Catch You Hawk

Well, it finally happened. It has only taken years after years of searching to finally get the shot. But, what I had to go through to get it is another story.

It was a beautiful day to go walking at the Mariner. Met several of my Mariner friends walking and enjoying the day. A few days ago one bird watcher told me how she had gotten several pictures of two red-shouldered hawks eating on a fish. I admit it. I was jealous.

When I made my way to one of my favorite spot, I notice movement down the bank. At first, I thought it was a great blue heron. It was too far away to make it out with the naked eye. Looking through my camera, my heart skipped a beat. It was a hawk eating on a fish.

The problem. He was too far away to get a decent shot. There was only one choice for me. I had to go through the thickets, climb over fallen tree and sneak up on the hawk.

At one point, he looked up and saw me. I was sure he would fly away. A few more steps and I got the shot. In fact I got off several pictures before he flew away dropping the fish.

Ruby Versus Golden

The battle was on. Who would get the prize? Flashes of red and yellow flies past me as the battle rages on. First the red head would make his presence know, only to be chased away by the yellow head. What were they fighting over?

This is the first time that I have seen the ruby-crowned kinglet (above) flare his red crest. He was chasing the golden-crowned kinglet(below). It was the noise that they were making that first caught my attention.

The golden-crowned advances and chased the red-crowned away and claims the prize. What was the prize? The sap coming from the holes that a yellow-bellies sapsucker had made earlier.

Of course, the ruby-crowned would soar in to chase the gold-crowned away and get his turn at the sap. There were a few others showing up as well. The chickadees, titmouse and nut hatched were giving their best to be a part of the show.

I sure did enjoy the battle. I hope to see another tomorrow.

Rusty Blackbird

I wake up not feeling all that well. Yet, the sun was shining bright and soon the rain would be settling in. So, I grabbed my camera and set out. I did not last long at the Mariner Point Park. my eyes could not focus on the birds.

About half way through, I knew that I would not make it all the way around. But, than something caught my eyes. It was too hard for me to make it out. Even with my camera, the pair of brown birds was hard to see. So, I took many pictures.

As my made my around the bend, I ran into one of my favorite birding friend. I showed him the picture. George knew right away that it was a pair of rusty blackbirds. This make my count of the different species up to 114.

George has seen them earlier. There were a few other good finds today, that he had pointed out. Here are a few of them. Enjoy. I know that I did, even though I was only there for a short time.

Cardinal


Yellow-bellied Sapsucker


Hermit Thrush


Grackle and Red-winged Blackbird

A Day Of Surprises

I spent the day looking for a new bird. Imagine my surprise to see the APG's drain baby dressed as a penguin. With the cold snap we have been experiencing, I guess dressing up as a penguin makes sense.

Of course, the penguin was not the only bird I got today. Here are a few others that made an unexpected showing today as I made my rounds at the boardwalk in HDG.






Of course this picture was the greatest surprise of the day.

Today was full of surprises. I look forward to tomorrow.

Ice Art

There is always a way to find the good in most winter cold snap. One of the treasure I came a cross, was the beautiful patterns that were left in the water from the freeze. There were patterns after patterns through out the walk around the Mariner.

You can be sure that I was bundled up tight. There were layers and layers of clothen to keep me warm. Yet seeing the layers and layers of designs in the ice also warmed my heart. It was just another sign of God's wonders

I leave you with a few other shots from this trip. Enjoy the beauty that can only come from our Creator. I sure did.

Owl No Eagle Yes

I decided to try and get a shot of the snow owl that I keep seeing posted on the birding sight on Facebook. A few of my birding friends told me a good spot to go. Road after road, I would go down in search of the owl.

There were a few times that I would get out and just wait. No owl. I even ran into a few other birders also searching for the same bird. So, I knew that I was in the right place.

I did hit pay dirt though when it came to seeing eagles. They were every where. I was not even at the Conowingo Dam. They were very entertaining as they would chase each other about the water. I had many fly overs and took many pictures.

The day was not a bust. I did not get to see my owl. I did however got my fill of eagles.

Losing Weight

This squirrel seems to be saying, "You want me to lose weight?" "I worked too hard to gain pounds to get me through the cold months ahead."

My problem, I gain too much weight through out the holidays. I do not need these pounds to get me through the winter months. My New Year's resolution is to lose at least twenty-five pounds by June. This is when we will be going on vacation again. I do not want the weight to hold me back.

Why is it so easy to gain the pounds? Yet, it takes forever to lose even just one pound. But, I am determine. Eating healthier, walking more and staying away from the temptation of sweets, I should be able to meet my goal.

So Mr Squirrel, you go ahead and gain your pounds. This person here, plans on losing weight.