Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)

Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)

Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)

Cathy and I visited friends in Delaware this weekend. We went to Prime Hook, a National Wildlife Refuge on Delaware Bay. The background of this photo makes it a little hard to see the bird at first, but otherwise, I like the picture. This is a greater yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca). They are differentiated from the lesser yellowlegs (T. flavipes) by their size (if seen side by side), by the Greater’s longer, thicker and slightly upturned bill. While we are in the northern most extent of their winter range, they migrate through on their way to the mid-latitudes of Canada for the summer.

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Emberglow at Michaux

From left: Keisha, Mo, Jeff, and Julia

From left: Keisha, Mo, Jeff, and Julia

Cathy and I took off work an hour early and drove up to Gettysburg today. We met Dorothy on the Square where we picked up burgers from Blue & Gray (recommended) and took them to Gettysburg Recreation Park to eat. It was a beautiful, if cool, evening. After dinner, we walked to the Michaux Brewing Company for an evening of music (and a little beer) with Emberglow. We last saw Emberglow at Ploughman’s on January 18. Michaux has more space, which meant we were better able to see them, especially when Mo stepped up to the mic and they all sang together. Emberglow is, from left to right, Keisha, Mo, Jeff, and Julia. They have five more gigs on the calendar (that I know of): 06/06 at Pilger Ruh; 06/20 at Thirsty Farmer Brew; 07/25 back at Michaux; 08/23 at The Garryowen; and 09/12 at Reid’s Winery and Cider.

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Cathy with ‘Red Candles’ Camellia

Cathy with ‘Red Candles’ Camellia

Cathy with ‘Red Candles’ Camellia

For the last few years we’ve gone to the U. S. National Arboretum during rose season, trying to catch some of the earlier, species roses. This year we decided to try our luck at getting there during the Camellia season, which for spring blooming Camellia japonica is early spring. Because that coincides with cherry blossoms, the Arboretum was quite busy. We drove past the cherry blossoms, though, and started in Fern Valley. There used to be a huge variety of daffodils planted there, but those are almost entirely gone now. It’s a little early for most things in Fern Valley but we did see some spreading Jacob’s-ladder (or Greek Valerian, Polemonium reptans), golden ragwort (or golden groundsel, Packera aurea), cutleaf toothwort (Cardamine concatenata), spring beauties (Claytonia virginica), bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), and quite a few trout lilies (Erythronium americanum).

From there we moved on to the Asian collection, which is where the Camellias are grown. I did a pretty good job of recording the names of the flowers I photographed and picked a few that I might consider adding to our garden. The photo here is the only one I took of Cathy with the Camellias and it’s called ‘Red Candles’, a very nice, vigorously flowering C. japonica.

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Camellia japonica ‘Hokkaido Red’

Camellia japonica ‘Hokkaido Red’

Camellia japonica ‘Hokkaido Red’

Of the camellias in our yard, this one is among the most successful. It’s a fairly slow growing shrub, so it will be a while before it’s really visible in it’s location behind the azaleas in front of our house. Nevertheless, from our front porch it’s quite visible and has a lot of flowers on it. Another called ‘April Rose’ that I planted at the same time, however, is barely holding on to life. I haven’t given up on it yet, but it isn’t encouraging. The oldest camellia I have, called ‘Pink Perfection’, is finally to the point where I’m not worried about it surviving. It’s almost five feet tall and doing well.

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Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot)

Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot)

Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot)

We had a load of things in the van to go to the dump today and thought we might also make a quick stop at the thrift store to drop some things off there. We decided, though, that we didn’t really have enough for the thrift store but we had left too early to go straight to church. So, we stopped for short visit to the Montgomery County Agricultural History Farm Park. There were things in bloom in the shade garden, which we always enjoy. These are bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) buds and leaves coming up. It’s one of my favorite native plants and a wonderful sign of spring.

Other things blooming included the Pieris japonica (Japanese andromeda) and of course there were daffodils. The Eranthis hyemalis (winter aconite) was done blooming. In the larger demonstration garden there was a little activity but nothing anywhere near blooming yet. Once we have a few warm days, though, that will change.

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Glow-In-The-Dark Puzzle

Glow-In-The-Dark Puzzle

Glow-In-The-Dark Puzzle

Glow-In-The-Dark Puzzle

Glow-In-The-Dark Puzzle

We’ve continued working on puzzles, doing those given to us by Donna, a family friend. They are mostly 500 piece puzzles and are fairly easy to put together but it’s something to do. We have a card table in our family room with a four foot square board on it. I added molding to the edge which reduces the number of pieces that get knocked onto the floor. It doesn’t prevent that completely and we finished one puzzle and found that a single piece was missing. We looked on the floor but didn’t find it. We left it there for a day or two and Cathy was on the floor stretching when she noticed the piece. I’m not sure how we missed it, but the rug we have seems to camouflage them very well.

