Creatures

Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)

Photograph taken on Sunday, October 22, 2023 by Henry
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)

Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)

After our Sunday visit with Cathy’s mom we went to the Sandy Spring Friends Meeting House and parked. We thought we’d take a walk south from there into the fields around the Sandy Spring. We ran into someone who asked if we wanted a tour of the meeting house, so we did that. My great great grandparents met there sometime before November 20, 1852 (since that’s when they got married).

After that we walked to the Maryland state champion white ash tree (Fraxinus americana) and then on to the spring. On the way back I got a few pictures of bluebirds (Sialia sialis) and a house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) and this shot of what I believe is a palm warbler (Setophaga palmarum).

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , | Comments Off on Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)

Nannopterum auritum (Double-crested Cormorant)

Photograph taken on Saturday, September 16, 2023 by Henry
Nannopterum auritum (Double-crested Cormorant)

Nannopterum auritum (Double-crested Cormorant)

Cathy and I drove to Meadowside Nature Center today and walked from there to Lake Frank. Crossing the meadow alongside North Branch Rock Creek, the weeds were quite tall and the path less obvious than usual. We also saw poison ivy a few times and since Cathy was wearing shorts, I carried her twice on my back. We had a hard time finding the trail that leads from there up over the ridge but eventually made our way to it. Down on the other side was saw this juvenile double-crested cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) on a log in the lake. I was able to get fairly close it order to get a good photo, although the lighting was a little rough.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , | Comments Off on Nannopterum auritum (Double-crested Cormorant)

American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

Photograph taken on Friday, August 04, 2023 by Henry
American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

We made one last visit to ‘Alligator Pond’ today and got a nice, very close-up view of an American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). We also enjoyed seeing a great blue heron (Ardea herodias) and across the water a flock of wood storks (Mycteria americana). It was quite hot today, probably the hottest day of the week and with rain in the morning, it was very humid. It’s our last day at the beach and we have a longish drive home ahead of us tomorrow. So, nice to take it easy today.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , | Comments Off on American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

Photograph taken on Wednesday, August 02, 2023 by Henry
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

After our walk in the Green Swamp we drove to the Twin Ponds overlook. We affectionately call it Alligator Pond because that’s what we generally go to see. The boardwalk style viewing platform is officially call the Carl Bazemore Bird Walk. There are also birds there, and today we saw this green heron (Butorides virescens) in the shallows. In years past the view has been obscured by rank growth between the viewing platform and the pond. Sometime since last year that has been cut down, making the viewing considerably better. We did see an alligator there today, but I think my best photo from the visit was this one of the heron.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

Willet (Tringa semipalmata)

Photograph taken on Tuesday, August 01, 2023 by Henry
Willet (Tringa semipalmata)

Willet (Tringa semipalmata)

We walked on the beach at the east end of the island this morning. It was a clear day with very bright sun so I wore a hat and shirt and put sunscreen on exposed skin. We looked for shells but didn’t find many. Past years have been good for shell-hunting but there don’t seem to be as many this year. That means that the beach is almost pure sand, which in general isn’t a bad thing. But it’s one less thing for us to do. We saw a few sandpipers as we walked including this willet (Tringa semipalmata). They are very distinctive birds and quite common on the beaches of North Carolina.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Willet (Tringa semipalmata)

Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)

Photograph taken on Monday, July 31, 2023 by Henry
Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)

Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)

Cathy and I drove to Sunset Beach today and walked from the west end of town out onto the beach and then further west to the Bird Island Reserve nature trail. It’s a pretty good walk but not a difficult one. We had heard that there was a good chance of seeing painted buntings (Passerina ciris). As it turned out, we only saw one and he was a rather scruffy looking fellow, possibly a juvenile, just getting his adult plumage. He was singing nicely for us, though, and I was able to get a short video, as well as a handful of photos. He’s in the shadows of the twigs to the right, which makes his color pattern seem a little odd, but that’s him, anyway. There were quite a few swallows flying around, as well as cardinals and mourning doves, but we only saw the one bunting. Nevertheless, worth it and we’ll probably plan to go again next year.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)

Baby Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)

Photograph taken on Saturday, July 29, 2023 by Henry
Baby Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)

Baby Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)

