Bay Photos by Donna

 

Continuing with Part 2 of the birds I captured at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge a couple weeks ago.

 

Great Blue Heron

 

Great Blue Heron

 

Northern Cardinal (male)

 

Downy Woodpecker (male)

 

This next warbler was an exciting photograph for my file.  It’d been seen before in weeks prior, including by myself, so I knew where to try to find it again if it was still at the refuge at that location.  Sure enough, the Orange-crowned Warbler popped out and played ‘catch me if you can’ before disappearing again.  But this time! Yay! I got a photo!!

 

Orange-crowned Warbler
(this warbler usually goes further south in migration
to the southern U.S. states and Central America from Canada)

 

Carolina Wren

 

In beautiful song!

 

Of course, I cannot forget the raptors at the refuge.

 

Red-shouldered Hawk (juvenile)

 

Coming at you!

 

(It’s a sure bet you’re gonna see that beauty perched on a wire in my next ‘bird on the wire’ series…..  😉 )

On January 18, 2024, the Blackwater NWR Mid-Winter Eagle Survey was completed.  Forty people were stationed at various locations at the same time for a 30-minute period of counting.

The tally was 174 Bald Eagles present at the refuge.  Numbers are up from the last 4-5 years.  To see the refuge’s full survey and graph showing the numbers since 1980, click here or go to
https://www.fws.gov/media/midwinter-eagle-survey-2024.

 

Bald Eagles (female, largest, on right)

 

Bald Eagle (immature)

 

This next pair of Eagles were perched on the Osprey nest platform that is on a live cam year-round.

 

The female is perched atop the camera post

 

Live Cam links at the refuge (cut/paste):

Above Osprey platform – https://www.friendsofblackwater.org/camhtm.html

Abandoned Eagle nest taken over by a Great Horned Owl who today, Jan 30, 2024, laid an egg! –
https://www.friendsofblackwater.org/camhtm2.html  Scroll down that page to Youtube link to see the owl lay the egg.

Waterfowl scenes – https://www.friendsofblackwater.org/waterfowl-cam.html

And my last pair of Eagles that I cropped two ways.  Couldn’t decide which to post, so here you go!

 

 

 

Never a dull moment at this refuge!  It can be hard to leave!