"Just an Eagle" + Snowy Egret

[Black-headed (red bill), Bonaparte's, and Laughing Gulls, with Forster's Terns in the foreground and an out-of-focus Ring-billed in back, Delaware Bayshore in Villas yesterday morning. Click to enlarge photos.]

I'm much more a birder who carries a camera than a photographer, but yesterday morning before work I set up to try to get "crushing" shots of gulls and terns on the bay. The incoming tide pushed birds closer and closer, and I was on the ground, motionless, camera on tripod, when. . .

[Bald Eagle escorted by Great Black-backed Gull.]

. . .a young Bald Eagle flew over, flushing all the gulls, which flew way out onto the bay and settled for the morning. Aaarrgh. Pretty much every time we see a Bald Eagle on a CMBO field trip, I remind people not to take it for granted; this time I reminded myself.

Speaking of photography, Scott Whittle's bird photography workshop was so popular we added a second session, April 10-11. Call CMBO 609.861.0700 to sign up; I believe there is also at least one space left for the March 27-28 workshop.

Dave La Puma went outside for lunch yesterday at CMBO-CRE in Goshen and had a Snowy Egret in the marsh out back, another arrival, and Tree Swallow, too.