Our family beach week started today. We didn’t have too much trouble in the early part of the drive, although in North Carolina we hit slow traffic a few times. Once was because people were slowing to see damage caused by a tornado less than two weeks ago. The other must have been due to a short traffic light, because once we got past that, we were fine again. Ocean Isle is a barrier island near the southern end of North Carolina’s coast. This year we had a loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nest right next to our house’s beach access. Most of the turtles had hatched the day before we arrived but we got to see the stragglers make their way to the water. The sun had set by the time I got this photo, so it’s a little less sharp than I’d like, but you get the idea.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , | Comments Off on Baby Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)

McKee-Beshers Sunflowers and Birds

Photograph taken on Sunday, July 23, 2023 by Henry
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)

Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

McKee-Besher's Sunflower Field

McKee-Besher’s Sunflower Field

McKee-Besher's Sunflower Field

McKee-Besher’s Sunflower Field

If the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens are too much of a trek for you but you want flowers and birds, you could do worse than heading out River Road to the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area. Timing your visit is a little difficult because the best time to go varies from year to year and also depends on what it is you want to see. If you just want sunflowers in bloom, then you need to go a little earlier than if you’re mostly interested in seeing birds. The two ‘seasons’ overlap but there will be more birds when the flowers have faded a bit and the seeds are more ripe. For me, I think I hit a pretty happy medium. In field number 1, the flowers were a little past and that’s where I got the pictures here of the indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea) and lots of pictures of American goldfinches (Spinus tristis).

Then, walking further from the parking area to field 4, I found the flowers were in more full bloom. They were all facing to the east and the road to them is to the west. From the road it looked like there were no flowers. But I walked all the way to the far end of the field (about a quarter mile) and back on the other side. It was worth it, as from that side, there were plenty of flowers to be seen. They were much shorter than I’ve seen them in previous years. I’m not sure if that’s a function of the sunflower varieties planted or has more to do with how much rain we get while they are growing.

Categories: Creatures, Flowers and Plants | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on McKee-Beshers Sunflowers and Birds

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

Photograph taken on Saturday, July 08, 2023 by Henry
Green Heron (<em>Butorides virescens</em>)

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

We went to the C&O Canal today, walking upstream from Riley’s Lock and the Seneca Creek Aqueduct. Past the far end of the turning basin we saw a family of wood ducks (Aix sponsa) but none of the males were in their fancy, breeding plumage. They are still pretty ducks and since we usually only see mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), we enjoyed watching them paddle around in the duck weed. We also saw a great blue heron (Ardea herodias) and I got quite a few nice photos of that.

On the way back, I saw something that didn’t register immediately but I stopped and backed up to take a better look. It was this green heron (Butorides virescens) on its nest in a willow hanging out over the water of the turning basin. I was able to get a pretty good show, in spite of the branches of the tree.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

Bald Eagles

Photograph taken on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 by Henry
Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Ten Eagles in Two Trees

Ten Eagles in Two Trees

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Cathy and I took a walk this morning with one of the dogs. We went up a trail along the west bank of Lemon Creek until the trail petered out. If the water wasn’t quite so high we’d have been able to continue but as it was, we had to turn around. We decided to go look for some eagles and we sort of hit the jackpot today.

I’ll be honest, as majestic as bald eagles ((Haliaeetus leucocephalus), they are basically scavengers. Sure, they will catch live fish and that’s beautiful to watch. But they will also eat dead and dying salmon that are running up the streams to spawn. When the salmon are running, eagles are easy to find around the mouths of those streams. However, we are a bit early for salmon, so the best place to find eagles right now is at and around the city dump.

There’s a gas station on Glacier Highway in Lemon Creek, next to the Western Auto and Marine store. At the back of the parking lot behind that gas station is a tall mound of dirt with weeds growing on it. Just beyond that is a line of trees, separating the parking lot from the landfill. The top of that mound of dirt is an excellent vantage for seeing eagles this time of year (or probably any time, be especially when the salmon are not so plentiful).

Taking pictures of birds on the wing is difficult with my huge, 150-600mm zoom lens. That’s especially true when it’s zoomed all the way out. Just finding a moving bird in the viewfinder is hard enough, but then getting it focused and the shutter fired before the bird has moved too far away or is seen only from behind is even more difficult. That being said, I’m quite pleased with a few of the shots I got of eagles flying. The first and last of the photos here are examples.

