Fish Crow
It was even colder this morning. The temperature was 10 degrees along with the same 15 to 25 mph winds. Walt and I decided to make a final visit to Rudee Inlet, and then head north. Perhaps the Common Eiders might still be there? We saw some of the same avian species, and our first Common Loon of the trip, but the Common Eiders weren't there.
Fish Crow
Common Loon
Common Loon
Common Loon
Forster's Terns
Forster's Tern
Forster's Terns
Forster's Terns
Forster's Terns
Our plan was to look for the Snow Bunting on the beach at the Grandview Natural Preserve, and then do some birding at a few of the beaches near Mathews, Virginia before heading home.
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We saw a Cooper's Hawk on the way to the Grandview Natural Preserve. It was a good hike from the beginning of the trail to the beach. As soon as we started, Walt noticed a distant, adult Bald Eagle perched in a tree. A couple of minutes later, an adult Bald Eagle (same one?), and a Basic I sub-adult Bald Eagle (note the few remaining juvenile wing feathers) put on quite a show for us.
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
We saw a few woodland birds along the trail, and another Red-throated Loon in the Chesapeake Bay, but the wind chill on the beach was oppressive, and it was a two-mile hike, each way, on the beach to the jetty where the Snow Bunting had bee seen, so we decided to head back to the car.
Male and female Downy Woodpeckers
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Red-throated Loon
Our first stop was at Bethel Beach. There were three Red-throated Loons in the water, and one of them was so close to the beach that it was almost out of the water!
Red-throated Loon
Red-throated Loon
Red-throated Loon
Red-throated Loon
Red-throated Loon
Red-throated Loon
Red-throated Loon
Red-throated Loon
Red-throated Loon
Red-throated Loon
Buffleheads
Sanderling
Sanderling
Sanderling
Dunlins
Our next stop was at South Haven Beach. There weren't any birds in the public area, but the earth was almost moving a bit north on the private beach - it was full of small sandpipers that were too far away to identify for sure, but they were probably Dunlins. We saw a Red-tailed Hawk and our eighth Bald Eagle of this trip.
Sandpipers
Our last stop was a North Haven Beach. We saw a few more Sanderlings, a flock of Dunlins, and about 10 Bonaparte's Gulls.
Sanderling
Dunlins
Bonaparte's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
We ended the trip with 59 avian species. It was really cold to be birding, but we had a great trip!
Trip List:
American Black Duck
American Crow
American Kestrel
American Wigeon
Bald Eagle
Belted Kingfisher
Black Scoter
Black Skimmer
Black Vulture
Bonaparte's Gull
Brant
Brown Pelican
Bufflehead
Canada Goose
Common Eider
Common Loon
Cooper's Hawk
Double-crested Cormorant
Downy Woodpecker
Dunlin
Eastern Bluebird
European Starling
Fish Crow
Forster's Tern
Gadwall
Gray Catbird
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Blue Heron
Greater Scaup
Herring Gull
Hooded Merganser
Laughing Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Long-tailed Duck
Mallard
Merlin
Mourning Dove
Nelson's Sparrow
Northern Gannet
Northern Harrier
Northern Mockingbird
Osprey
Pied-billed Grebe
Purple Sandpiper
Red-breasted Merganser
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-throated Loon
Red-winged Blackbird
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Ruddy Duck
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Surf Scoter
Tundra Swan
Turkey Vulture
Yellow-rumped Warbler
