Keep 'em Coming

Double-headed Snake

I wanted to include this photo of the ice-covered pond before it became too distant a memory. The Canada in front had just jumped out of the slush (see all the way to the left) and was trying to land without falling. It is hard to believe we are still in the same month what with all the raking and pruning and other yard work. Expect to be mowing next week!

I take waaay to many Canada Goose pictures. At least my wife thinks so. There is a lot of junk, but once in a while you get one that rises to a superior level. I like this flight shot with it's wintry background.

I never knew until a couple of years ago that geese will routinely do this when they are bathing. They don't do it all the time but when they do, it is contagious and they all start flipping over.

One day, at the pond, all the seagulls suddenly went airborne. There were several hundred of them, so it was impressive. Then, all the Northern Shovelers which I was filming all jumped up and left the pond completely. I should have known what caused it because I have seen it lots of times down on the river. It was the Bald Eagle alarm going off. Some birds so respect the eagles that they will not stay in the same location with them. I have never seen an eagle take a bird, but I think they know something I don't. This is the one that had them agitated that day. Even at it's great height, the snow was moderating the shadows underneath the wings.

It looks rather desolate, but it isn't quite as isolated as it seems. This is a view of the marsh (foreground) and Chesapeake Bay, maybe a hundred yards beyond. You can't see it very well, but there is a road that runs through the higher ground. This is only a couple hundred yards from the edge of town. I wanted to show how close the marsh pond is to the Bay. Because of phragmites and other plants, in the summer you cannot see one from the other.

I took this image on the marsh less than a week ago. In bird reports from the area, people were saying they saw Rusty Blackbirds. I had never seen one to my knowledge. When this mixed flock of birds landed, I decided to take a photo and see if there were any Rusty Blackbirds. Sure enough, there were a couple of them. They're the ones with the white eyes that look like the undead. The thing is, there is one bird there that I am not sure of it's identification and have sent the picture of to an acquaintance of mine who is an expert.