Pax River Saturday

Jim Brighton, Bill Hubick and I birded Calvert County all day yesterday. From 7AM until 7PM, we scoured the Southern Maryland landscape, blue skies and shining waterways. Beginning with the Patuxent River Waterfowl Survey and ending with the three of us ankle deep in the marsh South of Route 4, our little excursion covered most all of Calvert, with just a sliver of Anne Arundel and Prince George's County, Maryland. My county lists are looking much more robust after yesterday's travels.

There are counts going on at this very moment all across the United States for the Great Backyard Bird Count. Are you counting? I am. Sadly, I've not seen the EASTERN SCREECH in her nest box for a couple weeks. I hope she is okay. As for this character, he made it on to my yard count this morning.Highlights from our day in Southern Maryland were too many to mention.Notice how this brown bump on the tree starts out looking like nothing much. But upon closer inspection, that bump becomes a BROWN CREEPER moving up this tree at Battle Creek Cypress Swamp.For reasons that are obvious, I'm not going to go into great detail about yesterday's adventure. I am however, going to go back to spending time with my son Declan, my wife Emery and yes... even the dogs! Yes, I just got back from taking my Golden Retriever Oiseau to see our local PEREGRINE FALCON. I am happy to announce that he ran the entire time and even snuck in a ten minute swim in the Severn River. He is a nut.I did not see these tell-tale signs of a YELLOW BELLIED SAPSUCKER until after I returned home to look at the day's photos. Notice the many holes this woodpecker has drilled all in a straight line? Perhaps this bird should get a job in construction? It would have to be temp work though, as the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is the ONLY woodpecker in Eastern North America that is COMPLETELY migratory.

Speaking of which... I gotta fly.

Enjoy your weekend. And if you're lucky enough to have off tomorrow, enjoy it EVEN more!

-Dan

Today The Schools Were Closed

Throughout my School Specialty territory and beyond, most all of the schools in Maryland were closed due to the Potomac (or the Chesapeake) Primary Elections. Call this primary what you will, I still didn't vote. Not because I didn't want to, but because I am registered INDEPENDENT. And that means that I don't count... yet. I needed to do SOMETHING with my day.

After dropping my boy Declan off at my Mom and Dad's home (his grandparents), I drove South to visit some schools in Calvert County and oh yes... quickly see a LIFE BIRD. What's more, I brought my camera to document the fun. Please enjoy these photos of the BATTLE CREEK CYPRESS SWAMP'S finest: an EVENING GROSBEAK and a PURPLE FINCH. I almost think that PURPLE FINCH is a LIFE bird for me as well, but my ID skills are still being perfected and I've seen a number of female finches that could have been PURPLES. So, let's just say that today I saw MTWO LIFE BIRDS.

According to the DNR's website, "the 100-acre Battle Creek Cypress Swamp Sanctuary is one of the last remaining sites where the bald cypress tree occurs naturally in the state of Maryland, and it is one of the northernmost stands of bald cypress in the United States." As a bonus for your enjoyment, I threw in a photo of two EASTERN TOWHEES and a RUBY CROWNED KINGLET that I saw at North Beach Marsh on my way home.

A little birdy towhee'd me to post that photo.

It's not a real blog until I've put in at least ONE bad joke.

The light was sketchy today. There were lots of clouds. Luckily, the weather folks were off yet again. No snow or rain or sleet or precipitation of any kind whilst I was out and about today.

I only wish that these PURPLE FINCHES would visit my feeders here in West Annapolis!

Good Voting (& Birding),

Dan