Happy Valentine's Day

I hope you enjoy this commercially-created holiday to the fullest extent. Why not Valentine's Year? I mean, why stop the giving (in the name of LOVE) for one day?This is Emery, my Valentine! We hope you have a magnificent day!

Love,

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

A Visit To The WHITE DUCK (Josh & Anne's Sailboat)

I decided not to start on my taxes today. The weatherman, if you'll believe this, was wrong! It was not very windy, mostly sunny with only a smattering of clouds overhead. So after working in the garden and cleaning the house, I decided to venture out for a quick lunchtime hike.

My bass friend Josh, lead bassist and rocker for the band BEN'S BONES (did you get your tickets yet?), was busy sprucing up his boat, the WHITE DUCK. I decided to pay him a visit and bird the area near his dock. What an amazing two hours this afternoon.A photogenic HERMIT THRUSH was nice. I was delighted to show Josh and his wife Anne an adult BALD EAGLE flying low and straight towards us up their creek. A pair of KINGFISHERS and GREAT BLUE HERONS were two added treats to our afternoon. The chatter and fishing exercises of the KINGFISHERS are always entertaining. But the stars of today's show had to have been a eye-to-eye look at a GREAT HORNED OWL and a flying PEREGRINE FALCON. Ah-May-Zing!

Anne, Josh, their yellow lab Fran and I were walking and I noticed a large bird-sized shadow in the top of the pine tree right above us. I put my bins on the shadow and low and behold, looking down at me was a GREAT HORNED OWL. Crazy.I took this photo, but the RED EYE from the camera flash was a bit awful. I used iPhoto's red-eye reduction, but the results are not all that fantastic. Ahhh, but the event certainly was...On the way back to the car, I caught a glimpse of a falcon's powerful flight and pointed wings. I fired off a couple of shots and really enjoyed seeing this particular PEREGRINE in full flight.I did have one question about this CANADA GOOSE in the center of the photo. Is that anything special, or is this bird just lacking some WHITE on his neck?This part of the blog sucks: I feel it's my duty to mention that I found a deer tick on me this afternoon. It's the middle of winter, but it's still tick season. Be careful those of you who venture into the woods.

I hope your Sunday was even better. I'm grateful to have such a loving wife who lets me run off for a couple of hours to hike and bird. I'm even luckier to have a wonderful son who is nothing but joy. And I swear, after dinner I am going to get after those taxes!
Good Living,

Dan

Struck Out On The Shrike

I drove. I looked. I searched. I scanned. I enjoyed. But I saw not a beak, nor a feather of the NORTHERN SHRIKE in Baltimore County's Cromwell Park this afternoon. A fellow birder saw the shrike mere minutes before my arrival. Ah, timing...

I think I'm staying inside tomorrow to do some taxes. It is supposed to be very windy and cold. That, my friends, is perfect tax-preparing weather.

These few photos were my consolation for missing the SHRIKE.That EASTERN BLUEBIRD I found on the Naval Academy's golf course on Greenbury Point. I assist my friend Doug Forsell, from the US Fish & Wildlife Service, with the monitoring of the points MANY bluebird boxes over the spring and summer. I'd like to think I somehow helped that little bird grow up to be an upstanding bluebird on the course. At the very least, I kept an angry HOUSE SPARROW out of it's nest a time or two.

The other birds (above) are: an AMERICAN KESTREL that I saw at Cromwell Valley Park, and a RUBY CROWNED KINGLET and YELLOW RUMPED WARBLER that were seen this afternoon on Greenbury Point.

With the arrival of some afternoon sun, it turned out to be yet another fine, albeit quiet, day in the field.

Good Birding,

Dan

May No One SHRIKE Out Trying To See Life Birds This Weekend

Tomorrow, my son Declan and his Mom (my stunningly gorgeous wife Emery) are going to accompany me to the Cromwell Valley Park, just North of Baltimore. We are hoping to see a NORTHERN SHRIKE. This bird has been seen this week, enjoying the perks of the park located near the Loch Raven Reservoir, in the heart of the Cromwell Valley. I'm sure my love and my lovely son will enjoy the scenery and the trip.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology describes a NORTHERN SHRIKE as a predatory songbird that breeds in taiga and tundra and winters in southern Canada and the northern United States. Maryland, as you know, is not really all that North. So, this bird is a little South for it's range. NORTHERN SHRIKES dine on small birds, mammals, and insects, sometimes impaling them on spines or barbed wire fences. Yum.

Impaling. What could be better than that? Wish us luck. If we see it, we sure will be Vlad. Ok, I did reach a little for that joke.If you should decide to try to see the PAINTED BUNTING for yourself this weekend, I think you will be quite successful. This brightly-colored songbird has been very reliable with it's feeding habits. No, it hasn't impaled anything... yet. It eats millet mostly.In other good news this Friday, I can confirm that at least ONE of the Severn River Bridge PEREGRINE FALCONS have returned to the girders under the freshly-painted blue span. Sue Riccardi, famous for her Fort Smallwood Hawk Watch, emailed me earlier in the week to inform me that she saw a PEREGRINE flying near the bridge when she was crossing it. I'll take this as a sure sign of spring.

