Series: Take A Moment and Enjoy A Sunset
I’m behind on my sunset series, but instead of sharing several recent ones, I’ll just share today’s, and catch the others up another time.
Because….it’s all about today. The start and the finish.
I shot this panorama of today’s foggy sunrise over the Choptank River, where winter ducks were waking up.
Sunrise over Choptank River – January 16, 2019
Tonight’s sunset didn’t have a whole lot of dramatics, but I did love the wispy cloud lit up by the setting sun, as well as the streaking trail of an airplane’s.
Sunset over Cambridge Creek – January 16, 2019
In the sunset photo, there are gulls standing in the center on a thin layer of ice that has developed on parts of the creek from last night’s artic airblast. With my zoom lens, I took some photos of those standing in the sunset’s reflecting light. I am amazed the gulls are not falling through the ice!
Herring Gulls at sunset on a section of thin ice
“There’s a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they’re absolutely free. Don’t miss so many of them.” ― Jo Walton
Lesser Scaup on Cambridge Creek
Another small group of ducks spending their daily life near me on Cambridge Creek are Lesser Scaup.
For a few weeks, it was just a single male Lesser Scaup swimming & diving, checking out the creek, marinas, and other inhabitants.
Here he is with his beautiful blue bill marked with a skinny black tip on the end.
Lesser Scaup (male)
Last week, he was joined by six more Lesser Scaup, two females and four males.
Lesser Scaup
As of today, all seven are still here. Photo ops have been awesome.
Lesser Scaup (male & female)
Lesser Scaup (male)
Lesser Scaup (female)
The best part is they love diving and feeding right off the boat pier below my balcony. Lucky me!
This three-photo series is of three Lesser Scaup diving. In the first photo bottom left, you can see the first duck already submerged. Then just as quickly number two and three were gone. They are quick!
Lesser Scaup diving
Some more of my favorite shots to date….
Lesser Scaup (male & female)
Lesser Scaup (males)
Lesser Scaup
Lesser Scaup (female)
Lesser Scaup (male & female)
It has been a delightful treat getting to watch all the winter visitors up close and personal while they live here temporarily on populated Cambridge Creek.
Pied-billed Grebe and Buffleheads
Two more wintering birds spending their daily life on Cambridge Creek and close to my balcony is a Pied-bald Grebe and two female Buffleheads. Both of these tiny birds dive for food.
The Pied-billed Grebe has been very shy and stays mostly hidden under the marina piers. It has been here on the creek since before Christmas.
Pied-billed Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe – “Silhouette Abstract”
I previously posted late last November that a female Bufflehead had been delighting me with its presence, and I shared several diving shots.
We now have two female Buffleheads that hang around, diving for food and resting.
Buffleheads (females)
They are a bit skittish and stick close together. It sure is nice to have a friend!
An Eye of Gold
In my last post I shared some shots of the winter ducks that have arrived at Cambridge’s Choptank River waterfront. Some of these winter ducks are venturing up Cambridge Creek. To my delight, some are coming up close enough to my balcony for me to watch and get some nice close-ups.
Because I’ve never had such an opportunity to photograph this duck, the first one I’m sharing is a male Common Goldeneye who has been hanging around the creek and below my balcony since the end of December. I can’t get enough of him.
Some of my favorite shots so far of this beautiful duck….
Common Goldeneye (male)
When the sun hits just right, the Common Goldeneye’s head casts an iridescent green coloring.
Common Goldeneye (male)
This fella was always providing some pretty water circles and wakes, enticing me to take a lot of photos.
Common Goldeneye (male)
The male’s crisp black and white contrasting feathers on his back is quite striking.
Common Goldeneye (male)
Common Goldeneye (male)
Spending the night in the glow of the pier light reflections.
Common Goldeneye (male)
Scratchin’ an itch….
An eye of gold…..
Common Goldeneye (male)
There hasn’t been any sighting on the creek of a female Common Goldeneye, but this male has been friendly and hanging with some other visiting ducks.
Winter Ducks Are Here
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Ours was awesome up until our daughter had a medical emergency the wee hours of New Year’s Eve Day, followed by surgery, that was prolonged with slight complications. She is now home resting well, and I am now back home too catching up.
