Sitting in the Rain
These two birds are definitely not singing in the rain, but are definitely getting wet perched just a few trees apart from each other a couple days ago.
Belted Kingfisher showing he doesn’t mind the rain
Great Blue Heron begs to differ, preferring to use the unseen upper tree canopy for its umbrella
Me? I was sitting in my car keeping dry while shooting out my window. 😏
A Cardinal Reflection
Oopsie! I was so tickled with this three-photo series from my visit to Blackwater NWR last week, then filed them in the wrong folder for posting. Didn’t realize until after my previous “Part 2” post went live.
No worries, I am happy to give this Northern Cardinal it’s own special share. Northern Cardinals are one of my favorite birds, and I’m not sure if I’ve ever gotten any decent water reflections with one. Until last week!
A Grand Day At Blackwater NWR – Part 2
Continuing with my visit to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, here’s the rest of the whole shebang! Can you pick a favorite? Whew, I cannot!
Song Sparrow
Mourning Dove
Canada Geese
Great Blue Heron
Brown-headed Nuthatch
American Goldfinch
American Black Ducks
American Crow
American Coot
Mallards
Downy Woodpecker
Tundra Swans
Tundra Swan
Great Blue Heron
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-necked Ducks
Northern Pintails
Northern Pintails
Northern Pintails
Dunlins
Eagle Nests
Great Egret
Great Egret
Great Egret
Canada Geese
Tundra Swans
Great Blue Heron napping
I’m guessing the Great Blue Heron fell asleep from too many photos… 😉
A Grand Day At Blackwater NWR – Part 1
A few days ago, I visited Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland.
It’d been almost three years since my last visit. I’m luckily now living much closer at only an hour away and have been itching to go for the past couple months.
I’m still processing photos but wanted to get this show started with a three-bird species sneak-peek.
First up, the two photos of this first bird are not great quality, but they’re still fantastic to me for good reason. This hawk is considered rare for our region, plus is a lifer. Woot! 😊
Rough-legged Hawk (dark-morph) – lifer!
Lives and breeds under continuous sunlight in the Arctic tundra
Migrates to southern Canada and the U.S. (primarily West/mid-West) for the winter
Rough-legged Hawk (dark-morphed)
Another sighting considered rare for our region, the American White Pelican. That being said, there is a small flock that arrives and winters at the refuge every winter. They stay well-hidden and are usually difficult to find/see because of the vast marsh unreachable by the public.
I luckily found the flock way out in the distance from Maple Dam Road. Again, not so great photo heavily cropped, BUT there they are! I counted 36.
American White Pelicans (36+ count)
I know, my photo quality is slipping here. Let me make up for them with these next two. 😉
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Now that was a perfect photo op that couldn’t have been any better!
More to come from this refuge……
Comparing Bird Couples – #1
It’s intriguing that with some bird species, you cannot tell the difference so easily, or if at all, between the male and female. Whereas, others have subtle, distinct or bold differences between the gender.
This new bird series will showcase photos of both a male and female to compare their species’ differences. Sometimes it amazes to see the female looking nothing like her mate!
Let’s start with the Northern Cardinal, a favorite species for many, that has obvious big differences.
Northern Cardinal – male
Northern Cardinal – female
Yet, with the Eastern Bluebird, comparing the female to her mate, she does have the same coloring but it’s much lighter/paler.
Eastern Bluebirds – male at top, female at bottom
The females may not always be the brightest or most colorful, but they do have their own distinct beauty in their color patterns as we’ll discover along the way. 😊
1-2-3 Birds and Berries – #9
It’s been a berry-good fall/winter to date as the birds will attest!
Eastern Bluebird (male)
Northern Mockingbird
Purple Finch (female)
Eastern Towhee (male)
American Robin
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Goldfinch (females or immatures)
Cedar Waxwing
Carolina Chickadee
Yellow-rumped Warbler
White-throated Sparrow
Flying Into the New Year
As we head into 2024,
remember to embrace your inner swan and let your beauty shine!
Wishing you beautiful moments, treasured memories, and all the blessings a heart can know.
Happy New Year!
Raptors in Trees
Raptors perched in trees and on snags. Always a treat!
Bald Eagle (adult)
Bald Eagle (juvenile)
Red-shouldered Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk (juvenile)
Cooper’s Hawk close-up (juvenile)
Cooper’s Hawk (adult)
Bald Eagle
1-2-3 Medium Bird Jubilee – #18
More medium birds’ portraits of my backyard buddies!
How lucky am I to have too many that my ‘three species’ series needs to change to a ‘no-limit’ series, at least for a while…. 🤭😊🤭
Eastern Bluebird (female)
Brown Thrasher
American Robin
Blue Jay
Eastern Towhee (male)
Gray Catbird
Northern Cardinal (female)
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Cardinal (male)
You can see they are keeping me happy with their lingering patience!
Happy Holidays
Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Northern Cardinal (male)
Bay Photos by Donna 