While working on this puzzle we noticed that the surface of the pieces was a little rough. It wasn’t until we were done that we found out that it was a glow-in-the-dark puzzle. We put the boxes away while we’re working on them, to make them a little more challenging (and to avoid cheating). I set the camera up on a tripod and took pictures of it both with the lights on (the first image) and then with the lights off. The exposure was 30 seconds at f/4 at ISO 200.

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Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)

Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)

Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)

As mentioned in the previous post, we went to Croyden Creek this afternoon. After our walk, on which we saw the woodpecker, we returned to the nature center, where we had parked. I took a few pictures of birds around the feeders there. That included a northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), a few dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis), and this tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor). This photo makes him look more blue than gray, but either way, it’s a cute little bird that is hear year round and is often heard repeating Peter-Peter.

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Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

We went to Croyden Creek this afternoon, and walked the loop to the east, following the creek down towards Rock Creek, then looping up to near Norbeck Road and back to the old Avery Road cut. About a third of the way around we heard and then saw this pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) high on a dead tree. They certainly are a treat to see, with their red crest, as they dig insects out of trees and stumps. Their call and the very deliberate thumping of their beak against the wood is unmistakable.

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Snow Drops (Galanthus nivalis)

Snow Drops (Galanthus nivalis)

Snow Drops (Galanthus nivalis)

Cathy and I took a walk at lunch time today, going about half way around the block that our office is on. There’s a cut through to the parking lot of my building from the back, which is how we got back. We walked through some of the empty lot next to my building but didn’t see much in the way of bird life. That building lot has been empty and waiting to be built on since before Dorothy was born (and before I worked there), so, a long time. In the current market, I don’t see that changing any time soon. On a lighter note, the snow drops (Galanthus nivalis) are blooming.

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Great Falls, Virginia

Great Falls, Virginia

Great Falls, Virginia

A week ago we had temperatures under 20°F but today it was a lovely day and we really wanted to get out. We decided to go to Great Falls on the Virginia side of the river (not that the falls are in Virginia, but we were). After stopping at the three overlooks (at one of which this photo was taken) we walked on the River Trail as far as Sandy Landing, returning to the visitor center by another route. There were quite a few people out and everyone was enjoying the spring-like day. At one point we heard a noise we couldn’t identify, it turned out to be frogs, chirping or croaking in chorus.

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Library Puzzle

Library Puzzle

Library Puzzle

Cathy brother Jim gave us this puzzle for ‘Second Christmas’ and we finished it yesterday. For a while we thought there was a piece missing but happily it turned up, having disguised itself on the rug under the table. This was a tricky puzzle, especially after we had finished the border and the red area behind the zebra, which was by far the easiest part. It’s also a puzzle where looking at the picture on the box would have made a big difference but of course we don’t do that.

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Dot’s Birthday

Henry, Dot, and Cathy

Henry, Dot, and Cathy

We didn’t have a big party this year, but Cathy and I stopped over to see mom this evening, since today is her 94th birthday. She’s adjusted to her new living situation quite well and we’re very pleased with the support she’s getting there. Her apartment is small but comfortable and a good size for her. As you can see, we have one of her quilts hanging on the wall behind us.

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Bald Eagle Nest

Bald Eagle Nest

Bald Eagle Nest

We walked to Lake Frank today and I took a few pictures of the eagle nest across the lake but we didn’t see either of the eagles. There is a tree near the southern end of the lake where we often see one of them perched so we walked towards that. It had been raining earlier in the day but when we left on our walk the sun was out. As we walked south, the wind picked up and the sky turned grey. About the time we got to where the eagle often sits (but we didn’t see it today) the rain started. We turned for home and were pretty wet by the time we got back. A half hour later the sun was out again. Ah, spring.

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Snow

Snow

Snow

The last few years we haven’t really had much snow. I wouldn’t describe what we had the last couple days as a huge snowfall but comparatively it was a lot. This was out second snowfall of the year when we have gotten more than an inch, with about four inches on the ground this morning. It’s quite pretty and it wasn’t all that hard to clear the driveway or walk, so I didn’t mind it too much. Naturally mom called to tell me to hire a high school student to shovel so I wouldn’t have a heart attack. But actually, I enjoyed being out today. And it’s always nice being out in this when you know you can come back inside and get warm again when you’re done.

