Filed Under Shorebirds, summer
Tonight a Glossy Ibis put in an appearance at the marsh. I have only seen the ibis up close once before this year and I had less than a minute to photograph him before the clouds covered the sun. A little while later a Snowy Egret landed among a variety of birds with a reed in its beak.
Filed Under Shorebirds, summer
Out on the marsh tonight it looked like school was in session. The skimmers were skimming and coming up with fish as egrets looked on. They seemed to catch on and managed to land a few fish of their own. The egrets actually were doing quite well without the lesson, but they did keep an eye on the skimmers to see if there were more fish nearby.
Filed Under Shorebirds, summer
Stilts were out tonight as I fought green head flies by the dozens to get a few photographs.
This White Tail Deer looks either curious or bewildered or both. If you look closely you will see its ears covered with ticks. This deer is hosting a large family gathering and is probably wishing for some help in getting rid of the parasites.
I had a hard time figuring out what this bird is but, after consulting with a friend, it is determined to be a Common Yellowthroat. Despite its name it is not very commonly seen. According to The Sibley Guide to Birds it is a “ubiquitous, rather secretive denizon of marshy or brushy vegetation near water”. It is related “to warblers but is smaller and stockier and usually lacks yellow on its belly.” Now we know.
Filed Under summer
This afternoon I found this frog and dragonfly in my yard. I think the dragonfly is a Green Clearwing, but if anyone knows better please let me know, thanks. If you look closely into the frog’s eye you can see the trees above him reflected with the sun poking through the tree branches, a frog’s eye view of the woods.
The other night, while waiting for the full moon to rise, I saw this phragmites head silhouetted against strong sunset light.
Filed Under Spring
American Goldfinches are common in Delaware, but they are not seen commonly if you do not have feeders out. Flocks of them have been working on these seed heads and as they dip and soar through the air they look like daytime yellow comets.
Looking back at some photos I took last week I saw this skimmer and decided to add it to the collection.
Filed Under Shorebirds, Spring
These Semipalmated Sandpipers were so entranced in their search for horsehoe crab eggs that the flying mud from waves breaking on the Delaware Bay shore were hardly noticed.
