OBNWR

Days off and good weather can only mean one thing...

I went to OBNWR on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.

On Friday, these geese flew over right as I got out of the car. They were unusually absent from the rest of the refuge and they were also absent from the bay.

Canada Geese

There were hundreds of ducks in the bay. Maybe that's why the geese were absent.

Lesser Scaups

The hunters were also active in their blinds. They had to work pretty hard to get their boats up to the blinds because the ice near the shore was pretty solid. In one area near shore, the ice was gone, probably because there's a sand bar and water discharge from the swamp. There were several of these ring-billed gulls hanging around.

Ring Billed Gull

I turned my back to the bay to look inland over the swamp to look for the beavers and other birds there. A kingfisher hangs around this spot and I've been trying since Summer to get a decent shot of it. Then I heard the gulls behind me suddenly scatter. I looked around, wondering what spooked them and there was a bald eagle on the sand bar. My view of it was obstructed by bushes and by the time I got to a spot for a clear shot, it took off. So I turned around again and then there were gulls flying over the swamp. I like this shot because of the light showing through the feathers. I can even see the shadow of the bird's right wing on the left wing.

Ring-Billed Gull

And that was the end of that visit. Next morning I found these two near their nest, bathed in the first sunlight of the day.

Having a Conversation

I walked farther along the shore and saw this woodpecker doing contortions with his neck. It's a rare visit when I don't hear lots of woodpeckers pounding away.

Downy Woodpecker

I headed to the other nest. The USFWS has blocked the road to allow the eagles to nest without people getting too close. One of the parents-to-be flew by.

Bald Eagle Flyby

It landed on top of a nearby osprey pole. I have so many photos of eagles on that pole that I usually ignore the eagles when they're on that pole. I spotted its mate nearby and walked toward it. I managed to get pretty close, but before I could get an unobstructed shot it flew away and landed alongside its mate.

Face-to-Face

They showed no sign of budging anytime soon, so I moved on. Back along the shore, this juvenile landed in a tree as I watched. Before I could get much closer, it took off again.

Bald Eagle

Remember that kingfisher I mentioned above? It was in a tree in the swamp.

Belted Kingfisher

The ice has receded from the middle of the bay. I heard boats out there crunching through it, but there was an open water channel. On Friday, as I was leaving, I was treated to the sound and sights of it crunching apart as the tide came in and pushed it toward shore.