Great Egret On The Wing
The Great Egret was posed beautifully alongside the road in a water canal on my side. Since it was literally standing only 3 feet from the road trying to fish, it probably hadn’t had a car come along for a while; so, of course, it took flight as our car approached.
I shot three frames before he was out of my car window space. I am still astonished that I got these to be worthy to share.
Great Egret
Great Egret
I’m so tickled with the above shot’s crispness, I decided to crop it next to share a closer look at these elegant birds.
Great Egret – cropped from the previous photo
It’s amazing how pure white they remain with all their daily trekking through the mud and waters.
Great Egret
Great Egrets fly slowly but powerfully. With just two wing-beats per second, they can cruise at a speed of 25 mph.
Common Tern on a Float
Crab pot floats make great resting spots for many birds while they fish the waters.
Common Tern
This Common Tern’s float perch even matches its beak and feet! 😊
Bella & Beau 2019: Well, That Was Quick! (A Quick Update)
Osprey nest location: Cambridge, Maryland, Chesapeake Bay Region, USA
July 24, 2019 – #2
This morning, less than two hours after publishing my last Bella & Beau post, “It’s School Time” and talking about how the ‘teens’ fledging was imminent, my husband called out a chick was missing from the nest. What??
I ran out to the balcony. I didn’t see the fledged chick anywhere, and Bella didn’t seem fazed.
Bella and one lone ‘teen’ on the nest
It was a breezy 8-10 mph wind. With her constant 360° degree watch, Bella wasn’t giving me any signs of a fixed direction of the fledgling. I spanned my 180° degree view with binoculars for a flying or perched Osprey but no luck.
I looked off and on for the next several hours, trying to locate the fledged chick perched somewhere nearby.
During that time, the second chick received two feedings. At the first feeding, I could hear faint “fish fish fish” chirps. I couldn’t pinpoint the sound’s direction.
Much louder chirps were voiced when Beau arrived with the second meal. Bella was too busy taking the fish from Beau, but Beau heard the fledgling crying and gave me this ‘hint’ shot of its location.
Beau looking at our rooftop and the chirping fledged ‘teen’
Beau left the nest and flew to perch on the Cambridge tower. The fledgling got louder. No one was listening! Bella gave a few looks up at the fledgling but then continued feeding the second ‘teen’.
We were to leave right after that. Grabbing my camera and zoom lens heading out, we went to view our rooftop before leaving.
Bingo! Sure enough, there the fledged ‘teen’ sat perched!
Bella & Beau’s first fledged ‘teen’ on our rooftop
Fledged ‘teen’ looking a bit apprehensive
“How am I going to get back to the nest to eat? I’m hungry!”
(fledged for four hours at this point)
Beau on the top of Cambridge tower, keeping a watchful eye on the fledged ‘teen’
Returning 1½ hours later, we checked our rooftop to find it birdless. From a distance, the nest showed two Osprey on it; but the late afternoon sun’s glare made it impossible to see if they were adult or juvenile.
Finally back to my ‘perch’, I had confirmation the fledgling had actually made it back to the nest, yay! And, my oh my, it was crying “fish fish fish” loudly.
“My turn to fly is next!” says “Teen” #2
(hungry ‘teen’ has it’s back to us, pouting)
Mom Bella was watching from a sail mast, calling Beau for a fish as well.
Bella watching over the chicks while calling for Beau to fetch a fish
I didn’t see Beau anywhere but imagined him flying over Choptank River, with those raptor eyes spanning the waters for a fish to snare.
A fish for one hungry and definitely deserving newly fledged ‘teen’.
Ahhhh…..life is good tonight in Bella and Beau’s Osprey World as the sun goes down…
Tonight’s sunset over Cambridge Creek and Bella & family (nest platform bottom right)
Bella & Beau 2019: It’s School Time
Osprey nest location: Cambridge, Maryland, Chesapeake Bay Region, USA
July 24, 2019 – #1
The past couple weeks’ have really heated up the Chesapeake Bay mid-Atlantic region, with temperatures reaching the 100’s°F (38°C). To make matters worse, the high humidity created very muggy days feeling like 110-115°F (43-46°C). Ugh.
Bella, Beau, and the two ‘teens’ have felt it too.
One chick naps in the heat….
Feathers constantly fluffed to allow air to flow through.
Bella alarms while the chicks droop in the heat. Another napper!
It’s hot, hot, hot!
Bella & Beau are lucky, they can dive into the water to clean and refresh themselves.
Bella taking a refreshing bath
Bella lifting herself out of the water with ease
Full eyes on Mom Bella!
Bella landing back on the nest with the ‘teens’ paying attention
With the number of huge fish I seen delivered to the nest by both Bella & Beau, I know they are getting their bellies filled quite well. Bella has even allowed the teens to feed themselves on smaller, leftover portions.
Beau delivering a fish
Bella trying to grab the fish from Beau’s talons
Beau and the teens remain respectful
Beau makes his getaway from the ‘full house’
Beau delivers a sunset meal
The ‘teens’ are now 7 and 7 1/2 weeks old. When they’re not eating or napping, they spend a lot of time preening those gorgeous feathers.
