Cloud Formation: Hand
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About an hour before sunset, I was so struck with a previous evening’s cloud scene that I pulled over for photos on my way home.
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High-Five!
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Five On The Wing – #29
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These five bird species in flight are on a mission, with a meal for themselves or a youngster in waiting!
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Least Terns
Eastern Neck NWR
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Opsrey
Eastern Neck NWR
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A Caspian two-fer, trying to keep the wiggling fish positioned!
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Caspian Tern
Eastern Neck NWR
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Caspian Tern with a better hold
Eastern Neck NWR
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Immature Bald Eagle
Lankford Bay
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And finally this bonus for me, a new photographed lifer, also a two-fer!
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Yellow-billed Cuckoo (photographed lifer #264)
Eastern Neck NWR
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Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Eastern Neck NWR
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Crossing Paths With Other Wildlife
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In search of birds, I am always delighted with other wildlife encounters. Here’s just a few that I’ve crossed paths with locally in the last couple months.
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White-tailed Deer (doe)
My Yard
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Snapping Turtle
Shipyard’s Landing
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Bottled-nose Dolphins
Chesapeake Bay
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White-tailed Deer (buck)
Chesapeake Farms
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Skink
Eastern Neck NWR
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Muskrat (corrected)
Eastern Neck NWR
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Muskrat
Eastern Neck NWR
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Eastern Gray Squirrel Youngster
Eastern Neck NWR
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Northern Water Snake
Eastern Neck NWR
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Northern Water Snake Close-up
Eastern Neck NWR
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Needham’s Skimmer
Eastern Neck NWR
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White-tailed Deer (doe)
My Yard
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“Sniff, Sniff, Sniffing Me”
My Yard
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Black Swallowtail
Eastern Neck NWR
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Eastern Gray Squirrel
Eastern Neck NWR
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Bald Eagle and Fireworks
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Bald Eagle
(photo taken at Eastern Neck NWR)
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We had our 4th of July fireworks celebration last night over Rock Hall Harbor. Here’s a few to enjoy!
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Happy 4th of July!
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1-2-3 Cute As Can Be – #15
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It’s been a while adding to my “cute” series of three bird species. Here’s three recent ones, all colorful too!
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Red-eyed Vireo
(photographed lifer #263, taken in my backyard 🤗)
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Common Yellowthroat
(Eastern Neck NWR, Rock Hall, Maryland)
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Indigo Bunting
(Shipyard Landing, Rock Hall, MD)
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Wood Ducks Fledging Their Nest Box
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About a month ago riding the Chesapeake Farms wildlife auto tour, I had stopped for several minutes, trying to get my lens on a bird, to no avail.
It was then, just up ahead on my left about 30 feet, an array of excited chirps and chattering filled the woods’ silence.
Slowly moving my car forward, passing a clump of bushes and large tree trunk was Wood Duck nest box #17. And adorable, chattering Wood Ducks were fledging!
“Weeee!” (plop!)
“Woohoo!” (plop!)
No time to grab my other camera with wider lens on the passenger seat. I had my 200-500mm lens in my hand; so I stayed at 200mm and clicked away as ducklings #3 through #9 jumped 4-6 feet (1.2-1.8 meters) down to the water!
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“The Scene”
(at 200mm)
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I am sharing this delightful event in sequence, with further photo cropping unless a duckling was sailing out.
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Ducklings #3 with #4 trying to see
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Ducklings #3 and #4
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“My turn!”
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Ducklings #5 not waiting as #6 looks on
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Duckling #6 pondering
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Ducklings #6 getting ready to jump with #7 looking on
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Duckling #7
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“I don’t know about this…..”
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“It sure looks pretty far down…..”
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“Okay….I think I got this….”
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“Here I come!”
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Ducklings #8 and #9
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Duckling #8 pushing off for the plunge
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Duckling #9 all alone
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“Wait for me!”
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Within one minute, all nine ducklings were now in the water below.
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Wood Duck ducklings
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I quickly scanned the trees above, looking for Momma but didn’t see her. I pulled away slowly so she could come down to them.
Twenty minutes later I passed by this location again on my way out of the farm and not a duckling in sight. Momma had done her job and escorted them away to safer waters deeper in the woods. 🙂
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Common Grackle Fledgling
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Walking around my backyard this morning, I noticed something dark on the grass under my big willow oak. l started walking towards it to investigate and suddenly had two Common Grackles going crazy loud above me, flying from branch to branch.
Sitting as still as could be on the grass was a Common Grackle youngster. My first time ever seeing one, so I clicked a couple shots and then redirected my walk away.
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Common Grackle fledgling
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It’s good to know the parents are watching out for their little ones. 😊
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American Robin Youngster
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Curious, young birds are fun to watch as they maneuver around their new world after fledging.
I spotted this young American Robin just outside our garage on the concrete patio.
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American Robin youngster
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“Feed Me”
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It kept standing there, looking at me, begging. I heard myself say, “Oh sweetie, I am not your Momma.”
I then heard the parent call from the tree, and the little one turned to that direction. I grabbed this next quick shot and left it be. I peeked out the window and watched it hop over where Momma swooped down for a feeding.
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Sporting new feathers!
Welcome, little one!
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Black-bellied Whistling Ducks
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Common in Central and South America, Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks have steadily expanded their range into the southern U.S. and still continue to broaden northward.
Spring last year, a rare small flock of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks arrived at a countryside residential development’s retention pond near Clayton, Delaware, and stayed until fall, a huge delight to birders from near and far. I shared them with you last September before they migrated south for the winter.
And now they are back! There are 32 of them scattered around the pond, some alone, some paired up, and still others grouped under the trees’ shade.
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Black-bellied Whistling Duck
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Unlike most ducks, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks mate for life.
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The pond is alongside a residential street so you can sit in your car and easily photograph them without any disturbance.
Here’s a bath time series of photos that I think will give you a chuckle. 😉
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“What? You’ve never seen two ducks take a shower together?”
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“Okay, dear, once is enough for me, let me get out of the way!”
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Lots of bath times and preening around the pond. A true delight!
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Black-bellied Whistling Duck
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And, yes, they do whistle to communicate. Take a listen….
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Black-bellied Whistling Ducks audio recorded by Alexandre Renaudie
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Five On The Wing – #28
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Let’s continue with #28 of my series of five different bird species in flight!
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Mallards
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Great Egret
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Least Sandpipers
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Laughing Gull
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This next Caspian Tern gets double-billing for its quick maneuver and my quick clicks. 😉
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Caspian Tern
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Caspian Tern
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Bay Photos by Donna 