A quick post to get me back on my blogging track, I took some time before the end of December to capture of some of the winter ducks that have arrived on schedule along Cambridge’s Choptank River waterfront near Great Marsh Point.
It’s always a good photo-op day when there’s an awesome mix of ducks! This photo captured the five species there that day.
There are five duck species here! Can you find each one?
(Mallard, American Wigeon, Canvasback, Redhead, and Lesser Scaup)
A few close-ups…..
American Wigeon (male)
American Wigeon (male)
American Wigeon
Lesser Scaup (female)
Lesser Scaup (male)
Lesser Scaup
Lesser Scaup (male)
Another local place for me to visit often to see who shows up!
Merry Christmas!
In downtown historical Cambridge, it has become tradition each year to erect a 20-foot tall Christmas tree to celebrate Dorchester County’s waterman culture.
This is not just an ordinary Christmas tree.
This Christmas tree is made from approximately 200 crab baskets that were used the past summer by local seafood companies, and is adorned with repurposed buoys, red ribbons, and lights.
Cambridge Crab Basket Christmas Tree – December 2018
I wanted to take a night photo to also share, but with too much going on, I put it off and have run out of time, so I’ll opt for a photo courtesy Dorchester County Office of Tourism, just to show you how pretty it is at night.
(photo courtesy of Dorchester County Office of Tourism)
Once the holiday season is over, the tree will be disassembled and the baskets will go back in storage for next summer’s use when they’ll be brimming with Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Eastern Shore Maryland-style!
Wildlife In Passing
Just in passing, here are some recent wildlife photo ops in my errand travels.
White-throated Sparrow
Bald Eagle shot luckily through a fairly clean windshield
Red-tailed Hawk
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle on an Osprey nest platform (near Old Salty’s Restaurant on Hoopers Island where we were headed for dinner)
Blue Jay
White-tailed Deer (doe)
It is fun capturing nature, even on the run!
Series: Take a Moment and Enjoy a Sunset
During the holiday rush, have you had any time to stop and enjoy any of your sunsets? I’m guilty myself. So tonight I did take a pause, to watch a mostly cloudy sky unexpectedly transpire into a beautiful sunset.
Sunset over Cambridge Creek – December 23, 2018
“When the sun is setting, leave whatever you are doing and watch it.”
— Mehmet Murat Ildan
Canada Geese In Flight Over Colorful Reflections
Cambridge Creek is becoming a frequent haven for a small flock of Canada Geese. They come in for a landing here and there, swim around the creek and marinas for a while, nibbling on pilings, then take back off.
Keeping an eye on one of their visits for a certain reason (explained later), I could see their forming of an anticipated take-off as they always do, down the creek. Their honking filled the air. The final clue it’s about to happen.
And, sure enough, they took off.
Canada Geese taking off on Cambridge Creek
See those colorful building reflections beyond them? That’s what I was also eyeing.
Up, geese, up out of the water!
And they all made it.
Canada Geese in flight over Cambridge Creek building reflections
It’s nice when the hopes of a photo op comes together. 😊
Series: Take A Moment and Enjoy a Sunset
Well, I’ve fallen behind on sharing my dramatic sunsets with you. Tsk Tsk.
If you have a moment, let’s sit back and enjoy five sunsets together from the past couple weeks. I bet you will find at least one you will love.
Tonight’s sunset was a clear sky, no clouds, no wind. Just a glow. Nothing dramatic or stunning, but it did offer a beautiful, peaceful calmness.
Sunset over Cambridge Creek – December 11, 2018
When there are clouds and they are just right, sunsets can burst into a magical work of art.
Sometimes one night’s sunset has numerous phases of beauty that beg to be seen as in this next sunset.
(click on photos to enlarge)
Same Sunset over Cambridge Creek – November 25, 2018 @ 6 & 9 minute intervals
Sunset over Cambridge Creek – November 26, 2018
Sunset over Cambridge Creek – 12/7/18
Same sunset 30 minutes later
Same Sunset over Cambridge Creek – December 7, 2018 @ 30 minutes apart
Sunset over Cambridge Creek – December 3, 2018
I hope you found at least one you loved and it’s beauty filled your heart with love, hope and peace.
“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”
— Rabindranath Tagore
Bay Photos by Donna 