The Birds and I Are Back
Hello! It’s been way too long, and I apologize for disappearing. Once things began rolling, I quickly had no time for anything hobby. We were suddenly buying a new home and moving further south on the eastern shore of Maryland, just outside St. Michaels (“the town that fooled the British”).
Moved in 2 1/2 months now, and I’m still unpacking and setting up. But I say that with a smile, as life is indeed grand, we couldn’t be happier!
Our 3+ acres backs up to a marsh that’s fed from Harris Creek/Choptank River, plus there’s a small farm to our one side. Birds? Oh yea!!
My little birding paradise has shared 120 species so far with me. Not only do I have a wonderful variety of year-round birds, fall migration has been fabulous! Here’s just a few….. 😉
Carolina Wren
Black-and-White Warbler
Brown Thrasher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Carolina Chickadee
Great Egret
White-throated Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Blue Jay
Ruby-throated Hummingbird in my garage!
Summer Tanager
Osprey
Cedar Waxwing
Blue Grosbeak
Red-eyed Vireo
Winter Wren
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Bluebird
Great Blue Heron
Eastern Wood Pewee
My lifer bird count has increased as well, I am now at 307 species with 279 of those being photographed. I’ll share my last two. 🙂
First, a warbler making it’s way south from our northern states and Canada that just happened to pass through my backyard, how awesome!
Chestnut-sided Warbler – Lifer #306
Just a couple days ago I received a text on a rare sighting of a LeConte’s Sparrow that was pretty far east of it’s normal mid-West migration path. I arrived to find two others also tipped. After 45 minutes of looking in the wind, the gorgeous sparrow finally popped out and gave us a very cooperative five-minute shoot before disappearing again down in the brush. It was very exciting to us all!
LeConte’s Sparrow – Lifer #307
LeConte’s Sparrow
I’ll share one final exciting bird before ending. Another rare one for our area that surprised everyone in Maryland, a Roseate Spoonbill! This beauty showed up on Poplar Island in the Chesapeake Bay. Right after we moved in, I luckily scored a ticket for a free birding boat trip out to the island in hopes it would be there. As soon as the boat docked, we were informed the spoonbill was spotted so we hurried onto a bus. As soon as we pulled up, it took flight but it was grand to even get to see this gorgeous bird….in Maryland!
Roseate Spoonbill, Poplar Island, Maryland
We’re back!
