Osprey arrived

[elleng]

from LONG journey!
(through side window; having foliage trimmed. southern MD)

[MuseRider]

1. Aren't they awesome to watch?

Mine are not here yet. They come and stay for a short time and seem to enjoy my pond. Then they leave and come back during the fall. I wish they stayed longer but I am always so excited when they show up. Beautiful to watch!

Thanks for the photo. It looks like they stay where you are?

My biggie so far this year is a pair of Wood Ducks. I know they are always around and I know they breed on one of the ponds but they get really hard to see after breeding time. Then there are the little ones swimming around.

You have great birds and are wonderful at capturing them in photos. Thank you!

[elleng]

2. I'm in southern MD, and they stay from March until September,

have kids, then head back to south or central America. SOME of them are tagged and followed, 'mine' aren't. (Same pair every year.)

Would LOVE to see Wood Ducks, but haven't; have OTHER ducks (I'm on a river and creek,) geese, hawks, vultures, etc.

[MuseRider]

4. I do not see half of the Wood ducks I think.

I am more of a discoverer than a hunter of nests. I doubt they appreciate, any of them, someone tromping around in the forest shore looking for their nests. So, I think that helps me to keep some birds coming back. (I discover most during Morel hunting time)

I would dearly love to catch a hatching and watch those babies jumping out of the nest only to fall into the water and then teach themselves to swim. What an odd thing the way they raise or not raise their young. A couple of years ago I had a bunch of ducklings swimming around without a parent and I guessed they were Wood Ducks. They may not have been but I think they were.

A river and a creek must bring you a LOT of really cool birds. I just have ponds but I do live very close to a river and lots of larger creeks that flow into it.

I get a lot of Bald Eagles these days. I did not used to, usually was just a few a year but so far this year it looks like a good year. I even had one stand on the pond ice right in front of the house and jump up and down on the ice. Not sure what that was about but it was interesting.

My old house was directly in the center of migration paths. This farm is very close but I do not see the numbers of migrating birds I used to. Makes me sad but it is still a great watching place. A few weeks and the orioles and hummers will be back! I get orioles by the dozens before nesting, they cover my deck if I put out enough oranges. Life is good.

[elleng]

5. Had more Bald Eagles past years than this one.

and had more cardinals, and cedar waxwings too; guess nature's like that!

[MuseRider]

8. Are we trading?

Things are changing and that is really obvious to those of us who watch nature. I had more cedar waxwings in one day that I have ever seen and they were here all winter long. Maybe they always are but I rarely see them any more than one or two sightings a year. It got so I was going....."Oh it is just that bunch of wax wings!" We had a very mild winter until the big 2 week kick your butt ending -25 cold. Maybe they just moved here where it was still pretty nice.

[elleng]

10. WOW! Maybe,

have read a lot of Marylanders with them this year, but NONE here.

[Blue Dawn]

3. Wow!

I love this, elleng!

[elleng]

6. GOOD, Blue Dawn; more to come!

(Awaiting his/her partner, and then kiddies!)

[Blue Dawn]

7. Yes!

I can hardly wait!

[MuseRider]

9. So exciting!