Charles W. Cullen Bridge and Indian River Inlet
/Saturday morning of the Winter Delmarva Birding Weekend was wet and windy. We had seen the Charles W. Cullen Bridge in the dark as we headed to our hotel on Friday evening. The sky and the lights on the bridge were dramatic.
The next morning, we were at the bridge again. It was the location of our field trip!
Unfortunately, it was raining and blustery. I discovered that a rain poncho is problematic in windy conditions. I learned to lean against part of the bridge or pavilion structure to hold the poncho down so I could use my binoculars…and take a few pictures (bufflehead in the distance and a gull…the bridge and walk beside the inlet). I was more successful with the binoculars: Razorbills riding the swift moving water (the tide coming in during heavy rain) and a Northern Gannet flying through under the bridge and looping around in the air. The trip ended early because the next part of the trip was planned for open areas (no shelter from the heavy rain and wind).
On Sunday morning, we left our hotel early to get to our field trip by 8….crossing the bridge again. It was dark much like our experience on Friday evening, but the texture of the clouds is more noticeable…and the lights were missing.
