Wildcat Glades

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My husband and I visited Wildcat Glades one morning last week. He did not feel up to hiking, so we did some photography near the Nature Group buildings. There were several varieties of sunflowers. I did some macro photography with my phone (iPhone 14 Pro max); my favorites are the landscape oriented one and the flower with a petal across its center…a shy sunflower.

I also took some others with my bridge camera (Canon Powershot SX70 HS) since I couldn’t get close enough to them with the phone

The Queen Ann’s Lace was in a grassy area…so the bridge camera’s zoom was used for those one too.

There was a small water feature that was almost surrounded by taller vegetation.

There were several birds (Eastern bluebird, House Finches, Eastern Phoebe) that I photographed although the cloudy day was not great for bird photography. We’ll have to visit on a sunny day next time.

One insect was still for long enough for me to go into macro mode again!

Lake Springfield Boathouse – May 2024

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My husband and I enjoy the area near the Lake Springfield Boathouse for its meadow and birds. I forgot about our late May visit until I rediscovered the pictures I took!

The gardens around the boathouse were beginning to bloom and there were gardeners at work while we were there. There is a good stand of milkweed and butterfly weed but I didn’t see any Monarch butterflies.

The Purple Martin houses were full of birds!

Bluebirds were around as well. They are probably utilizing houses in the area, but I saw them near the feeders and nearby trees.

There were a pair of tree swallows on a sign as well. They use the same size house as bluebirds.

The meadow is beginning to bloom but the morning was still cool enough that I didn’t see many insects – a few butterflies and bubble bees.

My husband commented that he missed the meadow we frequented in Maryland that had a path mowed through it – the plants on both sides making it easier to get close to insects for photography. The meadow near the boathouse is one large area: no easy access to the interior.

Zooming – March 2024

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Lots of birds in the Zooming slide show this month – from the Whooping Crane Festival in south Texas as well as Josey Ranch (Carrollton TX), the Springfield Botanical Gardens (Springfield MO) and Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge (near Sherman TX). I find myself picking images that show bird behavior rather than portraits.

There are spring flowers in this collection as well…more of those coming in April!

Enjoy the March 2024 slide show!

Springfield Botanical Garden – March 2024

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Springfield Botanical Gardens is one of my favorite places; I will try to go at least once a month for the rest of this year. We went on a sunny cool day in the late morning. The sky was almost clear and the light was very bright….making for some ‘almost high key’ pictures of the blossoms on a tree growing close to where we parked.

There were other trees/bushes in bloom as well.

The maples were already making seeds (i.e. past blooming). The seeds were still colorful.

Spring bulbs were still blooming….

But I was more interested in the new growth all over the hosta garden. It will be very lush this summer.

I took some pictures of the garden mosaic…carefully avoiding getting my shadow in the picture.

Lenten roses were blooming. My daughter has some in her yard too. They do seem to grow well but I tend to not like them because their blooms face downward.

There were birds in the gardens too. Lots of robins. We heard a brown thrasher and then saw it high in the tree….too high for a good picture. I did get a picture of a blue bird though!

My husband was very tolerant of my walking around to take pictures even though he didn’t see anything he was interested in photographing. He seemed very intent on macro photography….and didn’t see any opportunities. I find that the zoom on my bridge camera (Canon Powershot SX70 HS) is good enough to take some ‘almost macro’ pictures without being close to the flowers (or birds) at all!

A short escape into nature

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On the way back to my parents house after a 24 hour stint with my parent in the hospital, I stopped by Josey Ranch (in Carrollton TX) for an escape into nature.

The first bird I saw was a bluebird! Whether or not it was a good omen – it was a great boost to my mood.

I thought at first that there were only scaups on the water.

But then I noticed the coots…and that one of them was smaller than the others. Was it a juvenile? The grass that had grown in the pond over the summer when the water level was low is now flooded and the coots seem to love eating it.

And then a grebe swam by near the coots.

I photographed the sleeping swans with some grebes feeding in the grass nearby.

It was only a short escape from focus on what was happening at the hospital and at my parents’ home…but time well spent for sustaining a positive mental outlook.

