Wild Delmarva

A pair of Northern Pintail take off from one of Delmarva’s wetlands. We had more than a foot of snow this weekend but I’m sick in bed with a fever and chills. So, sadly I missed one of our best snow storms in years.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

Of course I have no idea what this Canada Goose was saying to the other goose. But the second goose didn’t seem fazed by all the commotion.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

I used to think Canada Geese were large birds but when you see one next to a super-sized Mute Swan they don’t seem so big.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

Strong sun and warmer temperatures yesterday made life on Delmarva a little easier for wading birds like this Great Blue Heron that was fishing along the frozen edge of a river.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

These little Black-capped Chickadees are a challenge to photograph in flight. They flit around in unpredictable movements and they are very small. It was a bright morning so I was able to use a very fast shutter speed of 1/6,000th of a second to stop the motion of this little guy coming in for a landing.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

Yesterday near sunset I found a snowy field full of Snow Geese trying to forage for whatever they could find to eat. Single geese like this one moved around trying to find better spots. The winter wheat was covered by several inches of snow so there wasn’t much to eat and. Some ate what soy bean stalks they could find.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

A female Northern Cardinal extends full flaps and her landing gear as she comes in for a touchdown. Several inches of snow last weekend made feeding and life difficult for wildlife on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

It snowed yesterday on Delmarva for just the third time this winter and it was a beautiful but cold day. I found this very colorful Northern Cardinal perched along the edge of a woods doing its best to keep warm.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

This would have been a rare – if not impossible – sight on the Delmarva Peninsula before 1940. That’s when a small number of House Finches were released on Long Island, New York and they have been breeding and spreading across almost all of the eastern United States ever since. Now scientists estimate their population may be as high as 1.4 billion.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

Three Canada Geese paddle as fast as they can to get out of the way of a Mute Swan as it takes off. At more than 20 pounds Mute Swan are twice the weight of Canada Geese. Oddly named, these super-sized birds have a loud, clear “kloorrr” call that sounds similar to Tundra Swan.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming