Creatures

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

Photograph taken on Sunday, March 29, 2026 by Henry
Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

We went to the Agricultural History Farm Park today. As usual we started in the woodland shade garden and then moved into the Master Gardeners’ demonstration garden. There wasn’t a lot in the way of plant life yet there, but things are starting to show signs of spring. There was, however, this mourning cloak butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa), which is not one I’ve seen very often. It’s a pretty thing, I think. Very different to the swallowtails and quite distinctive (meaning no disrespect to the swallowtails, they’re nice, too, but we see them everywhere).

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Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Photograph taken on Saturday, March 21, 2026 by Henry
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

We took a walk from Sandy Spring Friends Meeting to Sandy Spring and then down to the creek today. We didn’t see a lot of birds at first. When we were at the very bottom of the field we saw three red-shouldered hawks (Buteo lineatus) and I was able to get this photo of one of them, which turned out pretty well. We also saw an eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) catching insects around the creek, which was nice. A little later there were three red-bellied woodpeckers (Melanerpes carolinus) making quite a racket in the trees and we got a pretty good look at them. Back into the field and we didn’t see much else, but we felt like we got our money’s worth, anyway.

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Birds on Seneca Greenway Trail

Photograph taken on Friday, March 13, 2026 by Henry
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia siali)

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia siali)

 

We were in the northern part of Gaithersburg this afternoon and after the errands we had, we decided to walk a little way on the Seneca Creek Greenway Trail, walking north (upstream) from MD 355 (Frederick Road). We saw quite a few eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) and I got what I consider a pretty nice photo of a white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis). We walked a little over 2 miles up the trail, stopping about a half mile short of where the trail meets Watkins Mill Road. As we were coming back I got a few photos of an eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), including this one of it taking off, which I really like.

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Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Photograph taken on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 by Henry
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Cathy has started working with the county parks archaeology group this spring and they meet at the Needwood Mansion on Wednesdays. Today I met her there after they were done and we took a walk on the western side of Lake Needwood. We saw this pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) briefly and I was able to get one shot before it flew away. Later we saw quite a few double-crested cormorants (Nannopterum auritum) diving and catching fish, but the photos I took of them didn’t really turn out well. It’s tricky because when the go under, there’s really no telling where they will come up. If I’m looking through the long lens, I’m liable to miss them but if I’m not, it takes me a little while to find them and focus and by that time, they’ve generally swallowed the fish. Disclaimer: This image was a little blurry but I had Google Gemini sharpen it up for me.

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Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)

Photograph taken on Monday, March 09, 2026 by Henry
Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)

Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)

We went to Redgate Park, formerly Redgate Golf Course, this afternoon. We took Margo with us, which made taking pictures a little harder. Also, I had my camera set to manual exposure control and the setting were all wrong, so this photo was almost ruinously washed out. Because I shoot in RAW format, I was able to salvage it, though, so at least it’s an easily identifiable bird. This is an eastern towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), which is fairly common here, but not easily seen, as they tend to be somewhat secretive. This one was on the ground under some pine trees and stayed there long enough for me to get ten shots, but unfortunately it wasn’t until just after the last of them that I noticed my settings were wrong.

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Eagle on Frozen Lake Needwood

Photograph taken on Wednesday, March 04, 2026 by Henry
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

In my last post I mentioned that we saw a bald eagle on a small island next to Roosevelt Island but I didn’t get any photos of it. Today we took a short walk on the trail on the west side of Lake Needwood, which has still got ice on about half of it. Cathy spotted this eagle standing on the ice and I was able to get a reasonably good shot of it before it flew up into the trees at the far southern end of the lake. A little later it flew past us again, heading north and out of sight. There was no chance of getting a photo of it flying, though, because there were trees between us and it.

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Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Photograph taken on Saturday, February 21, 2026 by Henry
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

We went to Great Falls today. The ice and snow is finally gone and although there were some wet spots on the towpath, it wasn’t particularly muddy. After walking out to Olmsted Island and back, we saw this red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) eating something that we couldn’t quite see. It’s fairly well camouflaged against the background, so a lot of folks had been walking by without stopping. My telephoto lens told them that there was something to see and then a lot of folks stopped to watch. These are beautiful birds, quite graceful in flight. They are, however, much easier to photograph well when they aren’t flying. These are a little smaller than their cousins, the somewhat more common (here, anyway) red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis).