Lake Springfield Boathouse Meadow

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The two Purple Martin houses near the Lake Springfield Boathouse are very active; there are always birds visible from the balconies. The houses are in the mowed area close to the boathouse and parking area – convenient for the birds to swoop over the meadow or out over the lake. It is very challenging to get the eyes visible with the dark coloring of the feathers!

A little further along the path and across from the meadow...there are periodic bluebird houses. One of the houses was being used by a tree swallow…another by an Eastern Bluebird that was still supplementing the nest inside.

The multiflora roses were blooming under the trees….a non-native plant that was promoted years ago, but is now generally viewed as invasive.

The meadow was mostly green….with a few plants beginning to flower The milkweed was up but not yet blooming.

I was glad I had by bridge camera with its optical zoom to photograph some insects. There were a few butterflies, but I didn’t manage to photograph any of them; they seemed to be moving about in a frenzy.

Many of the places where water makes it way down to the lake have scoured banks…the water trickling through the bottom of a ditch except right after a rain when the banks are eroded making ditch deeper/wider. There was one that was different with lots of vegetation on the banks – not eroded at all. I wondered if it was a new route for the water.

My phone and Bluetooth remote shutter control were used for some macro shots.

I was glad the boathouse had a small store since I had forgotten my water bottle. The day had started humid and a little cool, but the sun was out and the temperature rose pretty fast – an excellent morning to observe the meadow (glad we didn’t wait for the afternoon).

Pocket Prairie/Josie Ranch

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When I was in Carrollton, Texas in late April there were a lot of rainy days…but I managed a brief visit to the Josey Ranch area one morning. The Pocket Prairie area suffered last summer and the gardeners have done work to restore it this year. A bluebird was sitting on a post as I got out of my car…a great start to my visit.

A few flowers were beginning to bloom. I could tell that the rain garden area was planted to be better than ever.

When I retraced my steps toward the car, I noticed Canada Geese in the distance: a pair with 5 goslings! Hopefully everyone will give them space…avoid being attached by the parents!

The lake seemed relatively empty…between seasons. There was a Great Blue Heron preening in the shallows. The cattail area that had dried out last summer seems to be back to its normal watery condition.

Birds near the Lake Springfield Boathouse

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My husband and I enjoyed a walk in the Lake Springfield Boathouse last week. The first bird I saw was an Eastern Bluebird! Unfortunately, I was dealing with glare on my camera’s (Canon Powershot SX70 HS) viewfinder/screen, so I didn’t get a very good picture.  I guess it was enough thrill to see the birds there.

There were some birds further out in the water…not very photogenic…but it seems that they are all mallards.

The most numerous birds we saw were black vultures – in a sycamore, warming up in the morning sunshine. There were three that seemed to be communicating with each other.

I photographed two birds almost too far out on the water – realized once I got home that they were scaups (male and female).

And then….a red-tailed hawk…perched at the top of a sycamore with lots of seed pods near the dam.  The bird’s breast feathers were fluffed against the cold. The area has more traffic, and I was glad the hawk did not seem disturbed by the noise.

Favorite Photos – 2022

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I picked some favorite photos from the year for a slide show. They are all outdoors. Thematically there are birds and insects more often than lizards or turtles. Some are documentation type pictures and others are artsy. They were taken in four states: Maryland, Virginia, Missouri, and Texas. For some reason – the fluffed up Eastern Bluebird is my favorite. Enjoy the show!

Zooming – January 2022

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Not as many zoomed images to choose from in January – I did more photography with my phone than my bridge camera. I was in extra-rest mode for part of the month after my surgery and it was very cold outside. Still the usual January photo subjects have a showing this month: snow, birds, deer in our neighborhood and flowers indoors. Enjoy the January 2022 slide show!

Bluebird Visit

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Last week we had a small flock of Eastern Bluebirds visit out deck. It was a group of male and female birds…5 or 6 of them. They didn’t seem interested in the heated bird bath…just the feeder. They overwhelmed the house sparrows and house finches that are the regulars there. At one point there were 4 bluebirds at the feeder!

The males are more brightly colored that the females. It’s easy to see the difference in many of the pictures.