The second shot is of two trees across Glacier Highway with a total of ten birds in them. The third photo is of an eagle perched on the corner of a building. This bird let me get quite close, which surprised me a bit. I guess he knew he could get away before I could get to the top of the building. Anyway, while bald eagles are not at all rare in Juneau and the locals get fairly blasé about them, and even though we have a nesting pair within a mile of our house in Maryland, we’re still excited to see them.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Bald Eagles

Cinnamon Bear

Photograph taken on Saturday, June 24, 2023 by Henry
Cinnamon Bear (Ursus americanus)

Cinnamon Bear (Ursus americanus)

Brian was working this morning and Lisa took the dogs for a walk. I got a call from Lisa saying she was coming back from her walk and there was a bear in the front yard. I grabbed my camera and went outside. By the time I got there the bear was crossing the street in front of the house just up the street. I got a few photos of it from behind and then it turned and I was able to get two of the bear in profile. I got in the car to try to follow it as it moseyed up the street and but it turned off onto a trail towards Lemon Creek. I went past the beginning of the trail and then turned around, only to have the bear come out of the trees and cross the road again and go under a fence and through another yard. I headed around the block and saw it again. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get any more pictures except taken through the car windscreen, so they aren’t terribly good. After taking the last couple, a guy who was hanging out on a balcony asked me, “you came into this neighborhood to photograph bears?” I sort of explained but I think he thought I was crazy.

Although this bear is brown, it is an American black bear (Ursus americanus). They range in color from a fairly light blond, through this beautiful brown, to entirely black. Those that are brown are often called cinnamon bears.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Cinnamon Bear

Common Merganser and Ducklings (Mergus merganser)

Photograph taken on Thursday, June 22, 2023 by Henry
Common Merganser and Ducklings (Mergus merganser)

Common Merganser and Ducklings (Mergus merganser)

Cathy and I went to the glacier this afternoon. By ‘the glacier’ I mean the Mendenhall. We had been in the valley at a cemetery looking for the grave of one of Cathy’s mom’s siblings (we found it) and since we were close, we decided to head to the glacier and see what we could see. It was mostly cloudy, but not raining and still quite pretty. There are arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea) nesting on the shore of Mendenhall Lake and I was able to get a few decent photos of them. But my favorite is this one of a common merganser (Mergus merganser) with ducklings on its back and following it along. There were ten ducklings in all, although you can only see nine in this photo.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Common Merganser and Ducklings (Mergus merganser)

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Photograph taken on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 by Henry
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

After breakfast and some time writing in my journal this morning I decided to see if I could get some pictures of eagles. I know the people living in Juneau are so used to them that they don’t even notice them much of the time. We have a pair nesting less than a mile from our house (as the eagle flies) but we’re still excited to see them. When trying to decide what to bring on this trip, I was determined to bring my new 150-600mm zoom lens. I had to rearrange my camera bag and leave a few other things out, but I’m glad I brought it. Today was my first opportunity to get a really good view. There was a large dirt pile, probably 25 or 30 feet high, behind a gas station and in the tree tops beyond that were eagles. My presence made a few of them nervous and a couple flew away, but others, including this handsome bird, stayed and let me get some really nice photos.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , | Comments Off on Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)

Photograph taken on Monday, June 19, 2023 by Henry
Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)


Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)

On our second morning in Juneau we walked to False Outer Point. There is a causeway to Shaman Island that is walkable during exceptionally low tied and we happened to come when it was above water. We calculated that we had about a half hour before the water would rise to the top of the causeway. As it turns out, we miscalculated by about ten minutes and we had to wad back in about four inches of water. But we didn’t mind. We didn’t really get to explore the island very well in the 25 minutes we were there, but we did see a pair of black oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani), which was a real treat. One was standing on one foot on top of a rock. The other one (this one) was moving around, presumable finding things to eat. The rocks around the island are covered with mussels, which is a large part of an oystercatcher’s diet, so it makes perfect sense that we’d see the here if we were going to see them at all. Am I glad yet that I brought my long lens? Yes, yes I am.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)

Eastern White-tailed Deer Faun

Photograph taken on Friday, June 09, 2023 by Henry
Eastern White-tailed Deer Faun (Odocoileus virginianus)

Eastern White-tailed Deer Faun (Odocoileus virginianus)

I spent much of the day with our good friends Maureen and Bob, attending a graduation ceremony from an internship program honoring, among others, their daughter Julia. That was really a lot of fun and although I took a few pictures of them all, I’ve decided to post this, instead.

Cathy had been out in the yard today, weeding and digging in a large garden bed, when all of a sudden, a faun sprung up and ran away. She was startled and surprised, as I suppose was the faun. She was telling me about it as we walked around the yard, looking at the things in bloom and what she had done, when we noticed that the faun was back. It is an eastern white-tailed deer faun (Odocoileus virginianus) and is really cute.

