Osprey Sighted on Oyster Cove Nest
We had an osprey on our nest today! I spotted one at 6:00 pm when arriving home but only got a visual through the window. When the osprey took flight, I was only able to catch a couple distant photos that are too blurry to show. If this was either Oliver or Olivia, he/she would return tomorrow for more nest roosting to show ownership of the nest while also out and refueling with fish and getting rest from the long journey just completed. The nature of wildlife migration is indeed amazing.
Hopefully, some photos of either Oliver or Olivia tomorrow!
Osprey Sighting in Grasonville, Maryland
Although we haven’t had a sighting yet of our osprey pair, Oliver or Olivia, it’ll be any day now. With all the sightings reported in the lower Chesapeake Bay, this week I kept checking some of the regular osprey perches in our immediate area. Late yesterday afternoon, I saw my first osprey of the season! If you travel the Rt. 50 corridor stretch through Grasonville, you’ve probably noticed the two well-established osprey nests sprawled up over the two three-lane highways on the Exit 44A signs. There patiently sitting on one of the nests was a lone osprey, resting and waiting for his/her mate to return. Spring is Here! 🙂
The next photo shows the above nest’s three fledgings from last year. Unfortunately, one did not survive colliding with a vehicle while in the early stages of learning to fly to and from the nest. 😦 The perils of nature and the human race….
This past winter, our osprey nest took another beating from mother nature. I thought it’d be interesting to compare photos of our nest from the end of last season and it’s condition today.
Oyster Cove Osprey Nest - September 2010
Oyster Cove Osprey Nest - March 2011
As always each spring, our returning osprey pair will have a lot of work ahead of them to rebuild their home. I can just hear Olivia exclaiming when she arrives in the next few days, “Just look at this place!”
With little else to report on our nest, I thought I’d share some shots of Canadian snow geese I took this week on my way to work. They are quite pretty in flight.
I expect to be posting again any day once I or a community neighbor has spotted the return of Oliver or Olivia. Send your sighting date/time to donna@parkwayfloors.com and I’ll post immediately. If you should capture a photo, send and I will post it too. Once our pair is back, I hope to enlighten you a couple times a week with photos and happenings as the season progresses with Oliver and Olivia and their offspring. Happy Osprey Sighting!
Osprey Sightings in Chesapeake Bay Area
I’ve heard through the Univ. of North Carolina osprey migration forum that osprey sightings have occurred around the lower part of the Chesapeake Bay and along the Potomac River this past week. A bit early, but still an exciting sign that our ospreys will be here any time now, so keep your eyes to the sky and nest! Last year, I have photos of our osprey pair back on their nest together on March 18. Our female, Olivia, had been sighted five days earlier. Usually the female returns to her summer nest first, so we shall see if she makes it back first again this year!
This past week has been a windy one. High enough winds to have waves and white-caps at the nest….
We also had an interesting creature swimming quite fast past our nest point late one evening, by the time I spotted it was something quite different and grabbed my camera, he had swiftly passed by and was headed to the Kent Narrows channel. With binoculars, it appeared to be a beaver. Here’s two photos of him, both not the greatest.
Never know what you might see around the Oyster Cove osprey nest!
We’ve also had a small number of coots and scaups actually feeding at the base of the nest. The two groups mingled without any harassment. Keeping on the move, they grouped together as one and headed over to Marshy Creek.
A female scaup stretching her wings….
With spring and our osprey around the corner, all is good! And keep an eye to the sky for Oliver and Olivia. If you’re in our community and see an osprey on our nest, send me an email about the sighting (photos too if you get any) and I’ll post them quickly.
Mother Nature Is Teasing Us….
From 50-60 degree temps to two inches of snow, what a week of teasing by Mother Nature! This week we had those cute little buffleheads diving around the nest and berms almost daily, there must be some good feeding at the bottom. Canadian geese are making their way through our area as well as they head back north. Earlier Tuesday morning I watched a lone male greater scaup casually swimming along the berm, rounding the osprey nest.
