Blackwater NWR
| Trip leader and photographer: Kurt Schwarz | Date of trip: February 10, 2024 |
| Location: Blackwater NWR | Number attending: 11 |
| Details: We departed shortly after 6:00, arriving at Long Wharf Park in Cambridge about 7:40. We birded Long Wharf, then headed to Oakley Street in Cambridge for close ups with American Wigeon, Lesser Scaup, and Canvasback. This was regarded by many on the trip as one of the highlights. Making our way to Blackwater, we drove Egypt Road in hopes of the rarities recently reported on said road. We unfortunately did not find any, but did see an active Bald Eagle nest. We arrived at the Wildlife Loop at Blackwater about 7:42. Some of the highlights there were a flock of circa 3000 Snow Geese, over 500 Tundra Swans, at least 1,000 Northern Pintails, our only Redhead, 10 out-of-season Black-bellied Plovers, 17 American White Pelicans, a half dozen Bald Eagles (one nicely posing one), and Great Horned Owl on nest. A big miss was no Brown-headed Nuthatches. The visitor center yielded two Eastern Meadowlarks. We then drove to Hooper Island, seeing among other things, Common Loons, a Horned Grebe, and Buffleheads. Unfortunately it began to rain. On Hooper’s Island we found rising water, and beat a retreat. not getting to the end of the road. We made our way to the boat ramp at Shorters Wharf, in hopes of Short-eared Owls. Shorter’s Wharf Road beyond the bridge was under water. We saw Northern Harriers, which was a good sign. But it was two hours before sunset, the group was tired, so we cut the trip short, and headed home. | |
3001 Snow Goose
3472 Canada Goose
521 Tundra Swan
10 Northern Shoveler
25 American Wigeon
58 Mallard
2 American Black Duck
1006 Northern Pintail
120 Canvasback
1 Redhead
127 Ring-necked Duck
12 Greater Scaup
43 Lesser Scaup
107 Greater/Lesser Scaup
6 Long-tailed Duck
59 Bufflehead
4 Common Goldeneye
4 Hooded Merganser
2 Common Merganser
1 Red-breasted Merganser
2 Ruddy Duck
1 Horned Grebe
4 Mourning Dove
10 Black-bellied Plover
5 Killdeer
1 Wilson’s Snipe
9 Dunlin
1 Bonaparte’s Gull
165 Ring-billed Gull
9 Herring Gull
3 Common Loon
2 Double-crested Cormorant
17 American White Pelican
2 Great Egret
9 Great Blue Heron
3 Turkey Vulture
4 Northern Harrier
13 Bald Eagle
2 Red-shouldered Hawk
2 Red-tailed Hawk
1 Great Horned Owl
3 Belted Kingfisher
1 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
1 American Kestrel
5 Blue Jay
2 American Crow
5 Fish Crow
3 Carolina Chickadee
1 Tufted Titmouse
2 Tree Swallow
4 Carolina Wren
35 European Starling
2 Northern Mockingbird
4 Eastern Bluebird
9 American Robin
4 House Finch
1 American Goldfinch
8 White-throated Sparrow
12 Savannah Sparrow
12 Song Sparrow
4 Swamp Sparrow
23 Eastern Meadowlark
19 Red-winged Blackbird
70 Common Grackle
10 Yellow-rumped Warbler
8 Northern Cardinal