Saturday, June 11, 2011

Birding Blackwater NWR

I do not think I have shown my photos from my last visit to Blackwater NWR. So for my Camera Critters post I have some shots of the Osprey on a nest and a large snapping turtle crossing the road.

The Osprey are great birds to see, they are dark brown above and white below, they have a dark eye stripe. Their huge stick nest are conspicuous on bouys, channel markers and large trees. The Blackwater refuge has nesting places set aside for the Osprey. They hunt by hovering over the water and then plunging down to graps the fish with their open talons.

This Osprey couple were working on building their nest.


This big dude looks like he just got out of the water. We watched him walk across the road.


This snapping turtle is smaller in size but still kind of neat looking.





One of the many Bald Eagles seen at the Blackwater NWR


This morning I am off to help my bird club do a count at the clear cut area of the watershed near my house. They are trying to keep a record of the how the tree cutting has affected the breeding birds.
I hope you enjoyed my Osprey, Eagle  and critter post and to see more cute critters please visit Misty Dawn's Camera Critters.  Thanks to Misty for hosting and thanks for stopping by to see my post. Have a great weekend. :)

25 comments:

  1. Beautiful shots, Eileen. I particularly love the Snapper walking across the road. The muted colors and graininess just add to the mood.

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  2. Wow, Eileen. You must have a great telephot0 lens as I know osprey build their nest way high up! :)

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  3. Excellent photos, Eileen. I've never seen an Osprey's nest and never seen a snapping turtle. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your bird count. Happy weekend. Jo

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  4. Are you going to count with your camera?

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  5. snappers are so fascinating to me - right up there with gators - just prehistoric looking critters that refuse to morph into anything more 'modern'. :)

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  6. Seeing the osprey in there amazing nests are always so cool to spot! Wonderful photos Eileen. Thank you for always bringing a little bit of fun nature to us!

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  7. What amazing shots!

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  8. Love those turtles!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  9. Love the turtle shots Eileen.

    Camera Critters at my page. Have a great weekend!

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  10. Eileen, such wonderful shots!
    That first turtle is rather prehistoric looking. I don't think I'd want to get too close.
    I'm still hoping to see and Bald Eagle in the wild someday - a wonderful capture.
    And, I love your header shot.
    Hope you have a wonderful time with the bird count and maybe photos too. :)
    Carletta's Captures

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  11. Yet another great place that you visit Eileen. Ospreys and Bald Eagles are so wonderful. Those turtles made me smile but I know Snapping Turtles can make you cry if they snap at fingers

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  12. I must admit, I've never ever seen a snapping turtle in the 'wild' before, always in Science Museums and Aquariums. Super photos, each and every one!!

    Thanks for stopping by:

    WHITE TAILED HAWK

    Hope your weekend is treating you well!!

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  13. Grew up on a lake with many snapping turtles that terrorized us when we went swimming! Great shots.

    Linsday

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  14. oh my gosh! you got to see whistlers in Maryland!!! they're certainly making their way further north! i'm so glad for you!!!

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  15. Hi Eileen, We have Bald Eagles and Osprey here where I live and I so enjoy when they infrequently visit my shoreline. You have posted just excellent pictures! Have a super nice evening tonight and a great Sunday tomorrow!

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  16. I remember lakes with snapping turtles. Have never seen a bobcat in the wild, however.
    Your osprey shots are so good. Yes, they're great to watch.
    — K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  17. I loved your osprey pictures; great shot of the turtles too!

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  18. I've enjoyed your shots, Eileen. The turtle seems to have stopped to pose for you. Like that shot.

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  19. How did you get close enough to catch those osprey? The turtle is great too! I am glad that I followed your link from Camera Critters, I too am linking up if you'd like to visit.
    Hugs, antonella
    My post: http://quilling.blogspot.com/2011/06/simply-sunday_11.html

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  20. Wow, that's a big turtle. Great shots of the eagle and osprey as well as the turtle.

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  21. I had to chuckle at Gallery's comment as we too were terrorized with stories of snapping turtles snapping your toes off as you swam in the lake.
    Amazing creatures, as is the Osprey. Don't get too many of those here in the desert :0
    Thanks for sharing your critters! Love, Love, LOVE the new header photo. I am so in the mood to change mine, but to what????
    meggs
    xx

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  22. Great birds. Ospreys are one of my favorites. And I love the turtle, who looks perfectly happy crossing the road.

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  23. Oh I love all the photos in this post! Fantastic critters..

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Hello, thank you for visiting my blog. I always appreciate your comments.

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Have a happy day, Eileen

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