Two impoundments of inches-deep, fresh water near the visitors' center of Blackwater Wildlife Refuge, just south of Cambridge, Maryland, is alive with a variety of water birds in winter. This refuge of 28, 894 acres is based on the broad Blackwater River in the flat, marshy Chesapeake Bay Country on Maryland's eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. This refuge is also located in southwestern Delmarva Peninsula, which includes Delaware, Maryland and Virginia east of the Chesapeake. It is a natural, traditional place for thousands of geese, swans, and ducks of several kinds to spend winter. Here they find ample food from mid-October to the middle of February or early March when they start their trips north or west to their breeding territories. And here we find another habitat of peace and beauty: An intriguing place of rivers, shallow, freshwater ponds, marshes, fields and woods, including many stands of evergreen loblolly pines. Emergent vegetation grows in the impoundments and several patches of tall, attractive phragmites with feathery, beige plumes stand here and there around the pools.
I visited Blackwater Refuge a few times several years ago, but for an hour or two a day, the last two weeks, I have been viewing a few inches-deep, freshwater ponds by camera mounted on a long, lean dike between those shallow pools. I see what the camera "sees" as it turns and stops, turn and stops, 360 degrees, day and night. I pick up the live images and sounds of the birds on a computer screen at home. But those ponds are only part of Blackwater Refuge. I know I am seeing only part of the wildlife that winters at Blackwater.
The wintering birds I see and hear in greatest abundance live on my computer screen are majestic Canada geese, elegant tundra swans, attractive pintail ducks and mallard ducks, and handsome ring-billed gulls. Many geese, swans and ducks shovel up and feed on emergent vegetation and their roots in those shallow pools. But these waterfowl species also fly out in flocks to nearby grass fields and harvested corn fields to feed on grass they pluck and kernels of corn they pick or scoop up with their beaks and ingest.
Low-slanting, winter sunlight at dawn and dusk adds another dimension of beauty to this watery, grassy environment. Still water of the impoundments reflects the winter sky, including brilliantly colored sunsets and sunrises, trees, and loudly calling waterfowl, as those birds pass over the ponds to feeding fields, or, when full of vegetation, back to the water's safety.
Deciduous and coniferous trees and flocks of flying waterfowl are silhouetted handsomely before sunrises and sunsets. Seeing those flocks of noisy geese, swans and ducks before a striking sunset or sunrise is truly inspiring, lifting human spirits.
Sometimes I see a little group of drake pintail ducks taking off from one of the shallow ponds in hot pursuit of a female pintail. The male pintail that keeps up with her is accepted as her mate.
Canada geese and tundra swans are never quiet as groups. Gangs of these species, plus ducks and ring-billed gulls, are often shifting from place to place, to feed or for another resting spot on the water, or on the dike between the ponds. I often see flocks of Canadas, swans, ducks and ring-billed gulls, sometimes all those species at once, on that strip of soil.
Loose gatherings of gracefully-flying ring-billed gulls come off the Blackwater River and the Chesapeake Bay beyond that river to feed and rest at this refuge. They consume anything that is edible, including dead fish. And they rest on the fresh-water pools and the dike between them.
There are other, less common, species of birds wintering around those two impoundments at Blackwater Refuge, including shoveler ducks, green-winged teal, great blue herons, bald eagles and northern harriers. The shovelers and teal are puddle ducks, so-named because of their tendency to feed on aquatic plants in shallow water. Groups of shovelers swim in circles and stir the mud on the bottom with their webbed feet. Then they take in beaksful of mud and strain out edibles, and discarding the mud.
Several great blue herons winter at Blackwater where they stalk fish in open water. These herons fish as individuals and chase other great blues away from their fishing spots.
Several bald eagles winter at Blackwater, and some of them nest there as well. These big raptors catch larger fish and other creatures around the refuge, but also scavenge dead fish and animals wherever they can. These eagles even fight each other for food.
Northern harriers are open country hawks that fly and soar slowly into the wind and low to the ground as they watch for mice and small birds in fields around marshes and ponds. Harriers have long wings that tilt slightly from side to side to help give them control of flight in the wind.
Blackwater Refuge is another peaceful, pretty place where wildlife can find food and shelter throughout the year. And this refuge preserves some of the wetlands that are beneficial to many kinds of wildlife and offer us inspiring, soul-lifting beauty and intrigue the year around.
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