I think I said it was cold

A few posts back, when I described the trip to Chincoteague, I think I said it was cold. If I didn't, then let me correct that misunderstanding. It was cold. And when the wind blew, it was a type of cold that requires the use of profanity to describe. Here are a few miscellaneous photos that include ice, just as a guide of the coldness of it all.

The first picture is of a piece of wood or stump that was sticking up out of the water. The wind was blowing hard enough to send a sheet of ice from one end of the pond to the other. When the ice encountered the piece of wood, the ice was thin enough for the wood to carve right through it, leaving that trail of broken ice to the right of the stump.



This picture shows a group of Tundra Swan trying to get to the other side of a sheet of ice. One of the group just took flight and flew over. These, however, decided it would be easier to climb up and walk over the ice.



Finally, here is a shot of what I presume to be a very cold Great Blue Heron. To be more precise: I do not presume that this is a Great Blue Heron, but I do presume he is cold. He is standing up to his feathers in water, right next to a section that is frozen on top. It is almost like a Great Blue Heron Popsicle.

Ruddy Duck

Here is another photo from the driver's side of my truck out the passenger side window. This one is of a female Ruddy Duck. I think the shape of these were the model for the little rubber duck bathtub toys. They look like little toy ducks.

Red-breasted Merganser

During Winter in Virginia it is not uncommon to see Red-breasted Merganser in larger bodies of water. These birds dive under water for their food (unlike dabbling ducks, who tip their head under water, but do not dive). They are also extremely shy, and will dive under water and/or fly away if they see you walking nearby. At Chincoteague NWR, you can drive past lots of good bird habitat. So not only is staying in your vehicle good for keeping warm in the winter, but it also acts as a handy bird blind. I took this photo from my truck. We were parked on the side of the road, and I took the photo from the driver's side through the rolled down passenger side window. Tammy is patiently reclined out of the way in the passenger seat. This is a male/female pair of Red-breasted Merganser. The male is closer, and the female is in the back.

Northern Pintail

Another fairly common dabbling duck at Chincoteague was Northern Pintail. Once again the male has fairly interesting colors, and it is pretty easy to see how the bird got its name.

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrows are very typical sparrows anytime of the year. They hop around the bushes and weeds that line the side of roads and paths. I was taking pictures of the sun coming down when I noticed a few of them hopping around in the weeds next to me. I cranked up the ISO on my camera to 1600 because the light was getting low, and these two pictures are a sample of the results.

Northern Shoveler

There was no shortage of dabbling ducks at Chincoteague NWR. One species that was particularly abundant was Northern Shoveler. They were to be found in any shallow water, heads under the icy water eating whatever manner of vegetation is to be found there. The males have interesting colors, and their bills do justice to their name.

Birding to Chincoteague and back

Tammy and I took an overnight trip to Chincoteague this weekend. It was an opportunity to get away for us, but also a chance for me to see some birds I had not seen before.

The trip to Chincoteague took us across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT), and there were several birds likely to be seen at island #1 (where the gift shop and restaurant are located) that I had never seen before (Brant, Harlequin Duck, Long-tailed Duck and Great Cormorant). Then, just after getting to the north end of the CBBT, there was a chance of seeing Eurasian Wigeon at the Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR. And Chincoteague NWR itself is always a good place to bird.

The birding part of the trip started off great. I managed to see three of my four target birds at CBBT island #1. The one I missed was Great Cormorant. I thought I had it as well, but a review of the field marks this evening showed me the error in my ways. On the other hand, a Brown Pelican was an added bonus in that it was something that was not on my list due to the infamous hard drive crash of 2005 (but something I knew I had seen before somewhere). I tried twice to get the Eurasian Wigeon, but was unsuccessful both times. On the way up I think I might have gotten a glimpse, but the birds spooked and flew away before I could get an ID on them. I tried again on the way back, but it was not meant to be.

I made up for the Eurasian Wigeon by finding a Horned Grebe offshore at Chincoteague NWR. Tammy wisely sat in the truck and stayed warm while I froze in the wind, scanning the ocean for diving birds and fending off opportunistic Ring-billed Gulls who thought the field guide I tossed to the sand might just be that snack they so expected from me. Just in case you did not know: there is a public beach located within Chincoteague NWR. The gulls there are used to people, and probably also used to people supplying them with food.

All in all, it was a good trip. Tammy and I got out of town, my Virginia List grew to 170, and my Life List has now officially grown to 302. I have no pictures of the birds that were new to my life list, but I do have pictures of birds. I will be posting some of them soon.