Bella and teens preening
Teens preening
Bella and teens preening
Preening their beautiful feathers
Preening and waterproofing their feathers constantly is important to keep the Osprey’s feathers from getting saturated when submerged. Osprey secrete a pungent, oily substance from a preen gland at the base of their tail that they spread all over their feathers for that waterproofing purpose, allowing easy lift-outs from water.
Days are long sitting on a nest 24/7. So the teens also have plenty of time in paying attention to the world around them.
The teens have the instinct to learn and have daily ‘school time’ with Mom & Dad. The parents give flight and landing lessons. The teens watch in earnest.
The teens watch Mom Bella flying above
Mom Bella circling the nest, and watching the chicks
The ‘teens’ watching Mom Bella flying around
The ‘teens’ watching Mom Bella flying around
The ‘teens’ watching Mom Bella flying around
The ‘teens’ watching Mom Bella flying around
Teens watching Mom Bella fly during another teaching lesson
These past muggy days have produced little winds, yet the ‘teens’ are still working hard on exercising their almost fully-grown wings. They’re now braver with hops, jumps, and lift-offs occurring.
Practicing wing flapping
With talons fully gripped, strong flaps develop wing strength
One of Bonita’s first landings
We have lift-off!
Not good when both ‘teens’ try to exercise at the same time!
Last year, the nest’s two chicks fledged July 24 and 27, respectively. So fledgling is now imminent, how exciting!
Well, we all thought it appeared Bella & Beau had better nest building skills this year; but they halted for so long the past month, the nest has been slowly dismantling and falling piece by piece into the water or on the dock.
Sticks that have fallen from the nest due to storms and hard landings
As promised, here’s a nest comparison of last year’s and this year’s at this week. So it’s a little better…..
July 28, 2018
July 22, 2019
Nest 2018 Nest 2019
Bella has started back up bringing nesting materials, but I think it’s a bit too late at this point to corral the ‘teens’.
Bella delivering a stick to the nest
Bella delivering a stick to the nest
Bella delivering a stick to the nest this morning
Bella bringing a stick to the nest
Bella landing
As Bella places the stick, the ‘teens’ watch intently
As Bella places the stick, the ‘teens’ watch intently
‘Teens’ watching Mom Bella with stick delivery and placement
(Maybe now Bella is teaching the ‘teens’ on nest building?)
I don’t know what to make of such a poorly built nest two years in a row. No matter the size though, it is now a houseful when all four Osprey are on the platform.
Full House
Full House
Full House
Beau doesn’t stay long though, he’s usually given words by Bella to leave. She, herself, is also spending more time off the nest, giving the teens plenty of space to exercise those wings.
Yesterday, our area finally had a reprieve from the intense heat with showers most of the day. It must have felt good to the ‘teens’. This morning, the air is cool with temps in the 70sF with brisk winds. The ‘teens’ are flapping away!
I’ll end with some galleries of some fave photos from the past week for your enjoyment.
“Yummy, fish!”
Bella’s very sharp talons
Bella close-up
Bella close-up
Bella in flight
Beau in flight
Beautiful Bella
Bella watching over two sleeping ‘teens’
Boating by Bella and her ‘teens’ at sunset
Bella looking at her waking ‘babies’ during a hot & hazy sunrise
Happy and full during a hot & muggy sunset
Nest silhouetted on right over creek reflections at sunset
P.S. A reminder, if you’re wishing to quickly jump from post to post within the Bella & Beau 2019 series to catch up or revisit, there is a TAB for them at the top of this page under the header photo that you can click on for easy access in date order.
Series: Take a Moment and Enjoy a Sunset
My last post featured a Great Blue Heron enjoying the stillness of the sunset golden hour a few weeks ago at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.
The Great Blue Heron was enjoying what I had driven over to appreciate, and to shoot, as well. Of which I did, from start to finish. It was a glorious ending to a wonderful day.
For those familiar with the refuge, these were all shot from the Rt. 335 bridge kayak launching site.
I hope you enjoy these ten photos of one sunset’s beautiful progression over Blackwater River at the refuge.
Sunset over Blackwater River, Blackwater NWR
Sunset over Blackwater River, Blackwater NWR
Sunset over Blackwater River, Blackwater NWR
Sunset over Blackwater River, Blackwater NWR
Sunset over Blackwater River, Blackwater NWR
Sunset over Blackwater River, Blackwater NWR
Sunset over Blackwater River, Blackwater NWR
Sunset over Blackwater River, Blackwater NWR
Sunset over Blackwater River, Blackwater NWR
One sunset, one location, appreciated in so many ways.
“Softly the evening came with the sunset.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Great Blue Heron at Sunset
Three views of a Great Blue Heron enjoying the serenity of a sunset at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.
Great Blue Heron at sunset
Great Blue Heron at sunset
Great Blue Heron at sunset
Great Blue Herons, as well as other species of birds and wildlife, provide daily additional beauty to an already gorgeous, diversified refuge.
“Christmas in July” Chesapeake Bay Cormorant-Style
A “decorated” channel marker appeared off in the distance on the Chesapeake Bay.
Double-crested Cormorants on a Chesapeake Bay channel marker
The symmetry “tree” caught my eye.
“Enjoying A Day On The Bay”
My rendition of “Christmas In July” Chesapeake Bay Cormorant-style!
Bella & Beau 2019: Two Hungry Teenagers
Osprey nest location: Cambridge, Maryland, Chesapeake Bay Region, USA
July 13, 2019
Welcome back to Bella & Beau’s Osprey World! I’ll start off with the 4th of July fireworks that occurred a day after my last post. The noise did not seem to bother Bella and her family.
Fireworks over Choptank River – Bella & nest lower left corner
Fireworks over Choptank River – Bella & nest lower left corner
Both parents have had their work cut out for them with their two steadily growing, hungry ‘teenagers’.
“Houseful”
The teenagers are now going on six weeks old.
Bella and her two ‘teenagers’
Just over five weeks ago…..they were so tiny.
Chicks just over a week old
Beau is still temperamental on when he will and will not go for fish for the nest. The more Bella hollers, the more Beau will ignore her…..until he decides he will make a fishing run.
Beau looking Bella’s direction.
Bella making another demand for sunset.
Beau not responding to Bella’s call for another fish
And then Beau finally gives in.
Beau in flight
Beau arriving with a meal
Bella thinking, “It’s about time!”
Bella is still making an occasional fish run herself when she gives up on Beau, like in this next instance.
Bella flew to the river and returned quickly with this fish before sunset
Albeit late, Beau did show up three minutes later with a fish for the nest. When he saw Bella already feeding the chicks, Beau went to the tower to sit and wait with his catch. It was Bella’s turn to ignore Beau.
Beau enroute with a fish…
diverting to the tower when he sees Bella already with a fish.
Beau with a fish intended for Bella and the chicks
Bella calling at sunset
Beau enroute with a fish
Beau this time responding to Bella’s sunset call for a fish
Bella feeding
Bella feeding
Bella feeding
More of Bella feeding those hungry teenagers
Besides to fish, Bella is leaving the nest more often other times, either to fly around or perch nearby, to give the chicks room to move and exercise those growing wings.
Bella in flight
Bella in flight
Bella in flight
Bella in flight
Chick exercising wings
Chick exercising wings
Chick exercising wings
Chick “wingersizing” is tough with Bella on the nest
Chicks watching Bella fly
Bella flying around chicks
“School Time”
Chicks watching Momma Bella fly around the nest
Sometimes Beau still comes to the nest to ‘chick-sit’ until Bella returns.
Beau ‘chick sitting’ while Bella is gone
Bella bringing nesting materials while Beau keeps watch
Beau “chick-sitting” while Bella was away gathering nesting materials
But Beau usually prefers to hang around nearby, keeping watch over Bella and the nest. If he’s not fending off harassing Osprey intruders, poor Beau has to also deal with the nuisance of Northern Mockingbirds and Barn Swallows.
Beau being harassed by a Northern Mockingbird
Beau vs. Mockingbird
Beau vs. Mockingbird
Beau vs. Mockingbird
Beau vs. Northern Mockingbird
The hot and muggy summer days continue. Bella has a strategy of providing her chicks some shade by creating her “Mombrella”.
Bella’s “Mombrella”
Bella’s “Mombrella”
Bella’s “Mombrella”
Bella’s “Mombrella” for those hot days
Many of those humid days transformed into more late day thunderstorms.
Chicks alone during a down pour
When the rain is over, Bella returns to two very wet chicks
Wet chicks drying out 40 minutes later
Enduring the weather’s elements gets pretty tough at times. Now that they are older and less vulnerable, Bella will feed the chicks in the rain as well.
Bella feeding furing a downpour
Bella feeding furing a downpour
Bella feeding during a heavy downpour
It was the gorgeous days that I captured some beautiful shots of Bella and the chicks while riding past in our boat.
A moment of bonding for Bella and Beau while the chicks nap
Bella and chicks
Bella and chicks
Bella and chicks
Bella and chicks
Bella and chicks
Chicks rapidly turning into full grown raptors
Beautiful Bella
All is good in Bella & Beau’s Osprey World when the bellies are full and the sun goes down.
We have another successful couple weeks of an Osprey family’s survival and growth, who can ask for more!
Series: Take a Moment and Enjoy a Sunset & Moon
The sun set tonight giving way to colorful clouds and a bright crescent moon as it followed the sun’s path to the horizon.
Moon Aglow At Sunset
Moon and Drifting Pink Clouds
The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand.
— Frederick L. Knowles
Moon at Sunset – July 8, 2019
Juvenile Bald Eagle Goes Fishing
Enjoying a slow boat cruise up Tuckahoe Creek afforded me one of those priceless photo opportunity moments, and it involved a three year old juvenile Bald Eagle.
He didn’t care about us or any priceless moments. He was fishing.
“Eagle Eye on the Prize”
“Talons Doing The Work”
“Fishing Success”
He flew directly up into a tree with his meal as we drifted on by.
“A Meal For One”
“Dinner Time”
“Almost An Adult”
I keep saying that going slow on our boat is just as much fun as going fast. I think this series proves my case! 😉
Bay Photos by Donna 