Plan B worked out pretty good.

With Monday being my time off for good behavior and a forecast for Delaware being cloudy but otherwise dry Plan A was to head down to Bombay Hook. I set my alarm for 2:30 and after feeding the beasties and making Kelly a cup of tea for when she got up I was out the door for 3AM so I would arrive in time for the sunrise. It was persisting it down with rain for the majority of the 2 and a bit hour drive but any possibility of sunrise pictures was less than zero as it was rather drizzly and misty when I arrived. Not only was it misty and drizzly it was still quite dark with the heavy cloud cover. It was very humid and the mozzies were out in force. I did come across a sleepy fox cub/pup/kit in the middle of the drive beside Sheerness Pool. 

Red Fox

Red Fox

As it didn't look promising for photography being so dark and dismal and I didn't want to donate any blood to the nasty mozzies I decided to head to Port Mahon which has got to be the nastiest, scummyist eBird Hotspot in existance. Apparently it was once a thriving port but now it's mostly a dirt road with deep pot holes and black sludgy waves that wash over the road in the highest tides. The birds seem to like it though but not today. I did take a shot of an Osprey eating breakfast on a post from what was probably a pier of some sort way back when.

Osprey

I decided to put Plan B into effect. I didn't have a Plan B when I decided to enact Plan B, I just thought I'd head down to Lewes and get the ferry over to Cape May as I thought New Jersey might be a bit better for photographs later in the day. I managed to get on the 8:45 ferry to Cape May and on the misty crossing I practiced my Bird In Flight technique on the gulls following the boat. Normally the gulls follow the boat all the way over the Delaware Bay in the 85 minute crossing, today there was hardly a bird to be seen once we were past the Lewes breakwater.

Misty Delaware Bay

I did take over 3000 shots of the gulls while leaving Lewes and arriving at Cape May. I narrowed it down to about 100 shots but 90% of them were pretty good apart from the crappy lighting.

Laughing Gull

American Herring Gull

I've got loads of good ones to edit but I'll do them maybe tomorrow as I dont want to bore both of you avid readers with a shit load of gulls.

Although New Jersey was nowhere near as misty as Delaware I decided to head North to  Brigantine a.k.a Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. I did the 8 mile loop road and it was pretty damn good.

Red-winged Blackbird

Canada Goslings

Forsters Tern

Barn Swallow

Barn Swallow

Forsters Tern

American Herring Gull

Forsters Tern

American Oystercatcher

Black Skimmer

Black Skimmer

Black Skimmer

After the BIF practice with the Gulls I had a go at the Purple Martins, not too shabby considering the crappy lighting conditions.

Purple Martin

Purple Martin

Purple Martin

On my drive round the 8 mile Wildlife Loop I came across this Diamondback Terrapin that was in danger of being squished so I picked him and saw him safely across the roadway.

Diamondback Terrapin

A bit further round I came across a rather large Snapping Turtle, after my recent encounter with a very mean Snapper I stayed well clear in case it went for my throat, it doesn’t need my help I thought. 

 I decided to let Siri do the navigating and let her take me home via central Philadelphia. It wasn't bad at all, even the Surekill Expressway (Schuylkill) was without the usual carnage and madness so a pretty relaxing drive home in time to make Kelly a mid afternoon cup of tea.

Downtown Philly