"On the Waterfront" - Part 4

Great work Linth! That shoveler is really an interesting duck. I bet those swans are so beautiful in person. I'm glad you're still seeing your eagles there too.

Thanks, everyone.

duc, I see Bald Eagles throughout the year at Blackwater. There are quite a few resident birds there but I don't go out of my way to look for them. On occasion, they will close a trail because of a nesting Bald Eagle so as to not disturb them.

Va_Wild_Rose, I should really use my teleconverter on the nest at Chincoteague but I didn't even taken it with me. The nest will become a little more difficult to see as the leaves start coming out but I have seen them every time I've been there, in March and April. As you know they don't allow cars on the loop until 3:00 p.m. That's unfortunate since the morning would provide better lighting. It's really just a short distance from where you actually enter the wildlife loop. on the right, and almost straight across from a park bench. A lot of people know of its whereabouts because I see a lot of cars stop along the roadway.

This is a not-so-good photo of a Tri-colored Heron. They differ from the Great Blue Heron in that their bill is thinner, they have a white belly, and are smaller in size.

I usually find them at Chincoteague but that was the only one I saw this time.

Here is an older photo of a juvenile Tr-colored Heron next to a Snowy Egret, which provides a size comparison.

I saw very few 'Greater Yellowlegs' but here is one.

I saw a few 'Common Loons' at the Ocean City inlet. Here is one feasting on a small fish. They spend as much time under water as they do on the surface.

One more of the Common Loon. I like them better in their summer (breeding) plumage.

Great shots Linth!

I forgot this one 'Killdeer' that I saw at Chincoteague. I have photos of two other shorebirds that I'm still trying to identify.

I almost missed this flock of 'White Pelicans' that periodically spend some time at Blackwater. I had circled the wildlife loop, didn't see them, and decided to stop by an adjacent vantage point to the Refuge. When I got out of the car, another photographer was there primarily on the lookout for Golden Eagles. I asked him if he saw the White Pelicans. He just pointed his finger across the water. There they were, not visible from the wildlife loop. They were pretty far away but nonetheless, the 500mm lens (no teleconverter) did okay.

Great job as always. Love the pelicans. We've lost most of ours and I'm already missing these beautiful birds as they fly past us in formations.

Thanks, duc. As many times as I have seen the White Pelicans at Blackwater, they are always way off in the distance.
One of these days, I will luck out. They do come closer to the wildlife loop. I live about 1 3/4 hours form Blackwater so the distance isn't too bad. Chincoteague is 3 hours away. The first time I ever visited Chincoteague, I saw a few Brown Pelicans but none since.

Anyway, shorebirds give me a lot of grief trying to identify them. Here is one that I took at Chincoteague. I "think" it is a 'Willet', non-breeding adult, or juvenile. But, I could be way off base.

Another photo .......

A flock of 'Dunlin', I think ?

There were quite a few of them. I find it fascinating to watch them fly, in sync, as a flock. Their individual reaction time to the flight movements is just mind boggling. They must have built-in radar.

Really enjoying the pictures on this thread.

Nice shots Linth! You are correct with the Willet and Dunlin Id's.

Beautiful captures. Love that Willet.

Nice ones Linth!

I will be visiting this site quite often during the Spring and Summer months in an effort to capture something a little bit unusual.

Edit: I accidentally posted this photo to the end of this thread but I needed to add a link to the new one, anyway. Thank you all for your comments.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1082728/

This message was edited Mar 22, 2010 10:49 AM