Eagle on Our Osprey Nest Platform
Nothing like an eagle to quickly awaken your eyes and body on an early cold morning!
One of my first rituals every morning is to get a cup of coffee, look out my windows and take in the beauty I am so lucky and thankful to see each day. This one recent morning the sky was lighting up but the sun hadn’t risen yet. Glancing out the window, I almost spilled my cup when I sighted an adult male eagle perched on our osprey nest platform, eating a nice size fish. Throwing my coat on over my pajamas (yes I did!), I grabbed my camera and first took a couple shots threw the window. Just in case. I then eased open the slider and took one slow step out to snap a couple more. Of course, eagles see everything. He looked right at me, watched me humbly retreat, then went on to eating. The power of those eyes!
American Bald Eagle on Oyster Cove Osprey Nest Platform
I continued to watch him from inside with my binoculars. I heard another eagle call-out and saw the one I was watching look up from eating and towards the Kent Narrows Channel southend entrance. Bingo, there was the female. The male on the platform took flight with the fish and flew over to the channel marker and landed. He finished off the fish (didn’t share, mind you!) and then perched across from his mate. By this time the sun had risen. (And I was now running late for work! lol)
American Bald Eagles on Kent Narrows Channel Marker #3 (South Entrance)
The pair remained on the marker while I readied for work until one disappeared on me. The other was still perched on the marker when I left for work. Captured this next shot before leaving of the one not giving a hoot that Canada Geese were flying around him on both sides.
Canada Geese flying past American Bald Eagle
Eagle sightings are an awesome experience for me every time, and this time of year sightings are often. I tried yesterday on my way home from work stopping to photograph one flying (didn’t get him). This morning I watched three flying over Marshy Creek, one obviously harassing a mated pair. The male of the pair did some major chasing of the intruder eagle until he left. The male then returned to the Mrs. who had perched on Lippincott’s channel marker to watch the action. Upon landing, they called out together in triumph. 🙂
American Bald Eagles on Lippincott Channel Marker #3
It sure makes a day better when you see an eagle! 🙂
Eagle Love At Sunrise
In addition to birds and wildlife, I’m forever taking a sunrise or sunset photo. (I need to make a folder of just them someday!) This morning I saw Marshy Creek had iced-over during the night (doesn’t happen very often), and the sunlight was starting to reflect on it. It was time to get on the road to work, so I quickly took a couple shots off my balcony and got back inside. Brrrrr!!!! I should have put on my coat!
Sunrise over Marshy Creek January 8, 2014
I packed up, bundled up, and headed down to my car. Got it started and decided to take a couple more sunrise photos from the berm while my car warmed up. 🙂
Sunrise from our berm
After snapping the above shot, my eye caught a large dark bird silhouette out over the above right channel marker. Eagle? I ran (yes, ran!) back to my car to get my telephoto lens, then back to the berm. Snapped the first photo below of the Eagle and then saw a second one. It was a pair of Bald Eagles flying around together. Awesome! It is that time for Bald Eagles around the Chesapeake Bay to be courting and preparing their nest, as the females will be laying their eggs by late January/early February. I’ve been watching and waiting to catch a glimpse of a pair bonding!
I didn’t know if any photos would turn out from a distance with the low light, my camera was not liking the cold, so I just snapped away best I could as I watched the pair play and chase each other, sometimes flying in unison, and every so often one would make direct contact and bump the other. That’s a little love tap. 🙂
The pair never did come close to me, so I had to crop a bit much. Still I hope you enjoy this series of a little Eagle love at sunrise in silhouette.
American Bald Eagle
xx
It only lasted about six minutes, and then one Eagle flew down to the ice and landed. The second one swooped down for another love tap (that shot was disappointingly blurry) and then landed a bit of a distance from the first one on the shoreline.
Do you see the two Eagles at opposite sides of the photo?
What was that about? Guess they were done playing. I thought it was kind of funny. Not even a minute passed when the Eagle on the ice took flight again, flying low past the shoreline Eagle, and then stayed low across the ice and subsequently the Kent Narrows Channel water, heading directly to Kent Island.
The second Eagle pondered a moment and then took off to follow his/her love!
The pair didn’t actually mate in the air, which that sighting is quite awesome to watch, I’ve seen it several times. The pair will fly up high, make contact & lock talons together, and then mate while cartwheeling in a freefall to the ground, breaking lose just before ground contact. It’ll make you hold your breath as you watch them freefall!
Today’s little Eagle love at sunrise had me smiling all the way to work. Guess that’s the romantic in me, lol. I hope it gave you a little smile too! 🙂
Surf Scoters
Two summers ago, I photographed my first Surf Scoters at a distance from a public berm at the end of Tilghman’s Island, Maryland. I didn’t know what species they were but it was the male’s quirky bright-colored beak and bright white spot on the back of his black head that caught my eye in the water.
