Wild Delaware

Sunrise comes pretty early this time of year and I am usually out the door before 5:00 a.m. to get to where I will be shooting at sunrise. Sometimes there is good light and no wildlife. Other times there is wildlife and bad light. Today I had great light and an abundance of wildlife.

On a three-acre pond I saw 10 Great Blue Herons, about as many Great Egrets and a hundred or more Snowy Egrets all gathered to catch fish. Plus a couple of Black Skimmers glided by.All of these photographs were shot within an hour of sunrise today. There were so many fish the egrets would catch them and drop some just as fast perhaps because they wanted larger fish or maybe a different species. I was able to photograph them very close-up and it was a great show for an hour. By then they had their fill and fishing turned to just standing.

But it was a great day in the “office” for me!

Black Skimmers (above)

Great Blue Heron

Snowy Egret and Menhaden

Snowy Egret and Mummichog

Snowy Egrets and croaker

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret

An osprey brings a partially eaten flounder to its chicks this morning. The well camouflaged chicks (bottom right of nest) are eating pieces of fish torn off by the parent. I’ll check back in about 10 days when the chicks are larger and easier to see and photograph.

Mimids, like this Northern Mockingbird, are best known for their songs that often mimic other species songs.

I have found more skimmers this year in Delaware than I have seen here before. One morning about three weeks ago I saw a flock of about one hundred at Bowers Beach. Today, these Black Skimmers were coming in for a landing at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge.

Order your copy of Wild Delaware now to reserve a beautiful piece of Delaware history! Publication of Wild Delaware is this November but if you order now you will receive a signed and numbered copy of Wild Delaware plus two free signed lithographs plus free shipping. Just click Order Wild Delaware Online! (above) for the pre-publication special.

My favorite heron and egret rookery on Indian River Bay was a busy place today at sunrise with Great Egrets clamoring for the best perches. Three weeks ago a storm destroyed this rookery as most of the birds were nesting on the ground which is only few inches above high tide. The storm tide swamped the tiny island with several feet of water. Nest here have been rebuilt and the birds are in full breeding plumage as they give raising a family another try.

A Canada Goose gets comfortable for a nap at Winterthur Museum.

A Barn Swallow stretches in the late afternoon yesterday. I’m looking forward to photographing these little guys feeding their young soon. The young should be emerging from the nest in the next week or two and the parents will bring them a catch of insects feeding them while hovering in front of the young.

Like a runway for airplanes, Blue Flag Iris have markings showing the way for insects to pollinate their showy, colorful flower. These iris are native to Delaware and grow along creeks and lakes. They have no known insect problems or diseases but muskrats like to munch on their roots.

Cow vetch is blooming now along many of Delaware’s roads. Some consider the plant an invasive weed that roots and grows quickly on disturbed soil blocking out many other plants. Others plant cow vetch as a ground cover for the same reason. I just like the color purple…