More Tundra Swans
Here’s a few more photos of our lovely winter Tundra Swans.
Very soon, they will be heading back home to the arctic tundra to breed and raise another family to bring back to visit us next winter!
Duck Duck Goose
You know the game, right? Okay, let’s play!
Duck…..
Mallard (male)
Duck…..
Mallard (male)
Duck…..
Mallard (male)
Goose!
Snow Goose
Duck…..
American Black Duck (female)
Goose!
Snow Goose (blue morph)
Duck…..
American Wigeon (male)
Duck…..
American Wigeon (female)
Goose!
Greater White-fronted Goose
Duck…..
Lesser Scaup (male)
Duck…..
Lesser Scaup (female)
Duck…..
Lesser Scaup (male)
Goose!
Canada Goose
Duck…..
American Wigeon (male)
Ducks…..
American Wigeons (5 males, 2 females; in addition, far right
male wigeon is called a “Storm” Wigeon for the mostly white face
Geese!
Greater White-fronted Goose and Canada Geese
What fun! 😊
All duck close-up photos were taken January 2026 at the Oakley Street waterfront in Cambridge, Maryland.
Any given day you don’t know what you’ll find there. Missing my trip were Canvasbacks, Greater Scaup, Buffleheads, and even a possible Redhead or two.
Locals throw corn out often, drawing the winter ducks year after year. The ducks know a good, safe feeding spot when they find it! And it’s definitely a waterfowl photographer’s delight!
Just aim and shoot at a 180 degree view of ducks!
1-2-3 Medium Bird Jubilee – #26
Winter blues can be wonderful when they are these two birds of blue!
Eastern Bluebird
Blue Jay
Eastern Bluebird
Blue Jay
Eastern Bluebird
Blue Jay
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Bluebird
Blue Jay
Here’s wishing these winter blues were positive for you!
1-2-3 Birds & Berries – #16
Continuing with the Cedar Waxwing photo session in my last post; yes, I will admit I ignored the European Starlings mixed in. I didn’t want to stop shooting the waxwings!
With all the birds moving quickly through the trees, I suddenly had a European Starling land in front of my lens. Now it was all about the iridescent coloring of the starling!
For past posts in the 1-2-3 Birds & Berries series, click here.
1-2-3 Birds & Berries – #15
The birds have been busy devouring the winter wild berries the past couple months!
Just before the recent snow/ice storm, I braked on a remote road heading home when I saw a flock of birds in the berry-filled tree tops alongside the road.
One of the species were Cedar Waxwings!
Putting my car flashers on, I did the best I could from my car window on the constant-moving flock.
There were over 100 Cedar Waxwings, what a treat!
Another species flocking the berries were European Starlings. My focus was all about the waxwings, so I didn’t worry about capturing the starlings. Then one starling popped in front of me nicely; and what a treat, he’s the next post Berry Series star!
For past 1-2-3 Birds & Berries series posts, click here.
Squirrel Shenanigans
More Eastern Gray Squirrel photos as promised!
My backyard at sunrise
In the above photo, you can see my feeders and bird bath moved forward to be close to my back porch (bottom left corner) from the line of trees in the back left so I could maintain them easier after the winter storm.
Now enter the hungry squirrels. They cannot find any food or water either.
An Eastern Gray Squirrel making a plan to get to my feeders
The squirrel makes it and up he goes!
“Hi! I just gotta shimmy up this pole!”
“I made it! Hmmm…what do we have here?”
Munch…munch…munch…
$$…$$…$$…$$
It sure is yummy!
To keep them away from the feeders and wandering on my back porch, I started casting bird seed far out on top of the ice/snow. It’s been working just as well for them as the birds!
Yes, squirrels, I love you at a distance!
Snow Birds
A few snaps of my backyard daily snow birds enjoying scattered bird seed.
Dark-eyed Junco (male)
Dark-eyed Junco (female or immature)
Northern Cardinal (male)
Northern Cardinal (female)
Blue Jay
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-bellied Woodpecker (male)
Eastern Towhee
Eatin’s good here!
And someone trying to pretend to be a bird…..
Eastern Gray Squirrel
More squirrel photos next!
Blackwater NWR January Birds – Part 3
I had separated out my Great Blue Heron shots at Blackwater NWR for their own share and to complete my January 2026 series from my two visits to the refuge.
One visit I counted eight Great Blues; the other, five. I stopped for four to photograph.
The first three are single shots of what they do best.
Slowly waking up in the early morning light.
This one looks like he’s stuck in the mud!
By his look, I’m sure he turned happy when I quickly moved on after the photo.
This last Great Blue Heron was out in a wider open portion of the marsh, fishing mid-morning. A few singles from my shot series.
Great Blue Heron stalking fish
A tiny catch!
And onward it went, in the need to find more than that for a mid-morning snack!
Blackwater NWR January Birds – Part 2
Here’s the second part of the other birds I captured at the refuge last month (January), not in the waterfowl series. Think land birds!
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Phoebe
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Harrier
Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl at sunset
The Short-eared Owls draw a lot of birders and bird photographers to Shorters Wharf at the refuge in hopes of seeing them, even luckier if you can capture decent photos. I’ve been several times and finally got my first photos of them at the refuge, yay! They stayed at a distance so my photos of them are heavily cropped but I am happy!
Blackwater NWR January Birds – Part 1
I recently shared the Bald Eagles, Tundra Swans, and American White Pelicans separately at Blackwater NWR, located in Cambridge, Maryland.
Here’s the first of two parts of the other birds I captured at the refuge last month (January). Since the refuge in the winter is all about the waterfowl and surprise shorebirds that come and go, this part will be those species I saw.
Mallards on a frosty stroll when I arrived
Northern Pintails
Northern Pintail
Northern Pintails
Greater Yellowlegs
Long-billed Dowitchers
Dunlins
Great Black-backed Gull
American Herring Gulls
American Herring Gull with a crab
Part 2 next!
Bay Photos by Donna 