Bird Watching: "On the Waterfront" - Part 5

The arrival of the Osprey is a sure sign that Spring has arrived here in the Mid-Atlantic. Over the weekend, I scouted a few Osprey nesting sites from last year and was excited that many of them are being visited by at least one Osprey. The male is generally the first to arrive but I found a few nests that already had both of them present.

Thank you all for contributing comments on the previous thread. I was debating whether or not to continue this thread so I could devote more time to my personal photo gallery. Anyway, I will start a new one and see how it goes. This thread, as well as previous ones, has been dedicated to birds not normally found in one's backyard. If you are new and wish to peruse through some of the older threads, this link will take you back to Part 4.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1078097/

I will start the new thread with a few photos of Osprey, photographed this weekend. Hope you enjoy them ......

The male Osprey coming in for a soft landing. As nervous as some Osprey are, this pair is oblivious to the noise and activity that is beneath them. Their nest is built in a light tower located on an athletic field. Having returned to this site for several years, they have to be used to all of the activity.

Awesome pictures Linth! Such clarity of the beautiful birds. Thank you.

Wonderful captures of the Ospreys Linth. Truly beautiful!!!

Thanks, Lily and mcash. I will try to visit this Osprey site weekdays, rather than weekends, during the Spring and Summer months. That way, I can position myself better with the sun behind me. Yesterday, there was a lacrosse game being played basically right under their nest. Loud voices, whistles, etc. didn't seem to bother them and they seemed to enjoy the game. After all, they had the best seats .........

This is a repost that I accidentally posted to the old thread.

Beautiful shots Linth. Now I'm really anxious to photograph our osprey and get photos like you do. I got some photos on Saturday, but the birds are just peeking over their nests at me. The lighting in your pictures is just perfect. Maybe that's my problem, I've been snapping mine too early in the morning? Of course, I don't have your long lens too.

Keep the photos coming, I'm learning from your EXIF info, besides enjoying your pretty photos.

Thanks, duc. These photos were taken between 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. so as long as I'm not shooting directly into the sunlight, they turn out okay.

Another shot of the male coming in to land while the female sits at the nest. It won't be long until she will be sitting on the nest since I did observe some mating ritual.

Sometimes I like to put a little "spotlight" on the subject.

Probably going off to catch some lunch ........

Another landing shot .......

Whatcha looking at .......

While photographing the Osprey, this Mockingbird stopped nearby in the morning sunlight.

I photographed this male Osprey at an earlier site that I visited. No sight of the female so she may not have arrived yet.

Here's the male Osprey checking out things below. Last one for now .......

Outstanding shots Linth! I love the Ospreys so much!

Great start to your new thread Charlie! I'll be looking forward to more shots of your unique osprey pair!

Thanks, Pelle & Va_Wild_Rose.

On Saturday, I traveled to the eastern shore of Maryland, primarily in quest of the 'Tufted Duck'. I stopped by the location, in the morning, where it had been recently sighted. I didn't even bother to stay and look because the lighting was terrible so I decided to stop by on my way home. I knew the lighting would be ideal in late afternoon, and I was not disappointed.

In winter, Tufted Ducks can be found as far south as the Mediterranean Sea, Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf, southern India, Thailand and the Philippines. In North America, the Tufted Duck is a regular visitor to western Alaska and a RARE visitor along the east coast south to Maryland, and the west coast to southern California.

Here are a few photos of the male Tufted Duck that I was able to take .......

When located, they are usually in the company of Ring-necked Ducks, Long-tailed Ducks, or Scaups. Here is a photo of the male and female 'Lesser Scaup', with the Tufted Duck bringing up the rear.

One more. Seeing and photographing the Tufted Duck obviously made my day. That was the 158th bird specie that I have photographed, of birds that have been seen in the state of Maryland. I still have a long way to go. If I can't get a photo, I didn't see it. So, I only keep track of birds that I have photographed. New species become more and more difficult to find.

