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels!
Osprey vs Eagle
At Eastern Neck NWR, another Osprey is busy fishing at sunrise!
Excellent catch, Mr Osprey!
Now to get it back to the nest for the Mrs to enjoy!
But a set of eyes from a distant tree watched the Osprey’s hard work and ultimate prize. 😕
A Bald Eagle decided it wanted that fish and engaged in high pursuit to try to harass and force the Osprey to drop it. The Eagle’s plan would then be to quickly drop to snatch the fish easily from the water’s surface.
Both species are fast flyers.
The bigger and stronger Bald Eagle can fly at top speeds of 30 mph.
But Osprey have a slight edge on being smaller and lighter, performing quick maneuvers much easier, and can reach top speeds up to 40 mph.
Both can dive even faster. The Osprey can reach up to 80 mph, whereas the heavier Eagle can reach up to 100 mph.
So in the chase, the Osprey can possibly out-fly an Eagle; but if a ‘diving’ maneuver occurs, the Eagle may catch up quickly.
This Osprey proves it will not give up its fish so easily in this two-minute chase!
The Osprey dives and the Eagle catches up!
(You are going to love the next three photos!)
As the Eagle closed in quickly on the Osprey, the Osprey pulled an awesome maneuver, turning and pulling up; and the surprised Eagle passed underneath, unable to make that quick, flexible turn!
Eagle catching up to the Osprey
Just as the Eagle is on its tail, the Osprey pulls up hard
The Eagle cannot make the upturn and passes underneath.
Well done, Mr Osprey!
And that was the Osprey maneuver that ended the two-minute chase! The exhausted Eagle gave up, flew off and out of sight.
With his fish still intact, the Osprey circled around to ensure the Eagle was done his chase.
He then reverted back to his original mission and direction for home and his waiting lady, passing by me.
Get the table ready, breakfast is coming!
The Osprey really do work hard for their catch, especially when there are nearby lazy Eagles, waiting for a possible easy meal.
Bonus, here’s the above chase in slideshow format to click through, if it works with your connection. Go Osprey!
Osprey Goes Fishing
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As is the norm now, this male Osprey is already busy at sunrise at Eastern Neck NWR.
Gotta go fishing!
Will he be successful?
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“Honey, get the table ready, breakfast is coming!”
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Ospreys are excellent anglers. Per AllAboutBirds.org, over several studies, Ospreys caught fish on at least 1 in every 4 dives, with success rates sometimes as high as 70 percent! The average time they spent hunting before making a catch was about 12 minutes—something to think about next time you throw your line in the water. 😂
But the job is not done just yet. Now the Osprey has the added feat of getting that fish home before a possible nearby watching Eagle decides it wants it. 😕 Next post….
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Chesapeake Bay Osprey
Our beautiful Osprey have been back for two months now and are in abundance everywhere around the Chesapeake Bay.
Old nests are renovated and new ones constructed, wherever they could find suitable real estate near or over water. Here are just a few of my local nests.
Osprey do get creative with their nests!
Usually by the end of April, the Chesapeake Bay Osprey have laid 2-4 eggs; so it is now brooding time, which is the female’s primary job.
The male will continue to bring materials to strengthen the nest. In addition, he needs to ramp up his fishing skills to bring home the bacon…..er…..fish for his lady in waiting and upcoming family.
Oh, Mr Osprey, you better do better than that or the Mrs will not be happy!
Huh?
Mr Osprey is back at it, fishing!
Next post I’ll share an Osprey in fishing action!
Wilson’s Phalarope and King Rail
Oops, I did it again, didn’t mean to disappear!
I’ve been doing a lot of birding the past few weeks during our region’s Spring songbird migration. Yep, I kinda got caught up in it. 😉
The fun, chase, and challenge gained me five new lifers (Wilson’s Warbler, Canada Warbler, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Wilson’s Phalarope, and King Rail). In addition, I was able to capture two of the five which are featured here.
The first of the two is the Wilson’s Phalarope. This beautiful shorebird stayed at a local pond at Chesapeake Farms for about a week to the thrill of many birders. Photos were a bit tough to achieve with it always hanging at the back of the pond, but I got ’em!
Wilson’s Phalarope (lifer #299, photographed #275)
The Wilson’s Phalarope usually migrates through the central to western United States to South America, and returns the same route to breed in the upper parts of the central to western U.S. and Canada. There are some known breeding areas in the New England states, this one may have been headed to its home there. Lucky for us locals with its week stopover to refuel, wherever it was headed!
Wilson’s Phalarope
The second photographed lifer was a super thrill, the elusive King Rail. I found it also at Chesapeake Farms in their 40-acre Hill Reservoir marsh.
The King Rail is a secretive bird. I was told that mine is the official third sighting for Kent County, Maryland, and farthest north on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The first was recorded back in 1891, the second heard in 2019 at Eastern Neck NWR. So I get to toot my little horn, right? 💃
King Rail (lifer #300, photographed #276)
King Rail
On a serious note, I feel extremely fortunate to have sighted this King Rail. King Rail populations have declined in all areas surveyed in North America, overall by an estimated 4.5% per year since 1966 according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, indicating a cumulative decline of 90% over that period. Partners in Flight estimates the global population at 70,000 birds, rates the species a 15 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, and includes it on the Yellow Watch List for declining populations. The IUCN classifies King Rail as a “Near Threatened” species. Long-term declines in populations are mostly related to the massive loss of wetlands across North America. (courtesy AllAboutBirds.org)
King Rail’s Map Range
King Rail
I’ve taken a galore of bird photos in the past few weeks, I just need to sit still long enough to pick through them to process and share. 😉
Next up, a three-post series on my beloved Osprey that I’d been previously working on!