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Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos)

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos)

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos)

Second Christmas, like all good things, must come to an end. After another visit to grandma, we drove Jim, Abba, and Hannah to the airport a little before midday today. Their flight got cancelled but fortunately they were able to get on another flight and got home without any real problem. Cathy, Dorothy, and I walked the perimeter of of Theodore Roosevelt Island after dropping the others off. There wasn’t a lot going on but I did like these two mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) sitting on a log near the mouth of the marsh at the south end of the island.

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Second Christmas Dinner

Hannah, William, Abba, Jim, Dorothy, and Anna

Hannah, William, Abba, Jim, Dorothy, and Anna

Today was the second day of Second Christmas. William and Beth arrived late yesterday and this morning we all went to visit grandma. We spent a while with her in the activity room, visiting with her and with each other. We returned home and mostly just hung out and we had our ‘traditional’ Second Christmas gift exchange, which is pretty low-key and non-extravagant. Beth went to visit a friend so she’s not in this photo, although she did join us a little later and finished the meal with us. Cathy also decided to stay home and enjoy a few moments of quiet.

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Coragyps atratus (Black Vulture)

Coragyps atratus (Black Vulture)

Coragyps atratus (Black Vulture)

A few minutes after the previous photo was taken, this black vulture (Coragyps atratus) landed on a rock next to the Olmsted Island overlook. He (or she, I have no idea) posed nicely for me, sitting in profile while I was able to get fairly close, especially with my long lens. It lacks the developed sense of smell of our other native vulture, the slightly larger turkey vulture (Cathartes aura). It finds food, therefore, either by sight or by following turkey vultures. From a distance and while flying, the two vultures can be distinguished by the different patterns of grey and black on underside of the wings, the turkey vulture having much more grey. They both fly with dihedral (v-shaped) wings, which makes them easily distinguished from the more flat-winged hawks and eagles.

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Second Christmas

Jim, Hannah, Abba, Jeff, Dorothy, and Cathy

Jim, Hannah, Abba, Jeff, Dorothy, and Cathy

With family scattered around the country, it isn’t always possible to be together on Christmas. In Cathy’s family, therefore, there is a tradition of Second Christmas, which happens anytime after December 25 sometimes as late as March the following year. This year, Second Christmas was celebrated on February 7 and 8. Cathy’s Brother Jim and his daughters Abba and Hannah flew in last night from Illinois and Dorothy and Jeff drove from Pennsylvania. We had a really nice visit with grandma in the morning and early afternoon. Then we went to the Lancaster County Dutch Market before heading to Great Falls. We walked to Olmsted Island, which is where this photo was taken.

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Hamamelis (Witch Hazel)

Hamamelis (Witch Hazel)

Hamamelis (Witch Hazel)

After a fairly long visit with Cathy’s mom today, we went to the Agricultural Farm Park. Gardens in winter are not always great destinations but if you know where to look you can sometimes find something worth seeing. I’m a big fan of witch hazel, including any of the five Hamamelis species, as well as the hybrid Hamamelis × intermedia, a cross between H. japonica and H. mollis. H. virginiana blooms in the fall while the others all bloom in the late winter and early spring, which is particularly nice. The flowers aren’t large but they are often very abundant and their colors range from yellow, through orange to a rusty red. This one, growing in the park’s demonstration garden, doesn’t lose its leaves in the fall, which turn brown but hang on until spring, so the flowers are even less conspicuous.

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U.S. Botanic Garden

Birds Nest and Maidenhair Ferns

Birds Nest and Maidenhair Ferns

Tree and Tassel Ferns

Tree and Tassel Ferns

Cathy suggested we go to the U.S. Botanic Garden today after church. It’s a place I enjoy and I thought it was a really good idea, so, we went. The last time we were there was in July of 2016. In the summer, of course, the outside garden is nice, too, but today it was all about being indoors. The large, central portion of the garden is great, with room for very large plants and trees, but I think the orchid and fern rooms are especially nice. There were only a few orchids in bloom but the maidenhair (Adiantum) and bird’s next (Asplenium) ferns as well as other moisture loving plants made that room nice. The fern room with it’s tree ferns and a few large tassel-ferns (which are actually clubmosses), is also very pretty.

I brought a sketch pad with me, along with a few pencils, thinking I might sit and sketch a little, but in the end, we didn’t sit much and I didn’t do anything but take photos. I think I’m intimidated by a blank page at this point, but at least I carried the sketch book with me. Maybe on the next outing I’ll actually sit and open it up.

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