When I got home and identified them, I discovered they were on the list of annual local sightings on Marshy Creek at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center across the water from me. Now how could I have missed seeing that bright beak from my balcony the previous two winters?!
My eye has improved. 😉 I have since seen Surf Scoters numerous times from my balcony this and last winter. They don’t tend to come too close to our shore here but I’ve still enjoyed watching them with binoculars. They raft close together and take turns diving for food while the others keep moving. This season I started seeing them a week before Christmas.
Here’s a series of shots from different days which most times were cloudy. 😦 I cropped some a bit much and lost clarity, but I wanted to showcase that cool-looking beak for those that have never seen it.
Raft of Surf Scoters
You’ll notice in this photo the juvenile males don’t have the white spot on the back of the head yet but their beaks are beginning to turn to orange.
How ’bout that beak? 🙂 I hope you enjoyed the Surf Scoter, thanks for stopping by!
It’s Cold – Your Blue – Perfect
Great Blue Herons reside year-round the Chesapeake Bay area and are a favorite of mine. They are frequent visitors to our berm, and I cannot even consider passing up another opportunity of taking one more photo of one; they are such a beautiful bird who obliges most any time for a photo shoot! 🙂
After not seeing a Great Blue Heron around when I’m home since the middle of December, a glance from my balcony late yesterday afternoon finally changed that. Woo-Hoo!
GREAT BLUE HERON
I jumped back to my mid-December photos for my last GBH photo session that I never had a chance to post, here are a few of my faves from then……
Thanks for the photo ops, Mr. Blue, this gal is most appreciated! 🙂
Geese Goosing
I have no choice but to continue with another geese post. After stating the Canada Geese rarely come up to our berm and I was tickled to capture them at the base of the osprey nest platform, they decided to prove me wrong. I guess I was goosed?!!
Late this morning, lo and behold, a dozen Canada Geese were on our grass, munching away at the green stuff where the snow had been blown away. Of course, that’s not good news for the grass, but it’s proof that the birds are foraging in odd or more unsafe places for food to survive the snow and cold temps.
Before I had a chance to slip outside to sneak a couple photos, a couple walking their dog was approaching, causing the geese to fly just a few feet into the water. I stepped outside quickly, catching this pair landing.
CANADA GEESE
Once the walkers disappeared, the geese feeling somewhat safe again flew back onto the berm and grass. I caught some more landing shots.
Back on the grass, they once again started nibbling. I captured another quick shot before leaving them be. This one was the ‘looker’.
A nice-looking bird! After a brief fuel-up, the Canada Geese were back in the water and departed quickly, probably in search for the night’s sheltered cove.
Got Geese?
Here around the Maryland Eastern Shore and the Chesapeake Bay area, the migratory Canada Geese and Snow Geese have arrived for the winter season.
The Canada Geese have been in the area for some time, but the numbers have increased considerably. I had mentioned before how much I enjoy listening to them at sunrise from my balcony, honking from the distant coves on Kent Island and Marshy Creek, discussing their upcoming day and plans for departure, what a delight. 🙂 It is awesome to watch the world awaken around the water, especially with a cup of coffee and camera! If only I could do it every day…..sigh….oh yeah, that’s called retirement. Some day I hope!
Anyhoo! I lucked out just before Christmas watching a flock of Canada Geese swim out of Marshy Creek to head out for the day. For some reason, a few decided to come in close and make a brief stop at the base of our osprey nest platform. Out came the camera, they rarely come near or on our berm!
Canada Geese
They were soon back in the water and continued to swim towards Kent Island. When I checked on them a short time later, they had already taken flight and were gone!
The Snow Geese arrive each winter inland east of me in the vast farm fields abundant with dead vegetation throughout Maryland Eastern Shore and Delaware. My travel to and from work in Delaware is along the Rt. 301 corridor that is nothing but farm fields. For the past two weeks, I’ve sighted Snow Geese on four different days. The first two times, they were less than 50 feet from the road! I did not have my camera either time, shame on me. The third time, they were at such a distance at dusk that the photos were terrible (yes, this time I did have my camera!). And finally, yesterday on my way home as sleet was beginning to fall, there they were across the dual highway at the corner of Rt. 301 and Rolling Bridge Road, in the Centreville area.
Flock of Snow Geese
Looked almost like snow on the field. I only had my 24-120mm lens with me and quickly saw I wasn’t close enough. I went up the road a mile and ramped off for a u-turn and headed back. Not really being much closer on the opposite shoulder, I went up and turned onto Rolling Bridge Road and pulled up alongside the one end of the stretched-out mass.