We don’t have regular visits from bluebirds…tend to see them occasionally in the winter. There are plenty of parks and conservation areas that have bluebird houses and provide habitat for them when they are raising young and away from our neighborhood. It feels good to contribute to the bluebirds well-being in winter with our feeder and heated bath.

Bluebirds have increased in numbers in our part of Maryland over the years that we have lived in the area with the participation of local governments and home owners with larger properties providing houses. A big concern now is the fall in insect populations; these birds need insects in their diet when they are breeding and then to feed their young.

Here are some bluebirds posts from previous years: January 2021, January 2020, February 2018, January 2018.

Bluebirds Visit

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On the 26th – we had bluebirds at our birdfeeder! I heard a lot of chatter coming from the birdfeeder so got up to look. There was quite a crowd around the feeder with birds jostling for a perch. It was a cold icy day too. I took a few pictures from my office window then went downstairs where I took pictures through the panes of the French door in the breakfast area. The birds were moving so quickly I didn’t get a good count…but there were probably 6-8 birds…maybe only one male (he is the one that has the brighter blue feathers).

The birds that were not on the feeder were often directly below looking up!

I was using my new camera and took advantage of the zoom and vantage point of our first floor to capture some bluebird portraits…all females (not sure where the male went….the birds were very active).

I looked at the All About Birds entry for Eastern Bluebird – and found that the birds usually don’t come to feeders because they eat primarily insects and fruits. These birds must have been hungry! One of the foods they like is raisins so I’ve put some on my list for the next grocery pick-up!

Back in January 2016, I posted about bluebirds coming to our birdbath. It was a similar kind of day from a weather perspective. There were about the same number of birds in that group. There are many nesting boxes in our area which helps support the birds’ nesting. But we probably need to have more native bushes that have berries for our birds in winter; something to consider for an upcoming landscaping project.

Birdfeeder Camera – November 2020

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The action captured by the birdfeeder camera has been more than black squirrel antics. Raccoons visit a couple of times a month, usually around 2 AM…they have gone away frustrated so far. They leave poop on the deck or the steps between the deck and ground. I wonder if it is before or after they attempt to get a meal at the bird feeder. Also – is it the same racoon or different animals? I know that the river (Middle Patuxent) is like a highway for young racoon seeking a territory of their own.  

There are two new bird visitors to the feeder I discovered when I reviewed the videos:

Red-breasted Nuthatch. This is the first year I’ve seen this bird in our yard. I had seen it fleetingly on the deck several times. It was at the feeder on the 20th and was gutsy enough to stay there when the Red-bellied Woodpecker showed up.

Eastern Bluebird. Birds are not frequent visitors to our yard – and I’m glad it came to the side of the feeder visible to the video camera. It flew to the feeder while white-breasted nuthatch was there. The nuthatch left and the bluebird took the perch where it had been. Then the female red-bellied woodpecker flew to the feeder and the bluebird departed. Shortly after the woodpecker left the bluebird returned.

I’m thrilled that the video camera managed to capture some birds at the feeder that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

Unique Activities for Yesterday:

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Applesauce muffins. I am making holiday foods a few days early…and we’ll begin enjoying them early too. The applesauce spice muffins will be great for breakfasts.

Oatmeal cookie bars. I use the recipe from the Quaker Oats box but this time I added the rest of applesauce that I’d opened for the muffins into the batter. The cookie bars are more cake like – very yummy with chunks of apple from the applesauce. They’ll work for breakfast, snacks, or dessert.

Bluebirds at the Birdfeeder

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On the day both we traveled to San Antonio and then on to Laredo (February 5th )– there was a flurry of activity at our birdfeeder between 2:15 and 2:24 PM back home. It was all captured by the camera on the birdfeeder. I’ve created a slide show of the images with the most birds from the video.

Eastern Bluebirds!!! As I watched the video – I was guessing there were 4-6 birds. I looked closely at the images and found one where there are 6 birds!

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The bluebirds were in large enough numbers to chase away the house finches that kept trying to reclaim their feeder. In the end, the finches were forced to wait until the little flock of bluebirds moved on after their hefty afternoon snack.

