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!
Eagle Sightings
Being too cold to go out, it was a lazy stay-in this weekend. And keep an eye out the window! 🙂 Which I was glad I did, both Saturday and Sunday there were numerous eagles in our area. Many times with binoculars, we could see eagles in the distance, flying and spiraling, playing, I even saw one chasing after a possible dinner. I wasn’t sure who was successful as I lost sighting, the eagle capturing dinner….or the duck successfully escaping. Yesterday, the following pair circled around the area together, then headed for Lipincott’s channel marker for a brief break.
They stayed less than a minute and then this pair flew over to CBEC and landed in the same tree area I normally see a pair perch. Today I watched eagles standing several hundred yards behind the osprey nest standing out on the iced-over entrance to Marshy Creek. I have seen eagles standing on ice before at Blackwater NWR but this was a first here! With the distance, the photos aren’t too clear, sorry. The adult eagle is dining on a duck while an immature eagle watches.
The adult eagle wasn’t interested in sharing and let the younger eagle know several times. Once he had his fill of the duck, the adult eagle flew about 10 feet away to another ice spot and watched while the younger eagle jumped onto the leftovers. A couple of seagulls was hoping for a morsel, but the young eagle picked up and took off with the balance of his meal and flew over to CBEC and down into a tree. The seagulls immediately tried to find anything left on the ice. The adult eagle watched them and then flew back to the spot to pick at the ice. Out of nowhere another adult eagle dropped on to the ice and they both stood briefly together, before flying up and off together over to Kent Island.
What a fantastic weekend for eagle watching right from our community! As a reminder, I had previously mentioned that Blackwater’s eagle cam was capturing their pair of eagles and the laying of not two, but now three eggs! This is the first clutch of three for Blackwater’s eagle nest cam so it has produced quite excitement at Blackwater. Don’t forget to look in on the pair as they work hard to protect and keep their eggs warm, with the first eaglet hatching approximately February 17.
Finally, a photo of a pair of geese reflecting in the still water alongside our berm.
Til next time, happy eagle and waterfowl watching!
January Is Cold To Us But…
Yes, January’s been cold to us, but it doesn’t bother the present waterfowl, to them it is probably like a warm vacation from their northern summer home! We’ve had a lot of Canadian geese this month, sleeping right around the nest and community coves, swimming by, or actually coming on land in our community.
Pairs of buffleheads have been frequent as well at the base of the nest, diving and eating. They are so striking with their black and white contrast. The males look as if they have on a tuxedo!
There was also a large raft of canvasbacks over in Marshy Creek one evening a week and a half ago. There were hundreds!
We are fortunate to have the pair of eagles from CBEC continue to visit our osprey nest for our viewing pleasure. I was lucky to capture them screeching at another pair of eagles that were flying around the entrance to the Narrows Channel. They do seem to think the osprey nest is their territory….until Oliver and Olivia return!
The pair on our nest stayed until the other pair left the channel marker and flew southwest towards Kent Island. Then the pair on our nest flew back over to CBEC to roost in a tree.
Have you experienced awesome sunsets recently? They are so much more brilliant at this time of year. Here’s a couple recent ones…
Finally, I had a chance to visit Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge this past Saturday and I have uploaded my favorite shots to the Blackwater photo gallery. If you can visit, your chances are great on seeing numerous eagles there now. In addition, check out the excitement on their live cam on their eagle nest, the female eagle just recently laid two eggs with the possibility of a third egg any time now.
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday week! The new year is here, and the migrating waterfowl continue to arrive and settle in and around our area. I haven’t captured much activity at our osprey nest since my last posting, but got lucky Christmas Eve Day with a pair of eagles!
Christmas Eve we had the following sunset over Kirwan Creek, Kent Island. I love sunsets year-round but the winter ones can be much more brilliant. The ‘lines’ in the clouds are from airplanes taking off from one of the Washington DC airports.
Yesterday, the mallards were abundant. In the first photo, that is a female mallard (with the blue speculum) that the male mallard is watching land to him.
After photographing these, my husband and I visited Blackwater NWR. I got some great photos and will post them later today!
