Welcome Back, Osprey!
It’s been a week since I saw my first Osprey of the season as a fly-over while running errands locally. But the real excitement was to check yesterday early morning, and see the male Osprey on my neighbor’s nest platform! I have been watching this platform several times a day, waiting for someone to show up.
Osprey (male)
Waterfront Home
By yesterday afternoon just after 2 pm, I spotted both the male and female on the platform. Both were back, woohoo! Astonishingly, nest building has begun immediately with the male bringing a few sticks to the platform. No wasting time with this fella! I’ve seen in past years it take a couple days for the pair to recoup and rekindle first.
Fingers crossed and prayers to Above for a successful entire Chesapeake Bay Osprey season after last year’s disastrous nest fails in several regions around the bay, including mine.
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Five On The Wing – #41
Here are five photos of adult Bald Eagles in flight.
The King on the Wing!
Homeward bound with lumber
1-2-3 Birds & Berries – #14
After birding around my property for 1.5 hours few days ago, I finished by doing one more pass by my berry-laden eastern redcedars that have been ripe and ready for plucking.
My excitement took a leap when I saw a small flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers were there enjoying the feast! No one was there earlier!
It was difficult, but I managed to dwindle it down to 10 photos. 😉
Yellow-rumped Warblers
Gulp!
There’s that ‘yellow-rump’!
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1-2-3 Cute As Can Be – #36
Once I saw a little bird,
Go hop, hop, hop.
So I said “little bird,
Will you stop, stop, stop?”
Then I was going to the window
To say “How do you do?”
But he shook his little tail,
And away he flew!
By Walter Crane
(first published in “An Alphabet Of Old Friends” in 1874)
Carolina Wren
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White-breasted Nuthatch
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Carolina Chickadee
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Tufted Titmouse
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Song Sparrow
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Pine Warbler
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Savannah Sparrow
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Field Sparrow
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Dark-eyed Junco
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Yellow-rumped Warbler
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Six Deer A Swimming
It seemed to be too chilly to be going for a swim, but that’s what these six white-tailed deer did yesterday morning. The swim across was over 3/4 mile. And, yes, they made it across fine!
Six deer swimming across Broad Creek
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Quacking in the Rain
Mallards popping with color in the rain. 💚🦆💚
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Shorebirds Terns Gulls – #3 Killdeer
The Killdeer is a shorebird that you don’t need to go to the ‘shore’ to see.
Although you may see them on open sandbars and mudflats, the Killdeer is one of the least water-associated of all shorebirds. It favors more common inland places to habitat, including lawns, driveways, fields, golf courses, and parking lots.
I get to enjoy Killdeer year-round. Here’s two recent winter shots.
Killdeer
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center’s parking lot
(there were three running around)
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Man-made water-management pond near a local shopping center
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Woodpecker Wednesday
Who doesn’t love woodpeckers?! Unless they are drilling on your house, ha!
Here are more of my winter resident woodpeckers.
Downy Woodpecker (male, as designated by red on back of head)
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Downy Woodpecker (female, as designated by no red on back of head)
(Note Downy’s smaller/daintier beak, and black spots on tail that female Hairy Woodpecker lacks)
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Hairy Woodpecker (female, as designated by no red on back of head)
(Note Hairy’s larger/thicker beak and no spots on tail, compared to female Downy Woodpecker)
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Red-bellied Woodpecker (male, designated by full red crown/nape)
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Pileated Woodpecker (male, as designated by red stripe on cheek)
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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (male, as designated by red throat)
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Northern Flicker, yellow-shafted (male, as designated by it’s black ‘mustache’)
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Last Night’s Sunset
Sunset over Harris Creek
More Snow Geese Lift-Offs
Including my last post on Snow Geese, I was lucky to come upon quite a few Snow Geese flocks this past winter. Some were at a great distance, just a big white-out in a field. The flocks travel around the same regions all winter, but to know where they are any given day is a guess. I know now some excellent county back roads crossing vast farm fields where there’s always a chance of a sighting.
I photographed another huge flock at a distant, this one was in late January. A flock of Canada Geese were in the back with a few in the front mix.
All nice and quiet, a cackle here and there….
Certainly no hoop-la. I got in my car to prepare to leave.
Suddenly something sent the flock in the air! I had to scramble for my camera and jump back out of the car!
A big circle around, and they returned to land.
Bay Photos by Donna 