For some reason, getting my first photos of Snow Geese each season is always exciting. Now the challenge is to find a flock closer to the road WITH a camera in the car. 🙂 I hope I didn’t lose my chance for this season a couple weeks ago!
As always, thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a safe and memorable holiday season and wish each of you good health, peace, and prosperity for the New Year!
My goals are to get healthier and to get back into my passion with wildlife photography. AND catch up with my fellow bloggers’ posts! 🙂 The end of the year went quick, I captured different visiting birds and some gorgeous sunsets but had no time to post or get back to enjoying yours….
I want to say I am very thankful to all of you that have followed me along my journey in photography. It has been you that has inspired me to explore and share what I capture through my lens! Thank you, friend!
New Year New Look. Yes, I changed my blog theme! (may still have some ‘bugs’ to work out though) I’ve been wanting a “new look” to better showcase photos but worried what would occur with my past post content. Would my past photos distort since I went bigger on photo-size? Yep, appears that way. I may try to reinsert some of the more recent previous photos to accurate size but can’t worry myself too much with it. I want to move forward and post new photos as I take them and get back into the joy of blogging and sharing!
So what’s been going on around here the Chesapeake Bay? The migratory birds have arrived! I shared those adorable Buffleheads in my last post; they are and will continue to be regular visitors for us to enjoy until Spring.
The local Bald Eagles are very active now in the sky as they bond and court. The females will be laying eggs towards the end of January/first of February. To watch their activity in the sky is quite enjoyable. I recently saw five at once from my balcony, but they weren’t eager to share the airspace altogether and immediately went their separate ways, two pairs and a loner juvenile. I missed the shot but what a bonus just to see! I did capture an adult Bald Eagle resting on the distant southend Kent Narrows Channel Marker #3 couple weeks ago.
American Bald Eagle
He/she perched on the marker for about half an hour before departing out of sight.
For an outstanding video of over 1,000 Bald Eagles flying over a dam on the Mississippi River December 15th, click HERE. AMAZING!
Enjoy your New Year and keep smiling……it makes people wonder what you’re up to! 🙂
And as always, thank you for stopping by!am
Buffleheads Are Back……And So Am I!
WOW, I cannot believe that several months have passed since my last post. Several ups and downs, and a few hiccups inbetween, unfortunately kept me from my hobby. I’ve missed blogging and haven’t been able to keep up with those blogs I read regularly. I’ve tried to photograph here and there when I could. It’s just not been the same…..
I hope I’m able to find the time and get back to blogging and blog reading. I love the fall season here along the Kent Narrows on the Maryland Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It is impossible to not get inspired by the bold colors and sounds that have arrived. When the sun rises each morning, small flocks of Canada Geese are honking in distance coves as they awake and discuss their plans on departing and moving on for the day in search of farm lands to feed on. They return in the evening for safety through the night.
Some of my shots:
Canada Geese
Coming in for a landing!
Canada Geese flying into the sunset
This past Wednesday before leaving for work, I was out on my balcony listening to the Canada Geese’s usual morning chatter. A breezy wind was chopping up the water a bit, yet a white spot caught my eye out in the distant. I grabbed my binoculars and saw a lone male Bufflehead bobbing along. My first of the season!
Is that a male Bufflehead I see?
Sure is!
The Bufflehead is the smallest of the duck family in North America. Chunky and energetic, they are super-fun to watch! When able to photograph them close-up, the mission is to capture their dark glossy head gleaming an iridescent greenish-purple shine. Like this shot of mine from last winter. 🙂
Male Bufflehead
The next morning I looked for the lone Mr. Bufflehead again, hoping he returned. I was surprised to find a group this time!
Male and Female Buffleheads
They made their way towards a group of Mallard Ducks where there’s safety in numbers.
Buffleheads mixing in with Mallard Ducks for safety
I hung around a little longer hoping they would venture towards me for some better shots, but no such luck this time. No matter, the Buffleheads are back!
A final photo of one of our community’s trees, on fire for the season, captured this morning.
It’s good to be back. 🙂
Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your week! Make it a great one!
Osprey & Eagle Interaction
In my previous two posts, I featured photos I’d taken while boating our local waterways off the Chesapeake Bay of Osprey in one and American Bald Eagles in the other. Both are raptors and are abundant throughout the Bay. Neither is really an enemy of the other, but they will attack the other to protect their territory rights and local perches, and will even try to steal a fish grasped in the talons of the other.
To get an idea on the size comparison of the Osprey to the Eagle, here’s a chart alongside a male human. (Sorry for the different language, I had this chart in English but couldn’t locate it.) Their size in comparison to us humans is really amazing!
