1-2-3 Medium Bird Jubilee – #7
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Adding to my post series of three medium-sized birds, with the added bonus these three are all females and one a new photographed species lifer for me.
Let’s hear it for the ladies!
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Scarlet Tanager (female, my photographed lifer #265 )
Length 6.3-6.7 inches (16-17 cm)
Weight 0.8-1.3 oz (23-38 g)
Wingspan 9.8-11.4 inches (25-29 cm)
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American Robin (female)
Length 7.9-11.0 inches (20-28 cm)
Weight 2.7-3.0 oz (77-85 g)
Wingspan 12.2-15.8 inches (31-40 cm)
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Red-winged Blackbird (female)
Length 6.7-9.1 inches (17-23 cm)
Weight 1.1-2.7 oz (32-77 g)
Wingspan 12.2-15.8 inches (31-40 cm)
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Common Yellowthroat
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A few days ago, I had the most delightful photo session with a curious male Common Yellowthroat on the Butterfly Trail at Eastern Neck NWR.
An abundant wood warbler found throughout the United States, they are usually hidden low in vegetation. But you can easily find these beautiful birds by their distinctive song. Then you wait and hope the male pops up to an open perch to really belt his song!
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Common Yellowthroat (male) in song, Pose #1
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Song of Common Yellowthroat, courtesy Ted Floyd
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Lights, cameras, action! Now strike a pose for me! 🤩 📷 🤩
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Common Yellowthroat (male), Pose #2
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Common Yellowthroat (male), Pose #3
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Common Yellowthroat (male), Pose #4
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Common Yellowthroat (male), Pose #05 (and my favorite)
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Thank you, Mister Common Yellowthroat, you brightened my day!
Interesting Fact: The Common Yellowthroat was one of the first bird species to be cataloged from the New World, when a specimen from Maryland was described by Linnaeus in 1766. (My home state!)
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Perch With A Big View
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I am fortunate to see Eagles often, but my adrenaline still gets pumping when I see one perched atop a tree or snag, taking in its great big view. Here are four I hope delight you!
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Bald Eagle
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Powerful and fearless.
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Bald Eagle
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They seem to know their majesty, don’t they?
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Bald Eagle
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This next Eagle was sitting on a breakwater rip rap, looking out to the Chesapeake Bay. I wondered what it was thinking as it viewed out yonder from such a low perch. Perhaps the breeze felt good.
After a series of clicks, s/he turned around and I got this next shot. I was on a boardwalk platform, peering through the shoreline vegetation.
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Bald Eagle
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(All photos taken at Eastern Neck NWR, Rock Hall, Maryland)
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It’s Only Wednesday…..Hang In There!
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I know it’s only Wednesday, but soon it’ll be the weekend.
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Until then, I know you can hang in there!
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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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Bay Photos by Donna 