Eastern Neck NWR, Rock Hall, Maryland

Our Kent Island Photo Club took a trip to Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Rock Hall, Maryland, on February 8, 2015.  It had been several years since I’d been there, and I had forgotten how unique and wonderful this refuge was.  The refuge is a 2,285 acre island and part of the Chesapeake Marshlands NWR Complex.   It is most popular for wintering Tundra Swans who travel 4,000 miles to be here.

After weeks of cold temps, that weekend actually warmed to the upper 40’s.  The morning was cloudy, but by early afternoon, the sun was shining.  When the club members decided to leave, I couldn’t help but stay, it was such a beautiful day.

Here’s my share of the some of the beauty I captured…..

Bridge you cross to get onto X Island which is

The bridge you cross to get onto the Refuge island.  On the bridge and along the Tundra Swan Boardwalk are the best places to view the Tundra Swans.

Tundra Swan

Tundra Swan on one side of the bridge earlier in the morning.

Quite a few 'skirmishes' were going on amongst a few of the Tundra Swan.

‘Skirmishes’ were going on amongst a few of the Tundra Swan.

They got pretty loud sometimes!

They got pretty loud and fiesty sometimes!

Tundra Swan overhead!

Tundra Swan overhead!

Other

This is the other side of the bridge which views the Chester River.  You could hear hundreds of Tundra Swan out in the distance but couldn’t see them today from this point.

I saw about a dozen or so Eagles, at times they were flying by before you knew it.

This American Bald Eagle was flying right above/pass me, I almost missed him.

This American Bald Eagle was flying right above/pass me, I almost missed him.

At one time, there were six in the sky above me.  Of course, never all close enough to be in one shot.

American Bald Eagle

American Bald Eagle

That morning, our club had stopped to photograph a juvenile Eagle in a tree.  When the group left, I retraced some of our previous stops and found the juvenile still perched as before.  I hoofed it over a corn field to get a closer shot.  That was when one of the adult Eagles flying overhead decided (s)he wanted that perch.  🙂

Adult and juvenile American Bald Eagles

Adult and juvenile American Bald Eagles

"Hello, this perch is now mine!"

“This is now my perch!”

And so it became the adult's perch!

I don’t think the juvenile cared to argue.

There were several small flocks of Canada Geese throughout the island.

Canada Geese

Canada Geese

There were also plenty of Great Blue Heron photo ops.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

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I even got lucky on a little bird!

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

sparrow

Song Sparrow

And two final landscape views of Eastern Neck NWR’s beauty….

More cloud reflections

More cloud reflections

xx

A view at the end of the Refuge’s Bogles Wharf Road.

I hope you enjoyed; and if you don’t live too far, stop by yourself for a visit!

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