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Witch Hazel (Hamamelis)

Photograph taken on Thursday, February 19, 2026 by Henry
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis)

Witch Hazel (Hamamelis)

If you’re looking for blooms in February in our area, the witch hazels (Hamamelis species and hybrids) are one of the best shrubs to find. Their flowers come in yellow, orange, and red. Planted in a sunny spot, they really can light up a winter landscape. This one, in the demonstration garden at the Agricultural History Farm Park holds its leaves all winter, although that’s not something I’ve seen on most others. There are quite a few at Brookside Gardens and along the road into the Meadowside Nature Center park. All are great treats this time of year.

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Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)

Photograph taken on Sunday, January 25, 2026 by Henry
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)

Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)

After our walk, I set up my tripod and camera on the back porch. Most of the patio and outdoor area is exposed but there is a small area that’s covered and I sat there to watch for birds on the birdbaths, which have heaters in them to keep them from freezing. I got photos of a dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis), a blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata), a few European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) but my favorite photo is this one of a hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus). We don’t see them very often, although Merlin hears them from time to time, especially when we walk around Lake Frank.

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Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)

Photograph taken on Saturday, December 20, 2025 by Henry
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)

We walked a little in the Agricultural History Farm Park today. There were birds around the demonstration garden, and I got a few pictures of eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) and dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis). This is a bluebird, of course, which I really like. We see both of these birds in our yard, as well. The juncos are here in the winter, traveling farther north for breeding, but the bluebirds are here year round, which is a treat.

Once we wandered from the garden, we didn’t see many birds, but it was still a nice day to be out, with billowy clouds and cool breezes.

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Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Photograph taken on Saturday, November 29, 2025 by Henry
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

We went out to McKee-Beshers today, hoping to see a few birds. I saw and got a handful of photos of this red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) flying overhead but that’s pretty much all we saw. We heard a few birds but either didn’t see them or they were too far away to get a good look at, even through my long lens.

We did walk around and out towards the beaver lodge. It’s not clear if it’s actively in use, although there did seem to be some sign of recent activity. It was a beautiful day, in any case, and it’s great to be outdoors on days like that, especially when it’s cold and we tend to stay in doors. Being out in the sun is good medicine. Seeing hawks soaring is also pretty nice. We’ll be back here, probably a few more times, before spring but then especially once the spring season brings so many more birds back (see Sunday, May 18, 2025 for my best birding day at McKee-Beshers).

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Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)

Photograph taken on Sunday, November 23, 2025 by Henry
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)

We walked to Sandy Spring today after visiting Cathy’s mom. We didn’t see much to speak of but I did get this slightly soft photo of a yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata) as we were heading back out. This is our most common winter warbler. We’re on the northern end of it’s winter range and the southern end (or just south of) it’s breeding range. It’s easily identified by it’s yellow rump, seen here, although it’s often hidden when perching.

We also saw them in Oregon last year, and I got a few nice photos of those, which can be seen on my posts for Wednesday, September 18 and Thursday, September 19, 2024.

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Retirement Pig

Photograph taken on Saturday, September 27, 2025 by Henry
Retirement Pig

Retirement Pig

Dorothy and her friends (but mostly Dorothy) planned a harvest festival at the land in Pennsylvania. Once I had announced my retirement at the end of September, she made it a combination harvest feast and retirement pig roast. She had met someone who enjoyed cooking and roasting in particular, and he agreed to cook a whole pig in an pit. They dug the pit, lined it with stones, and built a large fire over it. When the fire had died down, they lowered the pig, wrapped in banana leaves and burlap and tied up with fence wire, into the hole, covering it with dirt.

It had two temperature probes in it, so they could monitor the process. It was in the ground for a long time (I don’t actually know how long, but I think it was more than 12 hours). Anyway, when it had reached the desired temperature, it was dug up, unwrapped, and cut into pieces.

I was given the first piece to taste. It was very, very juicy and flavorful. Of course, I love pork of any kind, so I’m pretty easy to please. Anyway, it was very good.

Dorothy had contacted quite a few of my friends and I had quite a few there to celebrate with me. I was only sorry that I wasn’t able to spend more time with each of them. I felt stretched quite think. But it was a very nice day and a good way to celebrate retirement. A huge thank you to Dorothy and to all who came.

