Blackwater NWR, 11/11-16/2019

All photos are © Marshall Faintich

November 13

The sun was out this morning, but the temperature when I left the hotel around 9:00 a.m. was 33 degrees, and the winds were strong. It felt really cold to be out birding, and I wondered if most of the smaller birds would be hunkered down. I stopped along the farm fields on Egypt Road, and saw a few American Pipits and Horned Larks braving the wind and cold.

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American Pipit

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Horned Lark

When I got to Wildlife Drive, I found that many of the birds were battling the winds, or puffed up to keep warm.

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Red-shouldered Hawk

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Hermit Thrush

But the Bald Eagles were out, and I saw my first Northern Harrier of the trip.

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Bald Eagle

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Bald Eagle

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Bald Eagle

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Juvenile Bald Eagle

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Sub-adult (Basic I/II) Bald Eagle

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Sub-adult (Basic II) Bald Eagle

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Northern Harrier

The trees in the wooded trails shielded some of the wind, and a few more birds were viewable there.

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Eastern Bluebird

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Pileated Woodpecker

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Northern Flicker

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Ruby-crowned Kinglet

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Song Sparrow

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Song Sparrow

As I drove along the water areas, I saw a huge flock of Tundra Swans and a single Snowy Egret.

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Tundra Swans

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Tundra Swans

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Snowy Egret

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Snowy Egret

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Snowy Egret

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Great Blue Heron

I wear thin gloves during cold weather so that I can operate my camera, and small chemical hot packets inside my gloves kept my palms warm, but by the time I finished my second loop on Wildlife Drive, I could barely feel my fingers, so I decided to head back to the hotel. I stopped at the farm fields, and saw more Killdeers and an American Pipit.

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American Pipit

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American Pipit

As I was leaving the farm fields, I saw a late season Palm Warbler, but was only able to get a couple of photos through the car windshield before it disappeared into the farmland stubble.

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Palm Warbler

Click here to continue to birding on November 14

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