Blackwater NWR
The Blackwater NWR has more than 28,000 acres of freshwater impoundments, brackish tidal wetlands, open fields, and mixed evergreen and deciduous forests. This morning, I followed Route 16 to Route 335 recommended by my car GPS to Blackwater, but returned via Egypt Road along farm fields where I could stop and look for birds. I chose the route on Egypt Road to and from Route 16 the rest of the week. The Blackwater NWR has a great visitor center, and a paved Wildlife Drive with some wooded hiking trails. There's also a much longer route all around most of the entire reserve, but I only did a small part of that, as two years ago I did not find it of much birding value. I drove the Wildlife Drive twice each day I was there. The farm fields that are along Egypt Road and just to the north of a wooded section of Blackwater NWR, and are shown on the map below, always had a few good birds foraging on them.
Blackwater NWR
It was a beautiful, sunny day to go to the Blackwater NWR. Temperatures stayed in the mid-50s all day long, and breezes were mild. Soon after getting onto the Wildlife Drive, I saw a juvenile Cooper's Hawk flying, and then a Red-shouldered Hawk feeding atop a tree along the drive.
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Just past that, I saw the first a several Great Blue Herons.
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
The wooded areas along the drive yielded several woodland species.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Red-winged Blackbird
Carolina Wren
Field Sparrow
The next stop yielded a Kingfisher and a quick look at a Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Belted Kingfisher
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Two years ago, the next section of Wildlife Drive was loaded with multiple duck species. Today, although I saw several hundred Canada Geese, I only saw a handful of Mallards. I did see a Bald Eagle atop a post where I saw one two years ago, and it was soon joined by another Bald Eagle.
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagles
Bald Eagles
Bald Eagles
After completing then drive, I drove a short way along the long route around the NWR where I saw a couple of Marsh Wrens, and then drove Wildlife Drive a second time.
Marsh Wren
Marsh Wren
Hermit Thrush
I took Egypt Road on my return, and saw a small flock of Black-bellied Plovers and Killdeers in the farm fields shown on the map above.
Black-bellied Plover
I did a little more birding back at the hotel, and added a couple of duck species and a Common Loon, giving me 43 avian species for the day.
Click here to continue to birding on November 12