Left to Right: Osprey, Human, Eagle
And now their interaction. It was while we were heading up the top of the narrowing Choptank River, we had rounded a bend and slowed down to enjoy the quiet marsh and wetland scenery, when we heard an Eagle screaming. And then an Osprey. To see one or the other is a treat. To see both at the same time is an even bigger treat, especially when they are interacting. Or as I like to call it, ‘dog-fighting’. We saw no reason why they were attacking each other, neither had a fish, and no other birds or nests were in sight; but in the following photos, you can tell that with talons extended, they both were very serious about something! One must have been in the other’s territory is all we could figure.
I did take these at a distance, so when I cropped to give detail, I lost a lot of quality, but the action is pretty cool! 🙂
The dog-fighting lasted only a couple minutes and then they took off in opposite directions…..leaving us in awe of the raw action we had just witnessed. We were in the right place at the right time. Cool. 🙂
We turned around and headed back down the Choptank River for home. Instead of rounding the bottom of Tilghman’s Island to reach the Chesapeake Bay, boats can pass through Knapps Narrows that connects the island to the main land. I enjoy passing through this way and thought I’d share a photo of the Knapps Narrows Bridge, the oldest operating drawbridge in the United States today. It’s fascinating!
Knapps Narrows Bridge – The Oldest Operating Drawbridge in the United States today.
I hope you enjoyed the Osprey/Eagle interaction, it’s not something we get to see very often. Everyone have a super rest of week and thanks for stopping by!
UPDATE: In case you aren’t a comment reader, I wanted to point out Deb’s/Trek Ohio comment below on some VERY interesting information about eagles & osprey. Here’s Deb’s comment:
An old news article says that eagles have been decimating the heron population in the state of Washington: http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2011454352_eagleheron27m.html
Surprisingly wildlife managers there said if the heron populations continues its abrupt decline due to eagle predation, they were considering introducing ospreys near the heron colonies believing that the osprey would inadvertently protect the herons by protecting their territory from eagles.
Thanks Deb for sharing this! I found this most interesting and looked into further and found a recent May 2013 article that says the eagles did indeed drive away all the blue heron colonies. I couldn’t find where they may have attempted to introduce osprey to see if it would help. I think it would be a phenomenal idea to at least try! Here’s the article: http://www.kplu.org/post/eagles-return-drive-entire-colony-herons-out-kiwanis-ravine
Fly Like An Eagle
During our recent local boating excursions, besides my last post on the Osprey, another bird that we saw frequently was the American Bald Eagle. This bird’s beauty is breathtaking as it flies high in the sky or rests on a perch. I could never tire of watching one.
An Eagle’s wingspan is 6-7 feet wide. They can live up to 30 years in the wild, but average 15 years. We are very lucky that the Chesapeake Bay area hosts Eagles year round.
Here’s some of my photos taken while trying to balance myself in a boat. 🙂
One trip we headed way up the Wye River leading off the circle around Wye Island, and I spotted an Eagle’s nest, then realized there were three Eaglets perched above it. Trying to photograph them from the water in the boat made it very difficult to get all three with their heads up and in full view. In the first one photo, the top left Eaglet was preening himself. No, he’s not headless!
Three Eaglets at their nest
When he finally sat up, I lost the third one behind a branch, darn it!
Three Eaglets at their nest
I was pretty darn excited when I spotted this nest! We did not see either parent, but I’m sure one was around, keeping an eye on the teenagers. I’ve now spotted two Eagle nests on the Wye River from our boat on my own. Unbelievably, an Eagle’s nest is typically 5-6 feet in diameter and 3 feet tall. Eagles will reuse their nest and it has been recorded that one in St. Petersburg, Florida, reached over 9 feet in diameter and 20 feet tall, weighing over 2 tons! That had to be one HUGE nest!
Before I end, here’s an Eagle poem that I came across a few years ago that I think you will enjoy.
The Bald Eagle
by Don R. Wilkins
My nest, built on craggy cliff,
or in a tree top high.
I soar above the reaching hills,
on lifting winds I fly.
I raise my young with tender care,
until they fly away.
Their destiny to fly alone,
it is but Nature’s way.
My prey I seek with piercing eye,
and grasp with talon strong.
Then lift into the endless sky,
to sing my victory song.
By strength of wing I’ll soar on high,
my future yet to be.
To glide beyond restricting Earth,
Eternity to see.
My place in Nature is secure,
I’m viewed now with respect.
A Symbol for the strong and free,
I fly with no regret.
With courage yet unquestioned,
there’s challenge in my cry.
I lift to heights, unhindered,
An EAGLE….flying high!
And who doesn’t know this song!
I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
Till I’m free
Fly through the revolution.
By Steve Miller Band
Take time in your life and fly like an Eagle!
🙂
Bay Photos by Donna 