Awhile back I posted a photo of a juvenile black crowned night heron. Maybe the coolest-looking bird I have seen up-close in the last few months. Now, I can share with you a photo of an adult black crowned night heron! Can you believe the difference between the young and the adult?? The adult blackContinue reading “Black Crowned Night Heron”
Tag Archives: #marylandbirding
Black-Bellied Plover
Look at this cutie pie! Another bird I had not heard of prior to this summer. The bird above still has some black on it’s belly, but likely diminished by the time of this post. During breeding, the face, throat & chest become black. In winter, they become pretty plain & lose the black bellyContinue reading “Black-Bellied Plover”
Mute Swan “Ornamental”?
Ahh the mute swan. What a beautiful bird! This native of Eurosiberia was introduced to this continent in the 1870s as decorative, captive waterfowl. Some of the captives found freedom in the early 1900s and we now enjoy them throughout the continent, mostly around lakes. Mute swans are reported to mate for life. Above isContinue reading “Mute Swan “Ornamental”?”
Whimbrel
Well, here is another bird I had never heard of before this summer! What a beautiful bill!! This is another photo taken from the boat and I did not know at the time what exactly this bird was. The whimbrel is a shorebird that’s larger than most, at 17″/43 cm. Notice how the bill curvesContinue reading “Whimbrel”
American Oystercatcher
This season has been shorebird heaven for me! While visiting Cape May, NJ, my friends and I took a boat ride to explore what shorebirds might be there. Whoa! Were there shorebirds!! There were many American oystercatchers like the one above. They were walking along during low tide, poking their bills into the sand, foragingContinue reading “American Oystercatcher”
The Perfect Perch
Before this past summer, I had never heard of a double crested cormorant. When I first saw one at Great Falls, VA, I was fascinated by this black duck-like bird floating around on the Potomac River. As the summer drew on, it became apparent that double crested cormorants are wherever a body of water is.Continue reading “The Perfect Perch”
Think Blue
As I’ve said before, I love blue heron as a new birder & photographer! They are big. They are beautiful. They don’t usually move very fast. They are a dream for practicing bird photography with! In fact, earlier the same morning this photo was taken, I got what I thought would be fantastic shots. IContinue reading “Think Blue”
Think Green
Thinking green today–green heron! Prior to May, I had never heard of a green heron. Now, I am quite taken with them! They are pretty plentiful around lakes and marshy areas. We spotted this beauty in a swampy area beside the C&O Canal Towpath at Great Falls Park, Maryland side (The Potomac River runs betweenContinue reading “Think Green”
Strut Your Stuff
As a birding newbie & very beginner bird photographer, great blue heron (GBH) are a lot of fun to watch and photograph. They are large, easy to find, exotic looking, and can put on quite a good show! Some rules have been broken here… If you want to be a good bird photographer, you don’tContinue reading “Strut Your Stuff”
Hope You Like Hummingbirds
I hope you like hummingbirds, because I sure do…AND I have lots of photos to prove it! I’ve been working on my camera skills by stalking the birds in my backyard all last week. Above is my current fav hummer shot. Pretty sure it is a young one because it’s all fluffed up & notContinue reading “Hope You Like Hummingbirds”
35Sparrows For All Things Birding & Nature 