A Great Blue Heron at James Run struck a regal pose for us as we kayak along...
and another one at Eden Mill way up in a tree...again while kayaking.
On the Gunpowder near Mariner Point Park we spotted this one from our kayak just as it caught a huge fish too big to swallow and worked on trying to eat it for a long time.
This one just landed to take a break after a long flight across Bird River near Mariner Pt Park...
Great Blue Herons aren't the only fascinating birds at Water Parks. There are woodpeckers with weird appetites...yes, that's a peanut he surprisingly picked up a couple of feet from us...
Ducks of all ages are willing to pose for photos in hope that we'll toss them some bread...
Of course, Momma at first tried to blend into the surroundings, then scurried past us a quickly as she could with her darling family in tow...
Along Broad Creek you can always expect Canadian Geese to swim alongside your kayak close enough to touch...must think we're one of them...one had a broken wing...you see all aspects of nature along the way...
This one came close enough to peek inside my kayak...
This black duck was really unusual....can you identify it? We spotted it along the Big Gunpowder River while kayaking....looks a bit prehistoric...had a little blue and white on it's wing, red around it's eye and the tip of it's bill was a light color. Even it's feet were black.
There are many Red Tailed and other hawks at the Gunpowder and other State Parks
A few of the many other birds you can see on outings might just be a variety of woodpeckers...
Northern Cardinals
Blue Jays
Dark-Eyed Junkos
Red-Naped Sapsuckers
Eastern Bluebirds
Mourning Doves
and if you know where to look....Bald Eagles...lots of them along the Shenandoah River.
