Northern Shovelers: Blackwater NWR

 Northern Shovelers feeding in Blackwater NWR freshwater marsh

 An Audubon field guide marks the Chesapeake Bay as the Northern Shovelers northern-most wintering range.  During our recent visit to Blackwater we found a small flock dabbling in one of the freshwater marsh impoundments.  This is a species that I have encounterd only once in my home area so to encounter them here was a special photo opportunity for me.

The shovelers were so engaged in feeding that it nearly every frame I captured had numerous ducks tipping.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Female Red-bellied Woodpecker

Lucky Break

After raining yesterday afternoon and throughout the night the precipitation stopped this morning.  As usual on my days off I headed out at daybreak hoping to capture some wildlife images however things didn't work out as I had hoped for.  For one thing the wild turkeys apparently chose a different route leaving the roost and never came into view.  A beautiful fox squirrel did show up and perched in a nearby tree cutting a walnut but before I could get the shot he spooked.

Heading home with no pixels exposed, I was a little disappointed with the morning's outcome.  Rounding a bend in the road I noticed a large bird perched in a roadside tree.  With no traffic behind me I pulled the car to the side.  Swinging the door I open braced the 600mm between the door and the body.  Shooting against a gray sky can be problematic so I dialed in a +1 exposure compensation to keep the subject from being too heavily exposed. 

Whether hunting with a weapon or a camera a few seconds can make the difference between returning home empty handed or with a smile on ones face.  This morning I was all smiles!

Wild Turkeys: Tensions Rising

Day by day the tensions are rising in the wild turkey flocks.  The breeding season is still some time off but the gobblers are becoming more aggressive as they vie for dominance. 

A flock of jakes (yearling males) surround a mature gobbler

Vastly outnumbered, the mature gobble breaks and runs with the jakes in hot pursuit

The gobbler continued to run until the jakes gave up the chase

In the coming weeks the aggression will continue to build as the spring mating season approaches.  Fights will occur where a pair of gobblers will fight to exhaustion.  I'm hoping a good fight will occur in front of my camera as it did in February of 2010.

American Coot

The thousands of geese present at Blackwater can cause the casual viewer to miss many of the other inhabitants of the wetlands.  At first glance the geese may be all that you see but a closer look reveals many other species mixed in.  One of those species, the subject of today's post is the American Coot.

Although they look much like a duck and swim like a duck they aren't ducks; Coots are member of the rail family.  Unlike the other species of rail, the coot has lobed feet; an adaptation that makes them excellent swimmers. 

I could count the number of times I have encountered coots in my home area on the fingers of one hand so I was very pleased to be able to photograph this pair of American Coots foraging at Blackwater NWR.

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Blackwater Honkers

Canada geese are by far the most commonly seen wildlife at Blackwater NWR.  The waterfowl was concentrated in the freshwater marshes to the right of wildlife drive. 

Some time after sunup the waterfowl flew to the fields that lay along Key Wallace Drive where thousands upon thousands of Canada geese could be seen foraging on the food plots.  I found it interesting that the huge flocks paid no attention to passing vehicles.  However upon slowing the geese would begin running directly away with a few taking flight.  Their reaction to slowing vehicles makes me wonder if there is a problem in the area with persons shooting from vehicles. 

Mixed with the geese were various species of ducks.  Here a male pintail and two females swim by some resting Canadas.

Day Tripping: Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

Needing a photo-fix Willard and I visited Blackwater NWR this morning.  Located on Maryland's eastern shore near Cambridge, Blackwater is a wintering area for many species of waterfowl as well as a good number of Bald Eagles. 

Great Blue Herons are plentiful as well.  At one point five herons were in sight at stalking across the tidal flats in search of prey.

Throughout the morning we observed Canada geese, snow geese, tundra swans, northern shovelers, mallards, pintails, hooded mergansers, and northern harriers.  I will be post images more images from Blackwater NWR in the coming days.

Winter Wild Turkeys

 Yes, I know the weather is cold and sometimes dreary, but wildlife photography opportunities still exist for those willing to endure the numbing chill.  Migrant species that summer here have long since departed but for the wild turkey there is no choice other than to spend the entire year on their home range.

While the wild turkeys are mainly interested in feeding at this time of year, the occasional fight does break out when two flocks meet.  Within a month the gobblers will begin feeling early stirrings of the mating season; gobbling and fighting will become more common.

I photographed this gobbler during a snow shower early this morning as he fluffed his feathers in a display of dominance toward another gobbler.  Today the display was all that was needed to force his opponent back off.   

Downy Woodpecker

Downy woodpeckers, the smallest of our woodpecker, are very common across North America and are feeder favorites.  However this adult male was not visiting a feeder when I captured this series of images.

I was (unsuccessfully)attempting to photograph a yellow-shafted flicker feeding on grubs in a long ago abandoned lawn when the little downy landed nearby.  Although not scared enough to fly away he persisted in keeping me under keen observation.

Remaining curious throughout the encounter he stretches to his fullest height for a better view

Stripping Bark

With winter getting colder dead branches with shredded bark are becoming much more commonly seen.  Here I caught the culprit in the act as she stripped the dead cambium layer.

Squirrels will strip bark from living branches for food and/or water but when they are stripping dead limbs as they are doing now it is to line their nest.  The bark provides padding and insulation.  It will be a few weeks before the first young of the year will be born but this squirrel will have her nest ready to receive them.

A little chewing softens it up just right before she scampered away to her cavity nest.

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