Year Birds Are Like a Box of Chocolates

This week alone has been a bounty of new year birds for me, here in Anne Arundel County. It hasn't required lots of effort. Most of them are just merely observed while doing my day to day. It's easy this time of year; the birds just come to you!From Royal Terns to Caspian Terns, from Northern Rough-Winged Swallows to Barn Swallows, from Chipping Sparrows to... well, I'm still waiting for the LeConte's Sparrow to show up again! ; ) The year birds are dripping from the trees, falling from the skies, playing in the mud, swimming in the water and hiding in the grass.Look at the bush outside your bedroom window. See those little leaves about to explode?Notice the trees? Yep, they are ready to paint the brown branches green.Have you seen the ground? There are plants bursting out of the mulch!It's wonderful. I hope you are enjoying it. Oh, and these photos... well, they are of those WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS that invaded West Annapolis a short while ago.

-Dan

Peregrine Falcon Aerial Acrobatics

I noticed two exceptionally sleek, thoroughly speedy raptors darting about in the skies above the Greenbury Point this afternoon.At first, I saw only one PEREGRINE FALCON. Or, should I say that IT saw ME?It appeared as if this particular falcon was in the middle of a hunt. Soon, I saw the larger female PEREGRINE join in the fun.These two PEREGRINE FALCONS were streaking across Annapolis' mostly-sunny skies much to my delight.I was hoping to see one or both perform an extended stoop, one of their famous hunting techniques. Instead they performed loads of acrobatics, complete with speedy dives and tight banks. Alas, there were no lead balloon-like plummets for prey while I was observing. Love (not lunch) was in the air.That (above) is a NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW.
This bright fellow below? That'd be a BALTIMORE ORIOLE.The last time I saw one of these BALMER ORYULS so close, I was in the town of Arenal in Costa Rica. As soon as Declan and Emery would like... we will return!Good Birding,

Dan