Awesome shots of the osprey!! Love that "spotlight" photo. And that Tufted Duck is really a beauty and so delicate looking. My first thought was that it looked like a stuffed toy sitting on the water. So glad you were able to add it to your list, it's certainly one that most of us won't be able to see in person.

Wow I love the Tufted Duck. Very handsome! Wonderful shots Linth!

Great shots Linth!! And congrats on your new bird...a very nice find!

Oh My God, Linth! If you see an eerie green glow in the south western sky, know that is emanating from me, mouth open in amazement at the osprey shots. Fantastic!

Just like home!

;-)

Thanks, again, everyone.

Nice one , Resin. It's probably a relatively easy sighting for you. Do you have any photos of the female ?

Margaret, how ironic, I did see an eerie green glow in the sky but I thought it was perhaps, the Northern Lights. Or maybe, it was just after a few Miller Lites !!!

Also, over the weekend, I saw a few Bald Eagles at Blackwater. Most were out of reach, even at 700mm. Here is one that was coming in to catch a fish. I wasn't sure, at first, if he was going to fish, or grab a Tundra Swan nearby.

As he hits the water !!!

And, he came away with a nice fish. It's a shame he was a little too far away. Although I always see eagles at Blackwater, I seldom get any eagle photos like I do at the Conowingo Dam. This was taken at 700mm. I normally don't use a teleconverter but I had put it on in contemplation of seeing the Tufted Duck.

Bravo! Linth, there couldn't be a better action-shot like it! I'm in awe!

I can't believe you got such clarity with 700mm. Precision timing Linth-something you certainly have done well with that camera. Beautiful!!

Just beautiful Linth...I am in awe of your photography, and also very jealous of the incredible wildlife you see! Well done...keep them coming!

And #2. Might see if I can get some better ones tomorrow.

Resin

Nice series on the Bald Eagle fishing!

Ooops! Hit the wrong button 'Send' before 'Browse'!

What knockout bird shots, Linth. My interest in birds began with Ospreys on Horn Island, off the Mississipi coast. We used to sail there before Katrina. There was this crazy Osprey nest on the island that was built with everything available, including a t-shirt and styrofoam buoys hanging off of nylon lines. The nest was a riot, and I was hooked. Thanks for bringing back the memories.

Nice eagle series Charlie! Never get tired of your gorgeous photos!

Thank you for the female Tufted Duck photos, Resin.

duc, what helps a lot is the fast auto-focus on the Nikkor 500mm lens. If I was using my Sigma 50-500mm lens at the time, it would still be hunting the subject, because the auto-focus is slow. So, the credit goes to the lens. I can lock on focus in a split second with the Nikkor 500mm.

Thanks, Rose, but you do pretty well yourself with all of the bird species around you.

Lily, the action shots are what keeps me going back to certain places. However, my best eagle action photos have been taken at the Conowingo Dam.

We have been fortunate to have a flock of White Pelicans visit Blackwater for the past couple of years. If one looks at a distribution map, you will see that they are considered rare for this area. I would just like to get a closer photo. This one was taken at 700mm.

One more ..... a White Pelican flight photo at 700mm. They are slow moving so that helps somewhat.

A 'Forster's Tern' photo taken this weekend, at 700mm.

Beautiful! That tern is gorgeous!! Thanks for the info on the lens.

Beautiful shots Linth and thanks for starting this thread.

I always ooh and ahh with envy over everyones waterfront birds photos. They’re something I don’t get to see very often here in the New Mexico desert.

Hubby and I just returned from a short trip to San Diego, CA. While we were there, we drove up to La Jolla, CA to see some of more rugged Pacific Coast scenery. Of course, I was hoping we might see a few birds too.

When we got to La Jolla, I was overwhelmed at the number of cormorants and brown pelicans we saw.

For starters, here’s one of the cliff sides that was covered with pelicans. You have to look close; but there were a bunch of them.