P.S. During my few week hiatus and restart, Word Press changed my format, forcing me now to use the Block editor (I’ve been using Classic for 10+ years). So that has been a huge negative getting restarted, I had to learn it to do this post. If it’s a little ‘out of whack’, you know why!
Bald Eagle Up Close
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Cannot get much closer than this in the wild! This Bald Eagle stayed put as I pulled up alongside it, giving me an opportunity of a lifetime to take as many photos as I wanted.
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Bald Eagle
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Photos taken at Bogles Wharf, Eastern Neck NWR
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Wading Shore and Water Birds
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Let alone the normal birds around, I’ve been enjoying my last couple weeks’ latest sightings of the new birds arriving or passing through our area, including the wading shore and water birds. Here’s what I’ve captured!
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Common Loon (male)
Eastern Neck NWR
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Bufflehead (female)
St. Mills Pond (pollen-laden)
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Killdeer
Chesapeake Farms
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Greater Yellowlegs
Eastern Neck NWR
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Lesser Yellowlegs
Chesapeake Farms
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Greater Yellowlegs (left) and Lesser Yellowlegs (right) comparison
Chesapeake Farms
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Solitary Sandpiper
Chesapeake Farms
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Pectoral Sandpipers
Chesapeake Farms
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Least Sandpipers
Chesapeake Farms
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Semipalmated Plover joining the Least Sandpipers
Chesapeake Farms
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Short-billed Dowitchers
Chesapeake Farms
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Short-billed Dowitchers
Chesapeake Farms
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And finally, two special rare sightings this past week at the same location, what super fun!!
The first I was tipped off with an ebird alert on a lone American Avocet, keeping its distance from everyone across the pond. I’ve photographed this bird before but not in our county, so off I went the next morning to find it.
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American Avocet
Chesapeake Farms
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American Avocet
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And the same two days I photographed the above avocet, I got the second rare surprise sighting on my own, a lone Glossy Ibis. What a beauty!
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Glossy Ibis
Chesapeake Farms
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Glossy Ibis
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Glossy Ibis
Second day (and yes I was birding in an on/off drizzle)
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And now you know one of the reasons why I’ve been MIA on the blog-sphere so much lately. I am out and about, rain or shine, having bird-blast adventures! 🤪🥴🤣
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Raptors On The Ground
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I’ve shared many raptors either flying or perched in trees. Not too often, I’ll get lucky to capture one on the ground, where they are usually on or near prey.
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Bald Eagle (adult)
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Bald Eagle (immature)
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Red-shouldered Hawk
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Turkey Vulture
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Bald Eagle
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Another Bald Eagle, different location along the shoreline
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And one final series of photos with a story about an eagle not on the ground, but in the water.
The story background – At a recent visit at Eastern Neck NWR’s Bogles Wharf and boat ramp, I was scoping the Chester River for waterfowl and spotted an eagle trying to stay atop the water while the tide was carrying it out towards the Chesapeake Bay. I watched it for about five minutes; it seemed in distress by its lackluster wing movement to try to swim and exhausted behavior. Sometimes it’d disappear below the water.
I quickly reached out to a couple refuge contacts, one told me to call Maryland’s DNR Wildlife Rescue Division. I did, telling them the eagle’s distress and the tide had it, and they needed to bring a boat. A boat? As you can imagine, that did not seem to go over so well on a late Sunday afternoon. The officer said he’d see what he could do, took the location and my info, and the call ended. I didn’t feel too good about a boat or rescue coming.
There was nothing else I could do but keep my eye on the eagle as it continued being pulled down the river. I was very worried.
Well…..I should know better about the strength and willpower wildlife has to survive!
I watched in amazement as the eagle suddenly went into a very strong swim and miraculously broke from the pulling tide, making aim for the cove I was in, and not stopping.
“GO, EAGLE, GO!”
The eagle made it into the cove and finally stopped, taking a much needed floating rest. That’s when I finally ran for my camera from my car. The eagle began swimming again, passing the shoreline to its left and aiming for a snag laying in the water across from me and the boat ramp.
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An exhausted Bald Eagle swimming for a snag on the shoreline
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Series of the swim, heavily cropped
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I went back to my binoculars and watched the eagle finally make it to the snag and climb up on it.
I noted it did not have anything in its talons, which was one reason it could have been in its dire situation due to a heavy prey capture.
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Bald Eagle makes it way, walking along the snag to the shoreline
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Bald Eagle stopping to flap those water-logged wings
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The eagle finally reached the shoreline and disappeared behind the marsh grass. With my binoculars, I could see it just sitting there, probably thinking, “Whew, that was one helluva swim!”
It sure was! It had been 45 minutes since I first saw the eagle in the water, and it had certainly been in the water longer.
Not sure why the eagle was in its dire situation, but I was so happy to see it make it to the shore. We’re going to hope it was able to recuperate quickly that evening/next day, and that I’ve since seen it in the air or up in a tree during a visit since at the refuge. 🙂
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Five On The Wire – #12
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A recent alert of a rare bird that lives throughout the western half of the United States was sighted 20 miles from me. Bird trip!
Yay! I did locate the bird, a Say’s Phoebe, on a barb-wired fence as reported, along with other birds who favored that perch as well.
And so, this easily became another post for my series of five birds perched on a wire, taking in their 360° view….and grabbing a bug or two for a snack!
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Eastern Phoebe
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Say’s Phoebe (lifer #295)
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Eastern Bluebird (male)
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Eastern Bluebird (female)
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The next bird opted for a communication line.
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