We aren’t generally happy about deer in the yard and garden, but I went and got my camera to get a few photos. As I’m posting this after the fact, I can tell you the faun was back the next day with its mother. The faun was running and jumping all around the yard, having a really good time just cavorting. But we encouraged them to move on and eat someone else’s garden.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , | Comments Off on Eastern White-tailed Deer Faun

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Photograph taken on Sunday, April 23, 2023 by Henry
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

We went to the farm park for a short visit today. I got a few photos of bluebirds, both male and female (Sialia sialis), a red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), and a sparrow or other small bird that I can’t identify. I decided to go with this shot of a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), though. Taking photos of birds on the wing is challenging at the best of times. With my long—150–600mm—lens, it’s even more challenging. The lens is quite heavy and getting it aimed at the bird, much less focused is pretty hit or miss. Mostly miss. This one turned out pretty well and I got a few more just about the same, so I’m please with that.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Deer Skull

Photograph taken on Wednesday, April 05, 2023 by Henry
Deer Skull

Deer Skull

I took a short walk in the woods today, feeling like I really should get outdoors a bit more. When I’m working from home, I take one or two breaks during the day and walk around the yard a bit. When I’m in the office, however, I tend to put my head down and work straight through. That’s not quite true, because my day is often broken up by meetings, but I don’t make it a habit to get out. I probably should, especially when the weather is so nice. Just after getting into the woods today I came across this deer skull. I took a few photos and then on the way back out I picked it up to put in the yard. I’m not sure why but we seem to have a bone collection in the back yard.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , | Comments Off on Deer Skull

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)

Photograph taken on Sunday, April 02, 2023 by Henry
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)

We took a walk along the shore of Lake Needwood today, starting from near the beaver dam, we walked north and crossed Needwood Road. Near the end, where Rock Creek flows into the lake we saw this cute, little bird flitting around in the trees and shrubs. I was able to get four photos of it, none of which were great. It didn’t sit in one place very long and the long lens is fairly cumbersome, especially when zoomed all the way out. Still, they were good enough to identify it as a blue-gray gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea), which is not a bird I’ve seen before (at least not knowingly). I guess if I were keeping a life list, this would now go on it.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , | Comments Off on Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)

C&O Canal – Flowers and Birds

Photograph taken on Saturday, March 18, 2023 by Henry
Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)

Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)

Cathy and I went out to Poolesville to drop off a publication that we’ve had since I was in college. I had forgotten that the person we were taking it to was a classmate of mine since elementary school. From there we went to the C&O Canal at Riley’s Lock, where Seneca Creek empties into the Potomac River. We parked on the other side of the creek from the lock and lock house, near the old, ruined stone mill. It’s a shame it’s defaced by so much graffiti, but I suppose that’s something that’s just going to happen. When we got onto the towpath we walked west for a little over a mile. We didn’t expect to see much but I brought my long lens, just in case. Towards the end of the walk we spotted that particular green of the leaves of Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica). It’s a little early for them to be in full bloom but they were starting to open and I got a few nice photos. We love bluebells.

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)

In addition to the bluebells, there were spring beauties (Claytonia virginica), cutleaved toothwort (Cardamine concatenata), and Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria). There were Trillium leaves but they were not in bloom yet. In the turning basin there was a great blue heron (Ardea herodias) on the far shore and two pairs of hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus). These are lovely birds and I never get tired of seeing them. The females are a bit less noticeable but are also pretty birds. The turtles were also out in numbers, at least in a few spots. What a beautiful day for a walk.

Categories: Creatures, Flowers and Plants | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on C&O Canal – Flowers and Birds

Dorothy and Dodgy

Photograph taken on Thursday, March 09, 2023 by Henry
Dorothy and Dodgy

Dorothy and Dodgy

It was a busy day today. Dorothy and a friend of hers came and we helped Yvette move two things out of her parents’ condo. We got a sleep sofa into the van and put a bookcase on the roof rack. Getting the sofa through the doors was a tight fit but we managed. Then I went to the office for a few meetings and for the retirement party for my boss’s boss, Marsha. I took pictures there but thought I’d post this one, instead, taken in the evening of Dorothy and Dodgy. I’m not actually sure how they spell the dog’s name. It’s really ‘doggy’ as mispronounced by their young daughter.

Categories: Creatures, People | Tags: , , | Comments Off on Dorothy and Dodgy