Having a small flock come through our backyard in late January/early February is not unprecedented. In 2018 – our heated birdbath was the focus of the birds’ attention.

Birding at Josey Ranch Lake – Part 2

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Continuing my post about my walks around the lake at Josey Ranch (near the public library on Keller Springs in Carrollton Texas)…

There were 6 birds that I only saw on one of the three days.

I saw a pair of Eastern Bluebirds near the library building. They appeared to be investigating possible nesting sites. There were not nesting boxes around….or trees big enough to have cavities for nesting. They were looking at vent openings in the building --- probably not a good site.

As I walked , I saw a bluebird across the lake from the library. It could have been one of the pair….or not.

On the one sunny day, I saw a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-heron – I didn’t yet have the distinctive face marking but it’s body shape/posture and leg length made this the likely identification (rather than a juvenile Black-crowned Night-heron).

The Pied-billed Grebe is small and dives….but I did get three pictures. There might have been a pair, or the pictures could have been the same bird.  

A small group of Ruddy Ducks made a rest stop on the lake. It was a mixed group of males and females.

Other ducks that were only at the lake one of the cloudy days were Ring-necks – yes, the ring is on the bill rather than the neck….the name is misleading.

Finally – I saw one European Starling. The grackles seem so dominate that the starlings stay away! Or something else might be going on…and they aren’t as numerous as they once were.

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While I was in the area – I walked through the Pocket Prairie that will be bursting with spring wildflowers…but is now dormant. The dried vegetation was mostly cleared…but the green leaves of perennials were visible…some of the leaves had red highlights!

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I also photographed some feathers on the one sunny day. Birds preen to keep their feathers in working order – the barbicels and barbs perfectly aligned. Once the feathers are detached from the bird, the barbicels unzip…clumps of barbs form…the feather begins to degrade.

As usual – I enjoyed the walks at Josey Ranch. There are enough people and birds to make it a little different every day!

Assateague Island Visitor Center

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Our first Delmarva Birding field trip was on the last Friday in January. We parked at the Assateague Island Visitor Center near Berlin, Maryland. It was cold and windy; there had been mist as we were driving but it was dry for the afternoon. They had large table maps of Assateague Island at the visitor center; we’d been to the Tom’s Cove end of the Island (when we went to Chincoteague, Virginia) but had never been to the northern part of the island.

After the group gathered, we headed off toward the Verrazano Bridge which has a nice walk/bike path on a separate span than the car traffic.

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Before we got to the bridge we saw a Mockingbird and then a cluster of Greater Black-backed Gulls as we started up the ramp of the bridge.

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Once on the bridge, there was a lot to see in the water underneath. I managed to photograph a few birds. There were a pair of Horned Grebe (non-breeding plumage) and then I got another as a silhouette in the glints of sunlight.

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A Red-Breasted Merganser (male) was below as well.

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The Bufflehead were numerous but diving a lot. I managed a few pictures…but they were mostly blurs or butts.

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We headed back to the visitor center and then on the trail toward the Rackliffe Plantation House. A Great Blue Heron was feeding in the wetland grasses.

I couldn’t resist a few botanical photos – a pinecone with sun glint needles in the background and a twig with some very curly lichen.

A flock of Brant (a small goose) were avoiding the golfers on the course.

They would fly up occasionally…move a short distance…settle down again.

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Then there were some Eastern Bluebirds that flew into some trees near our group…kept a wary eye on us.

We then hiked back to the visitor center and caravaned around toward the entrance to Rum Point Seaside Golf Links. The ponds had Ring-necked Ducks (and mallard and black ducks).

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A Great Egret was searching for food nearby.

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There were also some Canada Geese in a field. I am including a picture here to compare with the Brant. The Brant are smaller but they are both geese so have a similar look.

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And then the Canada Geese took off…and it was the ending time for the field trip anyway!

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Ten Little Celebrations – January 2020

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2020 has started out with more activity than I anticipated….more volunteering, more classes, more events…and some travel at the end of the month.

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Bluebird passing through: We don’t see bluebirds around that much….so it’s a special day when we do see one.

