Wild Delmarva

I went to my favorite Royal Tern colony late yesterday, and of course, the light went bad. Fog rolled in and the light faded. But before the light failed I photographed this Royal Tern coming in with a fish.

Light is everything with photography and if you are shooting wildlife you have to capture both good light and the moment. I’ll visit this colony again and one day, hopefully there will be good light….

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

I have to admit that I’m a fan of colorful little birds. Get me close to a Yellow or Prairie Warbler, Indigo Bunting or Scarlet Tanager and I’m happy. In fact, getting close to these little guys is sometimes more challenging than photographing a tern colony or heron rookery. This handsome bird is a Prothonotary Warbler and you can find them nesting on Delmarva’s wooded swampland. Their song – usually of six loud, ringing tweets in a row – lets you know they are close-by, often before you see them.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

With space at a premium in the Royal Tern colony, neighbors sometimes get into territorial tussles. The squabbles only last a few seconds and calm breaks out again in the colony.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

This afternoon I went by boat to photograph a Royal Tern colony. The terns were there, some with eggs and others with tiny chicks but the sun quickly fell behind thick clouds and there was no light. So I only was able to shoot for a few minutes but there was plenty of action. That’s how it goes sometimes with photography. An hour drive, launching a boat and then a 10 minute boat ride and there was only maybe five minutes of good light. I’ll be back to visit these terns again soon.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

Piping Plovers look harmless enough. But if you are a surf fisherman, these handsome, little birds are the enemy. They were protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1986 because – if not protected – their population would continue to decline. Piping Plovers nest on some of the same stretches of Atlantic Ocean beaches that are very popular with surf fishermen like in Cape Henlopen State Park near Lewes. These tiny birds, their nest and especially their young chicks are so small and so well camouflaged they are all but invisible. So, prime fishing beaches have to be closed for a couple of months every spring to protect their nest.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

Great Egrets are big birds and definitely not as light as a feather. So I’m always amazed watching them balance on perches that are sometimes little more than twigs. This one is having some difficulty getting a good hold on the branch.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

Snowy Egrets are some of my favorite birds to photograph. They are always doing something like wiggling their yellow toes to attract fish or darting around shallows trying to catch fish. Sometimes during mating season they will fly up in air-to-air, feet-to-feet combat. This is a mated pair that squawked on the arrival of a mate.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

With a range that includes five continents, the Black-crowned Night Heron is the most widespread heron in the world. On Delmarva they can be found nesting in colonies with other herons and egrets. Because they hunt mostly at night they are often difficult to find and photograph in daylight.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

When Great Egrets are nesting it is common for the male to bring sticks to the female for the nest construction. And while it was a dark and foggy morning today construction was in full-swing in this rookery. Here one large stick is delivered (top photograph) and a second smaller stick is passed between the mated pair.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming

A Red Fox hunting near sunset.

Photograph by Kevin Fleming