As he past on by, he had two tundra swans making their way towards him and the nest. Neither were fazed by the other…
Once the swans rounded the nest, they suddenly turned to their right and headed over to CBEC for the morning. I watched them for a several minutes as they bobbed their heads and talked to each other. Such a cool & peaceful sighting!
Following this post, I loaded another photo gallery of mallards and ducklings. The babies are just too cute.
February is winding down. March is almost here. The return of our osprey….. They should be on their way back! 🙂
Mallards & Ducklings
Mallard Ducks are quite abundant in our area all year round. Some say if you seen one, you’ve seen them all. But sometimes you capture a nice photo of one. I am partial to the baby ducklings as you’ll see from my favorites below.
January 30, 2011 – Oyster Cove
June 24, 2010 – Red Eyes/Mears Point Marina, Kent Narrows, MD
June 24, 2010 – Red Eyes/Mears Marina, Kent Narrows, MD
June 24, 2010 – Red Eyes/Mears Marina, Kent Narrows, MD
June 24, 2010 – Red Eyes/Mears Marina, Kent Narrows, MD
June 24, 2010 – Less than 24 hrs old – Red Eyes Dock Bar flowerbed, Kent Narrows, MD
June 24, 2010 – Red Eyes/Mears Marina, Kent Narrows, MD
June 17, 2010 – Less than 24 hrs. old, Red Eyes Dock Bar flowerbed, Kent Narrows, MD
June 17, 2010 – Less than 24 hrs. old, Red Eyes Dock Bar flowerbed, Kent Narrows, MD
June 21, 2010 – Learning to swim – Red Eyes/Mears Marina, Kent Narrows, MD
June 21, 2010 – Red Eyes/Mears Marina, Kent Narrows, MD
June 21, 2010 – Red Eyes/Mears Marina, Kent Narrows, MD
May 16, 2010 – This momma mallard swam her brood across from CBEC and over our berm as she made her way to the sidewalk in front of our osprey nest.
May 16, 2010 – “We made it!” Time to rest….
May 16, 2010 – Rest continues…..that was a long swim across!
May 16, 2010 – As momma quacked, her ducklings picked themselves up, following her back to the berm.
May 16, 2010 – Momma kept them together as she hustled them along quickly.
May 16, 2010 – Up and over the berm rocks the little ducklings fell as momma coached them along.
May 16, 2010 – All accounted for, momma led her family back over to CBEC.
May 16, 2010 – At the base of the Oyster Cove osprey nest.
February 21, 2010 – At the base of the Oyster Cove osprey nest.
December 26, 2009 – At the base of the Oyster Cove osprey nest
December 26, 2009 – At the base of the Oyster Cove osprey nest
December 26, 2009 – At the base of the Oyster Cove osprey nest
January 18, 2009 – Departing Oyster Cove over ice-covered Marshy Creek.
January 18, 2009 – Departing Oyster Cove over ice-covered Marshy Creek.
Canadian Geese and Blackwater NWR Excitement
Our winter waterfowl are quickly disappearing as they begin their return trips back north. A few evenings ago we had a small raft of ruddy ducks just behind our osprey nest lazily floating along and resting.
As I was watching them, I saw a small flock of Canadian geese coming in; I captured this neat shot of them landing to my right as the sun was beginning to set.
Yesterday afternoon, we had more Canadian geese visiting; however, this time they were on our grass at the osprey nest point. As some rested, others were munching away on our grass. We love our waterfowl, but we love our grass too! After I let them see some obvious movement from me, about half took a quick low flight and landed in the water in the cove to my right. These next shots are those that didn’t take off; they hung back and watched to see if the ones that did landed okay and were safe. After some ‘talking’ between both groups, the second group joined them. I was glad they stopped eating our grass! 🙂
We might not have much excitement going on, but very soon our osprey will return; and I am very excited about following their 2011 season with us at Oyster Cove and to share my sightings and photos with you. If you want to be alerted by email each time I issue a new post and photos, you can subscribe to my blog by clicking on the Subscribe button in the right-hand column. Rest assured your email will not be shared; and if you wish to discontinue receiving the email alerts, it is easy to unsubscribe.