47th wedding anniversary: It doesn’t seem like such a long time…compared to my parents celebrating 67 years. I’m going to think of something special for our 50th coming up in 3 years!

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Children enjoying the Touch Tank: There are moments in every hour that I spend volunteering at Robinson Nature Center’s saltwater touch tank that are little celebrations for me and for the children. Whether it is awe from something an animal does…or how they feel…or just understanding something new.

Conowingo Eagles: Even on a morning I don’t get any particularly good pictures – I enjoy every trip we make to the Conowingo…and that the eagle population is back from the brink!

Hot tea with cream: Or maybe with just milk. It’s my favorite winter beverage.

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Middle Patuxent Water Monitoring: I always enjoy getting in the river and then doing the gleaning of the macroinvertebrates to identify. Since it was winter, I was braced to get very cold…but we had a wonderful sunny (not too cold) day!

Honing skills for volunteer gig: None of the classes were very long but were informative and applicable to me becoming a better volunteer. The topics ranged from autism, Howard Country Green Infrastructure Network, sensitivity training (impact of microaggression), outdoor wear fashion and function, and the spotted lantern fly. Wow – quiet a range of topics and all the presentations were excellent.

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Snow in the afternoon: So beautiful. I celebrate every snow these days because I don’t have to drive in it!

Zentangle® with Howard County Conservancy volunteers: I love guiding group Zentangle sessions. This particular group seemed to enjoy the session…and had some ideas about ‘next steps’ in a practice. And like the campers last summer…got a little Zen as well.

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Cooper’s Hawk on a Snowy morning: Often a ‘little celebration’ is a surprise that just happens. Seeing the Cooper’s Hawk fly into our sycamore was that kind of celebration – although I am glad the hawk is not around my backyard more frequently (since I enjoy the other birds).

Eastern Bluebird – January 2020

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On the second day of the year, a male Eastern Bluebird appeared in our backyard. I saw him first near the bird bath. By the time I got my camera, the bird was in the sycamore…looking serious. It was a relatively cold day so the bird’s feathers were a little fluffed to provide more warmth; he looks very rounded.

I thought he had flown way but when I checked the videos from our birdfeeder, I found that the bird had attempted to visit the feeder….but headed to a perch was too high to get and seed. It quickly backed away and I didn’t see it again. Even though the clips from the Reolink video are a little blurry – it does show how the bird maneuvers to back away from the birdfeeder.

We don’t see bluebirds very often so this it was a pleasant surprise to see the bird. In January 2018, I managed to photograph 3 bluebirds at our birdbath!

Bluebirds Bathing

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Last week, we had extra drama at our birdbath. It started out with some bluebirds coming for a drink – not unusual. A finch and junco joined in but left after a sip. There were three bluebirds around the birdbath – with the female appearing to eye the water rather than getting a drink while the males watched. Then one of the male bluebirds jumped into the water…and splashed around. It was interesting to see how the bird seemed to put its head down and maybe used it beak as a third ‘leg’ while it bathed. The female bluebird flew away while this was happening. Just as the first bird seemed to finish up, the second male bluebird stepped in but waited until the first one flew away to get serious about his bath. Meanwhile the female bluebird came back and was waiting. She got into the water as the second male finished but waited until he flew away before starting. She took the most time with her bath – completely turning around in the ‘tub’ before she flew away. All this action happened in about 2 minutes!

Birding through a Window – January 2018 (1)

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I was at home more in January than December…and saw a lot more birds through the window. I posted about the bluebirds back on the 16th but they have continued to visit our bird bath and deck; most of the time I don’t have my camera but I did manage to photograph one just yesterday – perched on the old weather station pole.

The blue jays are regular visitors too. They come to the bird path, the maple, the sycamore and the tulip poplar…staying still long enough for good pictures.

The cardinals alert me to their presence with their chirps. Both the male and female come to the deck for seed and I often see them in the trees around the yard and into the forest.

When we had the very cold days, the Carolina Wrens were entirely missing; I didn’t see them or hear them. But they have returned now that it is a little warmer. They are heard more often than seen.

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The doves were missing during the cold days as well but now they are back and frequent visitors to our deck.

More birding through the window from this month in tomorrow’s post.