Oddly enough, I swear a PEFA (PEREGRINE FALCON) flew over my house at 4:30 this afternoon. Every bird that was relaxing in nearly every tree darted for the skies when they saw this raptor coming. Sadly, it flew too fast for a positive identification and it didn't even stop. It must have been in a hurry to beat the Annapolis rush hour traffic.In the coming days, there will be more news about our local PEREGRINE FALCONS written here on the NERVOUS blog. Stay tuned.

Enjoy Your Weekend,

Dan

Not To Blow My Own Horn, But I Saw A Trumpeter Today

Yes, that is correct. I dropped by for two minutes to the Oxbow Preserve in Western Anne Arundel County to see the TRUMPETER SWAN. It's wonderful to see this flying success story patrolling a lake so close to home. TRUMPETER SWANS are not only North America's largest waterfowl, they are one of its rarest native birds. They are a living reminder, that some species that have been reduced to near extinction, can still be saved!While visiting elementary schools in Severna Park and Western Anne Arundel County, I caught some quick views of Anne Arundel County's finest avian rarities. As you can see (by clicking on the photo above), this rare SWAN has been tagged. I do love it how those protectors of birds have now made identifying species so easy: big yellow tags! Why didn't I think of that?

I haven't a clue how some rare warbler would fly with one of those on it's wings, but I'll address that issue some other day.

Sadly, I have not seen my resident EASTERN SCREECH OWL in it's backyard box for several days.This concerns me a bit. But I am aware that screech owls have several hide outs and have been known to vanish for several days at a time. If only I was able to peer into that box. Alas, it's too high and Adam (the OWL BOX BUILDER and INSTALLER) owns the really big ladder. I could climb this half-naked pine tree that holds the owl box, but since the branches were ripped off in last winter's ice storm, the sap hasn't stopped flowing. It's a sticky mess. But if it wasn't for that storm, there'd be no owl box.The other stunning bird I hoped to get a glimpse of today was the PAINTED BUNTING that has been officially declared a 'regular' in it's Arnold neighborhood. This bird appears to reside in a red berry-filled Holly tree just off of the B&A Trail. Personally, I think he should be named 'Arnold'. Kind of fitting, no? If you want to see him, patience is recommended... but not required. He has been a regular visitor to a feeder that offers nice views from the comfort of the trail. Seeing a PAINTED BUNTING will surely make a BIRDER out of just about anyone.Other interesting species this week: lots of AMERICAN WOODCOCKS, one CHIPPING SPARROW, three SAVANNAH SPARROWS, nine WILD TURKEYS and tree-loads of CEDAR WAXWINGS that have become regular feeders on the berries from the Junipers in our backyard. (I would tell you more about where I saw those other birds, but that story is far too racy for this blog.)

DON KING-WAXING!

Really, I'm just hoping to find the next rare, amazing bird here in Maryland. It's an addictive, fun and mostly rewarding hobby. Lots of people chase rare birds, but very few actually find them.

More importantly, our son Declan is doing great. My wife Emery has found her true calling... being a wonderful mother to our son. Me? I'm busy (but thoroughly enjoying) working with the schools, finding all the birds, taking care of the dogs and watching over my family. Despite the very concerned look on Declan's face, it has been a wonderful week.Did you get your RAM'S HEAD ON STAGE tickets for the Ben's Bones show yet? No... well... DON'T MISS IT.

Good birding,

Dan

Big Big Show At The Rams Head On Stage

On Thursday, February 28th, my band 'Ben's Bones' and I have been booked at the Ram's Head On Stage in Annapolis as headliners. We have some time until the big night, but not too much. So I thought I'd utilize the old bird blog to promote the show!In between fathering, working, birding, performing, eating and sleeping, I found a few minutes to pen a new song. It's been forever since my last song was written. Writing a tune was not as easy as I remember, nor was it as hard as I thought. We played last night at our regular Monday night at 49 West. At the end of the night, I unleashed the new song on the band. I must admit, it sounded quite good. I would like to try and write some more.The general rule of song writing is: write... a lot. The more tunes one creates, the better the odds are that one of them will be something special.That said, Josh, Jamie, Joe, Bryan and I would love it if you'd come to our big show! That's Bryan Ewald on the left. He is one of the finest guitarists in the land and he will be joining us On Stage on the 28th. This is a rare treat indeed. He adds an immeasurable amount of tone and quality to our songs. This show is going to be a hoot. (see, a bird reference!) Declan likes to sing too!

DECLAN "ELVIS COSTELLO" HAAS

Join us? Get your tickets HERE.

Good Creating,

Dan