Wild Delaware

A pair of Horned Grebes were fishing last night in the ocean at Cape Henlopen State Park. They would dive underwater disappearing for about 30 seconds while they looked for fish then resurface about 10 yards from where they started. They were very determined fishermen but while watching them for about an hour I didn’t see them catch a single fish.

The wind blew hard yesterday from the west knocking the tops off waves landing in Cape Henlopen State Park. A variety of gulls worked the edge of the rough surf finding what they could to eat. Below, a Herring gull gets a lift from the wind as it glides over the coast. This great Black-backed gull (bottom photograph below) continued feeding into the twilight as the moon began to rise over the ocean.

Easter is early this year and this eastern cottontail was an early riser catching the morning light its ears. A herbivore, this rabbit eats a wide veriety of plants including clover and grasses leaving eggs and plastic grass to a different kind of bunny.

Watching Sanderlings play tag with ocean waves is like watching windup toys on steroids. They move so fast as they chase the waves to see what food might surface on the sand they are difficult to photograph. But when this group decided to hop on just one leg the action slowed enough to catch with a camera.

Well, you don’t see this every day. This same pair of Osprey raised a family last summer in Lewes and have just returned from a six month trip to South America to raise another brood. Romance was in the air this afternoon as the pair mated and brought phragmites to line their nest.

The osprey are back on the Lewes-Rehoboth canal today after a long trip to South America and back. The same pair I photographed last September have returned to their nest from last summer and when I found them today one was eating a flounder in exactly the same place just like the last time I saw them almost six months ago.

This photograph of the full moon setting behind an osprey with a flounder was shot last year but photographer Tony Pratt just reported to me that the osprey were back on the same post near Lewes today. So that would complete a round-trip from Lewes to South America and back for the fish hawks. Osprey are one of my favorite subjects and I’m glad they have returned. Yet another sure sign of spring!

Male Killdeer are now staking their territory where they will be nesting. To attract a mate, they stand in their territory making their two-note calls often for hours at a time.

First, let me say this photograph will not make it into the book Wild Delaware. But there are more than 300 people a day checking in to see what is new here and I thought you might like to see a colorful sign of spring. This Canada goose and the daffodils were on the bank of Silver Lake in Rehoboth Beach yesterday afternoon near sunset. By definition this would be wildlife in Delaware but it is not quite wild enough for me.

A Canada goose has a big stretch and then a honk at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge this morning.