"On the Waterfront" - Part 6

Come warm weather, comes the mosquitoes ..... on the waterfront. With all the wet weather we have had, they are supposed to be pretty bad in the mid-Atlantic states this summer. I will need to rig up something that allows me to shoot through the car window without letting the mosquitoes in the car. Anyway, I am starting a new thread for bird photos that I have taken at or near the waterfront. If you wish to visit my previous thread, this link will take you back to Part 5.

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

I am always fascinated by the transitional coloration of the Little Blue Heron from juvenile to adulthood. Here is a first year Little Blue Heron getting ready to land.

And, here is an adult 'Little Blue Heron'.

And, another adult ........

A mean-looking adult 'Little Blue Heron'.

I'm drooling over these gorgeous photos Linth! Spectacular!!!

Thanks, duc ... but they're not that great. The lighting is a real challenge at this location, especially for flight shots because I don't have time to change my settings, and Aperture priority doesn't always work for me. I'm actually in the middle of a wetlands so they come at me from all directions. I need eyes in the back of my head.

Here's a young 'Little Blue Heron', in flight .....

It is fascinating to see the color changes as the Little Blue Heron matures and you've captured some wonderful pics Linth!

Thanks, pelle. Last one of a juvenile. You can start to see some of the change in coloration.

Time-out for my lunchtime ........

Love that coloring!! I think the darker background just shows them off all the better. They certainly are beautiful birds.

You're right about a dark background. However, a dark background can be tricky if the metering picks up the dark background rather than the bird. That's why I use spot metering, especially for white birds. I also need to learn more about setting the focus points on my camera.

This image was snapped right before the first one starting the thread. If the meter focuses on the dark background while I am using Aperture priority, the shutter speed will be slower, thus a washed-out white bird.

Lots of Red-winged Blackbirds always around a wetlands.

Another Red-winged Blackbird .....

I have seen lots of 'Common Yellowthroats', this year. Nonetheless, they can be very secretive. I often hear them but they're not in sight.

Another photo of the same bird ......

The 'Marsh Wren' is even more secretive. They have a voice that you can't mistake. For sometime, at the wetlands, I didn't even think it was a bird calling. I thought it was some amphibian making the noise. They're mostly always sitting low in the reeds, out of sight.

Same Marsh Wren .....

Great shots Linth!! And thanks for the shooting info...especially about white bird's and washout..I noticed I have been doing that regularly with my Great Egret shots...Ive been set on center-weighted average for metering during those shots and will be trying the spot-metering. The back-lit Red-winged Blackbird shot is awesome!!

Linth, I agree with duc. These are spectacular shots.

Thanks, Burd and Margaret. Here is a series of more 'white' birds - the 'Great Egret'. These Great Egret shots were not real close and cropped quite a bit but they turned out okay.

#2 photo of the Great Egret .......

#3 of this series ......

#4 of this series..... they do make a nice subject against the dark background.

#5 in this series ..... a 'Great Egret' that is out-standing in his field !

#6 of the Great Egret series ....

#7 ......

#8 .... next to the last ......

#9 of the Great Egret series. These were all taken on 5/28/10 at Swan Creek Wetlands in Pasadena, MD.

A 'Great White Heron' was sighted at 6:30 a.m. this morning, at Fort McHenry, in Baltimore. I would love to get a photo of that bird !

Lovely shots Linth! I hope you do get to see the Great White Heron!

So nice to see these birds I rarely get a chance to see. I've been wanting to see a common yellowthroat!

Beautiful pictures, every one of them. The egrets sure make gorgeous photos. That Common Yellowthroat is outstanding!

Thanks, pelle, Mrs_Ed & duc for your comments.

I took a short departure from my search for songbirds to visit two of the Osprey nests that I frequent on occasion. I was surprised that one nest had three young and the other one had at least two young Osprey. Both nests have had good parents for a few years.

Here is a photo of the nest with three. I was there in the morning which is a very poor time for lighting. The sun comes up over the Chesapeake Bay and shines in my direction. I normally go there in the late afternoon when the sun is behind me but I just wanted to check on the nest.

And, here is the site with at least two young Osprey in the nest.

Oh they are so cute!!

Yes, they are cute!! Wonderful captures Linth!!

Nice Egret set and Osprey shots Linth!

I often find the same birds along the waterfront, or in the wetlands, as I do in the fields and/or near the forest. On this particular day, I couldn't waste the bright sunlight and beautiful blue sky in photographing this member of the warbler family, the 'Common Yellowthroat'. An Osprey sits off to my right annoyed by my intrusion into her world. She's a young adult not fully skilled in parenthood. I still have my fingers crossed that I will see a little head peak above the nesting material. And, so I wait. Maybe and, if not, maybe next year.

But, while we wait, there is no lack of wildlife neighbors to keep it interesting. Here is the series of photos of the Common Yellowthroat.

These photos are taken at a site called Swan Creek wetlands, south of Baltimore, MD. It's adjacent to a dredging facility where dredging material is hauled from the port of Baltimore. It's ideally located near the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.

Here is photo #2 of the Common Yellowthroat.

Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Little Blue Herons and Snowy Egrets frequent the area and can always be seen off in the distance after dispersing from their preferred site, as they detect my presence as I enter the wetlands.

Photo #3 of the Common Yellowthroat ......

Usually, the Common Yellowthroat can be heard, but seldom seen, in the adjacent marsh reeds.

Photo #4 ...... of this series.

Photo #5 ......