I want to share BIG excitement at Blackwater Refuge’s eagle cam that I have been following. The parents produced three eggs, and yesterday their first eaglet arrived! The following is a shot captured this morning of the healthy-looking chick. You can see his egg has been pushed out of the nest cup by one of the parents to make room and keep it tidy.
Photos courtesy of Friends of Blackwater NWR
Isn’t he cute??!!!! The second egg is due to hatch today or tomorrow. Click HERE to jump to the eagle cam and be amazed when you catch a glimpse of the miracle of birth in the wild! Children and grandchildren will love this! UPDATE Monday 2/21/11 – The second egg hatched this morning! The third egg is due to hatch Tuesday-Thursday.
Photo courtesy of Friends of Blackwater NWR
Finally, I’ve been working on several photo gallery pages and have completed my Eagle Photo Page, which follows this post. For later access at your leisure, this page will be easily found through the Category drop-down lists and on the Photo Galleries tab at the top of the home page. I am setting up more photo pages and hope to publish them in the next few days.
Have a great week!
Eagle Photos
Who cannot love the majestic, patriotic stature that a bald eagle boast! These are some of my favorite eagle photos taken in my area to share.
Quick Bald Eagle Facts
Young eagles are called juvenile or immature eagles and are a mix of brown & white.
Eagles reach full maturity at 4-5 years old when they finally attain their distinct white head & tail.
At maturity, an eagle will find a mate and remain together until one dies.
Bald eagles can live up to 30 years and weigh 10-14 lbs.
Their wingspan is 72-90 inches.
They can fly to an altitude of 10,000 feet and can reach speeds of 30-35 mph.
A bald eagle has 7,000 feathers.
Although bald eagles were removed from the endangered species list on June 28, 2007, they are still federally protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Maximum fines under the acts are $100,000 and $15,000 respectively, with possible imprisonment up to one year.
February 12, 2011 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
February 2, 2011 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
January 22, 2011 – Lippincott’s Channel Marker 3
January 15, 2011 – Eagle’s Nest at Blackwater Nat’l. Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, MD
January 15, 2011 – Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, MD
January 15, 2011 – Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, MD
January 15, 2011 – Osprey Nest Cam at Blackwater Nat’l. Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, MD
January 15, 2011 – Osprey Nest Cam at Blackwater Nat’l. Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, MD
January 7, 2011 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
January 7, 2011 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
January 7, 2011 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
January 7, 2011 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
January 7, 2011 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
January 7, 2011 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
January 7, 2011 – Departing Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
January 1, 2011 – Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, Grasonville, MD
January 1, 2011 – Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, Grasonville, MD
January 1, 2011 – Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, MD
January 1, 2011 – Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, MD
December 24, 2010 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
December 12, 2010 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
December 12, 2010 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
December 12, 2010 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
November 26, 2010 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
November 26, 2010 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
November 26, 2010 – Kent Narrows Channel Marker 4
November 21, 2010 – Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, MD
October 4, 2010 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
October 4, 2010 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
October 4, 2010 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
October 4, 2010 – Took Flight from Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
October 4, 2010 – After departing Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
October 4, 2010 – After departing Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
April 12, 2010 – Along the Wye River, Wye Mills, Maryland
April 12, 2010 – Along the Wye River, Wye Mills, Maryland
March 20, 2010 – Eagle’s nest along the Wye River, Wye Mills, MD
March 20, 2010 – Eagle’s nest along the Wye River, Wye Mills, MD
January 10, 2010 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
March 8, 2008 – Oyster Cove Osprey Nest
I hope you enjoyed these as much as I enjoy sharing. As I capture new ones, they will be posted at the top of this page in date order. Thank you for visiting!
We Need Spring…..
This past week wasn’t a pleasant one weather-wise. It was cold & windy, and we even woke up one morning to an overnight snow dusting. I don’t know about you, but I am really ready for some warm weather! A lot of the winds this week were from the west/southwest which blew directly into Marshy Creek. With really no wind protection, I noticed we had less visiting waterfowl. Of course we had mallards, and I also saw a few coots a couple of times. Several days ago, a lone mallard was riding some of the waves, by his expression, you’d have to say he’s a happy duck!