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Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)

Photograph taken on Friday, September 26, 2025 by Henry
Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)

Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)

We have eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) living in both the front and back yards. At least, we’ve seen them in both front and back. It’s possible they just cover more ground than I suspect. Anyway, we see them on our back patio, like this one coming to the bird bath for a drink, as well as on the driveway, among all Cathy’s containers plants. They don’t do a significant amount of damage to our plants, although I suspect I should dislike having them more than I do.

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Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Photograph taken on Monday, September 22, 2025 by Henry
Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

This monarch (Danaus plexippus) was in our front yard this afternoon, although I had a hard time getting a good photo of it. When it was in the sun, where it would have looked better, it only landed for a moment and even in the shade, as shown here on some blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) in only landed briefly. I was able to squeeze out two or three shots and this is the best of them.

Cathy’s brothers both left today, after visiting for their mom’s birthday. We had a nice visit with them and they all enjoyed talking about old times.

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Black and Yellow Argiope (Argiope aurantia)

Photograph taken on Sunday, September 21, 2025 by Henry
Black and Yellow Argiope (Argiope aurantia)

Black and Yellow Argiope (Argiope aurantia)

I have a container on our back patio with a couple dahlias in it. They were given to me by a neighbor who grows them because I gave him some that came from our friend Anna a couple years ago, shortly after they moved in. Anyway, from that container to the one next to it there is a large spider web, built by this black and yellow argiope (Argiope aurantia), also known as the yellow garden spider.

If it looks huge to you, well, it’s pretty big. There are bigger spiders as you head south and it’s nothing compared to some tropical spiders, but fo9r our area, it’s pretty large. The females (like this one) can measure up to 25mm in length (not counting the legs), while males are only 5 or 6mm in length.

They make a very distinctive zigzag pattern called a stabilimentum (reinforced area) in the center of their web.

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Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

Photograph taken on Tuesday, September 16, 2025 by Henry
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

There are hundreds of species of hummingbirds that nest in the American tropics, and more than a dozen in the western U.S., but east of the Great Plains there is only the Ruby-throat (Archilochus colubris). Cathy has been putting up feeders for them and each year it seems she gets more and more of them. They are particularly numerous during the fall migration when we see them most days, although probably not the same one from day to day. This was one of the last that we saw this year. They seemed to particularly like the jewel weed or touch-me-not flowers (Impatiens capensis). Not a great photo but still, fun.

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Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

Photograph taken on Sunday, September 14, 2025 by Henry
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

We took a walk at Sandy Spring today, starting from the Friends Meeting House and walking to the spring and into the field and woods beyond. Sometimes we see a lot of birds here and other times, none at all. Today we got one nice view of this eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) and that’s about it. It’s a pleasant walk, in any case, and we often go there after visiting Cathy’s mom, because it’s near by. The phoebe is a migrant but we are at the southern edge of their summer range and not far north of their winter range, so they are fairly common most of the year.

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Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

Photograph taken on Thursday, September 11, 2025 by Henry
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

We walked at Redgate Park this afternoon. This used to be the municipal Redgate Golf Course and the paths are the cart paths from that. There are some nice ponds, and that’s where we saw this kildeer (Charadrius vociferus). Other than that, we didn’t see too much, but it’s a nice place with a few nice specimen trees. The fairways are mostly overgrown with thistle and other weeds, but that’s a good habitat for birds. We heard a lot more than we saw and those we saw were mostly just shapes flitting around in the brush and not easily identified. But this fellow (or lady, I have no idea) was out in the open and let us get close enough for a good view.

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Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Photograph taken on Saturday, August 30, 2025 by Henry
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

We went to the C&O Canal today, parking at Violet’s Lock, and walked down stream past Blockhouse Point. We saw this great blue heron (Ardea herodias) on our way down and again on our way back. We sat on the wall next to the towpath near Blockhouse Point and chatted with a man cycling from Maryland back to his home in Ohio. His plans were to stop for a few days for a jazz festival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He shared some pawpaws that he had collected. We had looked for them but hadn’t found any that were not still on the tree and not yet ripe. He also asked us if we’d ever tasted tamarind. I had but let him give us a few pods, which we broke open and ate. A bit further on I also got a few photos of a pair of black vultures (Coragyps atratus).

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