Bird Watching: "On the Waterfront" - Part 6, 1 by linthicum

linthicum wrote:
Well, its been almost a month since I added any photos to this thread. It's just been too darn hot to get out there. Last weekend I thought I would visit Downs Park, on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay. I was last there about five weeks earlier and three chicks were in the nest. When I got there this past weekend, the nest was empty. I didn't know what to expect since I knew that they would still be close by. They didn't disappoint me. For three hours they kept me quite busy flying back-and-forth. A man-made structure was built for them some distance from the shoreline. It's ideal for photography in that I set up my camera and tripod on a viewing pavilion, over looking the Bay. The best part is that it is in the shade. I don't like to rough it !

What was most fascinating was their playful behavior in the water. It was like a bunch of kids in a pool. I suppose they were practicing for when they have to be self sufficient, which is soon. So, here are some of the photos taken last weekend.

The first is a close-up of a fly-by. Sometimes they were too close for a 500mm lens so you have to salvage the photo like this.