Daily Archives: April 14, 2024

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Photograph taken on Sunday, April 14, 2024 by Henry
Great Blue Heron (<em>Ardea herodias</em>)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

As mentioned in my previous post, we walked on the C&O Canal today. We saw this great blue heron (Ardea herodias) near the beginning of the walk and then again as we were returning. It was a good day for wildlife in general and we also saw (and I photographed) a hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus), a pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), a few mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), a small group of double-crested cormorants (Nannopterum auritum), a pied-billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), and a blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata). All in all, an enjoyable outing.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)

Photograph taken on Sunday, April 14, 2024 by Henry
Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)

We walked on the canal this afternoon, starting at Old Angler’s Inn and heading downstream as far was where the towpath is closed for renovation (a little ways past the Marsden Footbridge). We saw at least three and possibly four muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) in the canal, which is more than we’ve ever seen on a single outing (and we normally see zero). A few of them were fairly close to our side of the canal and with my long lens I was able to get even closer. There were a lot of turtles out, enjoying the warmth from the sun. We saw wild geraniums, star chickweed (Stellaria pubera), and American cancer-root (Conopholis americana) as well.

Categories: Creatures | Tags: , , , , , | Comments Off on Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)