Bucktoe Creek Preserve Nature Walk 12/8/2009

It was an extremely cold morning at the nature preserve and most of the songbirds were hiding in the brush. We did get a good look at a Red-tailed Hawk and quite a few Black Vultures. The highlights were seeing a huge Great Horned Owl and the first Barred Owl spotted on the property in over 10 years! The feeding station had all the usual Carolina Chicadees, Blue Jays, Tufted Titmice and House Finches as well as a curious Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Bucktoe Creek Preserve Nature Walk

I went on the DNS sponsored nature walk in the Bucktoe Creek Preserve this morning. It was a pretty quiet outing but we still observed almost 40 species and I got a few decent photographs. Highlights included White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, American Kestrel, House Sparrows and House Finches. The latter two are considered invasive species but they are still interesting to observe.

Eagles at Conowingo

I went out to the Conowingo Dam in northern Maryland on Thanksgiving day to see the eagle show. I was not dissapointed as the Bald Eagles were out in force. I saw a few fishing, a few fighting and a lot roosting right over the visitors parking lot. I also witnessed a flight of Tundra Swans flying overhead and a young Peregrine Falcon on a utility tower. I recommend this trip to anyone in the area as it's well worth while.

The Snow Makes Them Hungry

We got a dusting of snow last night. Around sunrise there was some activity on my back porch so I put some see out. I've gotten my usual Dark-eyed Juncos, Northern Cardinals and about 4 Tufted Titmice. There is also a Red-tailed Hawk who keeps circling around. I like raptors but I don't want to see a songbird get eaten in my back yard.

Some Color

I heard the familiar chirping of a Northern Cardinal from my window and sure enough, he was perched on my feeder, picking through the squirrels leftovers.

A Rare Guest

Well, certainly not a rare bird but it's rare in my backyard. I have set up a bird feeder hanging from an unused basketball goal in my backyard. It's easily visible from my window so I was eagerly anticipating all the colorful birds that would soon take advantage of it. Then I found that I have a couple of young hawks who seem to roost in the trees behind my house. Songbirds are scarce lately. I get some American Crows and Northern Cardinals but not much else. The Squirrels appreciated the challenge of getting to the feeder from the hoop, but even they grew bored.

Finally, a few days ago, I had a couple of Dark-eyed Juncos feeding on the scattered seeds. One of them was kind enough to perch at the top of the pole where I could get some nice photos.

A starting point.

I've decided to take the plunge and create this space to share my interest in birding and in taking photos of the birds. I'm not very good at either yet, but I think I learn a little every day.

I'll use this space to record what I see, and if I get any halfway decent photos, I'll share them as well.