Last night I was thinking I had nothing much else to share, but today proved otherwise. Just as the sun was rising, I captured a young eagle on our osprey nest. The first light shined really bright on him.
I watched him for about 20 minutes, he then took flight up and over to Lipincott’s channel marker.
Today was windy again but wonderful with the bright sunshine. I was away but soon as I got home, I spotted an eagle flying around, with ducks trying desperately to get out of his way.
Finally, you will notice I’ve added a new ‘tab’ at the top of the page labeled “Osprey Facts” courtesy of Friends of Blackwater NWR. Check here for some interesting information!
February Is Here Already
It just seems impossible February is already here. But it means we are another month closer to Spring and the return of our osprey mid-March! This past week’s activity around and on our osprey nest provided some great shots to share with you. Last Sunday at low tide, I watched a couple of Buffleheads and tried to capture shots of them diving. Here’s an interesting quick sequence of one going down to feed, with a later shot of a water shake-off & stretch!
That same day a raft of Lesser Scaups were out beyond the nest. One made a decision to take flight, followed by the rest….
When the sun popped out from the clouds just before sunset, it shined nicely on this male mallard as he rested alongside the berm.
My next photos are from last Tuesday just before sunset. At the base of our nest, we had Canadian geese munching on our grass while a raft of canvasbacks were just beyond, peacefully bobbing along. And, of course, we have a goose looker on our sidewalk!
Finally, Wednesday I was lucky to capture a sub-adult bald eagle visiting our nest. He appears to be approximately 3 to 4 years old. Young bald eagles are blotchy and do not obtain their distinctive white head and tail with dark brown body until the age of 5. Eagles can live as long as 30 years in the wild but average about 15 years.
I was glad in the last photo that the sun had popped out and shined on him before he took flight. Until next time, happy bird-watching!
Our Winter Waterfowl
I can just imagine the many bird and waterfowl species and sightings that occur right here at Oyster Cove if one could hang out each day with a pair of binoculars at this time of the year! It’s been easy to see 5-8 species at once many times this past week. The eagles continued to land and eat their fresh catch several hundred feet out on the ice as mentioned previously.
This past Monday the water around our osprey nest and all of Marshy Creek was frozen over. But there is a group of mallards that know each day a neighbor will throw out corn early evening. So they waited on that cold cold ice….
When the corn was thrown, the mallards went crazy as normal. This perked the interest of a lone tundra swan that was several hundred feet out in an open water area with a dozen Canadian geese. The tundra swan climbed out of the water and onto the ice and proceeded to make his way to the commotion, without much slipping! (You can see why with the claws on his webbed feet.) He was fun to watch.
He made his way right to the middle and feasted along with the mallards and seagulls. The dozen Canadian geese who watched the tundra swan were now curious, and they made their way to the gathering and joined in!
We awoke Thursday morning to four inches of snow. That evening, most of the ice around our osprey nest had broken away & moved out with the tide, leaving a large open area of water for the waterfowl. Marshy Creek remained covered, so we had lots of visitors!
For the first time, I sighted an American Wigeon just 20 feet from the osprey nest base.
Alongside him, buffleheads and Canadian geese were feeding as well, except for the designated ‘looker’. Just how do they decide who eats and who watches??!! It is really fun to watch their reactions.
Just 20 feet from the Canadian Geese we had a small raft of Greater Scaups….
And a pair of tundra swans just lazily bobbing along.
This morning there were more waterfowl everywhere. I captured this Greater Scaup in the early morning sun.
A short time later, the following lone mute swan came along who has been around a few times the past couple weeks. That little bufflehead scurried along to get past the swan who didn’t care to bother him.
The Canadian geese were also a little nervous of the mute swan and made their way as a group away from him. He wasn’t fazed by anyone. Hanging within the geese was a single coot and a canvasback who’s taking a dive.
Here’s a shot of the canvasback after he popped back up.
Most of these ducks will be leaving soon, to head back north to Canada and the Artic. Enjoy them while we have them and can!
Bay Photos by Donna 