Hello goodbye

Goodbye

Hello

The new year has arrived and brought much change, new home, new state, and new places to look for birds. The recent move from Annapolis to Charlottesville has wreaked havoc on my bird records. It will be tough to leave behind my Anne Arundel county life list of 217 species and shift to a new county. Nonetheless, Albermarle county will be a pleasure to bird and I look forward to learning all of its secret spots privy to birds and yet unknown to me. I am currently at 39 species two behind the leader after adding Common Raven, and Yellow-rumped Warbler yesterday. The lakes are frozen solid eliminating chances for any ducks I may find.

Even though I have just arrived, in 3 days I will leave for the tropical warmth of Costa Rica on assignment to operate the bird banding station at the Caribbean Conservation Corporation Tortuguero Biological Field Station located within Tortuguero National Park on the northern Caribbean coast. This is a real paradise in the world with staggering biodiversity and I feel privelaged to have been selected to work at the banding station. The bird life in this park is phenomenal with over 300 species occuring within the park boundries alone. Taking a detour from birds, I have spent the day trying to become familiar with the reptiles, most specifically the venomous snakes of the region. Few of you may remember that before my obsession with birds, I was equally obsessed with snakes and frogs and sought to find and photograph as many as I could. Having had the opportunity to participate in a research project collecting reptiles and amphibians in south eastern Peru in 2005, I am familiar with many of the species found in Costa Rica. However many of them will also be new and given the time that I will spend in the forest, I will inevitably encounter a venomous species. Don't worry, I won't touch the venomous ones. Here are a few pics of snakes I took when I was working in Tambopata National Reserve in Peru.

Oxibelis fulgidus

Coral Snake (although I forget which one) Micrurus spp.

Lead Herpetologist Wilfredo Arizabal catching the very venomous Fer de Lance, Bothrops atrox

Me, practicing my snake handling skills on the non-venomous but beautiful Rainbow Boa; Epicrates cenchria

And now for something completely different...

killdeer

American Pipit

Savannah Sparrow, Sandy Point Beach

A pair of American Pipits on Sandy Point Beach

Northern Shrike, Chino Farms in QA county, Maryland

Merlin - Near the shrike

Ruby-crowned kinglet - Thomas Point Park

Hermit Thrush - Thomas Point Park

Ruby-crowned kinglet

Sandy (Snowy) Point Park, Truxton Park

The bridge leading into Truxton Park over Spa Creek

Contrary to the norm, I used this blizzard of nearly 2 feet snow to get out and have some adventure in and around Annapolis - and find birds. On the day of the storm, I strapped on Uncle Bob's waders (bequeathed to me by Eliza's uncle who was in his day an avid Maryland birder) and headed out to Truxton Park on foot. Diversity was not great, but the birds that were present were active and easily visible as they tended to stay up out of the snow. The plumage colors were strikingly vivid compared to the widespread colorless background of fallen snow. Even a tufted titmouse commanded my attention for several moments as I noticed, possibly for the first time, the extent of rufous in the flanks.

Frozen Spa Cove

Yesterday, Dan Haas had the idea to venture out to Sandy Point Park in hopes of finding Snow Buntings, or some other unusual bird taking advantage of the limited foraging area available on the wave beaten but snow-less beach. His instinct was right, although we didn't find any buntings there was a misplaced HORNED LARK, as well as 2 SAVANNAH SPARROWS. The lark was Anne Arundel County bird #203 for the year, a number I am quite pleased with. That places me at a solid third for top Anne Arundel lists of the year behind Dan with a stunning 237 and Stan Arnold at 233.

A Horned Lark forages on Sandy Point Beach

A Savannah Sparrow does the Same

A first winter Ring-billed Gull

Snow, Beach, Lighthouse - Sandy Point MD

Purple Sandpipers

Thomas Point Park has been has been a very productive birding hotspot this month. The Northern Gannet show has been impressive. They have been present in large numbers nearly everyday this month and it seems that there are more each time I go. It has also been a great spot to see the scoter species as well as Bonepart's Gulls. My friend Dan Haas found a Purple Sandpiper today, or rather two. I have been expecting the arrival of this hardy winter sandpiper. These guys prefer rocky shorelines such as jetties where they feed upon insects and mollusks. They are very tame and approachable and the lighting was perfect for a great photo session.

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Red-breasted Mergansers at Greenbury Point

Lastly, here are a few scenic pictures I have taken over the last few weeks. They are from Greenbury Point in Annapolis, and Old Trail Park outside Crozet, VA.

Fall Birding Pics

I have not posted in a while, but that does not mean that I have not been birding. Mostly locally, the state has yielded plenty of interesting birds this fall.



Most recently while picking up my girlfriend's grandmother at Riderwood assisted living in Silver Spring I got an intimate photo session with the local Trumpeter Swans. The presence of this beautiful bird, the largest species of waterfowl on earth, is most likely the result of efforts to reintroduce the species into it's former range. This bird was heavily hunted as game and a source of feathers in the 19th century. Wild Trumpeter Swans are only very rarely reported in Maryland, and reintroduction of swans has only had moderate success partly due to competition with non-native mute swans, heightened vulnerability to lead poisoning from poor hunting practices, habitat loss, and inability of released swans to take to migrating.



The larger size and detail on the bill separates this bird from the locally common and abundant winter visitor the Tundra Swan.



Dan Haas and I running for our lives from a rather aggressive Trumpeter Swan. Note that we did not approach the swans, they swam across the pond from the other side to get us as soon as we stepped on the walking path. And this is an old folks home.



At the other end of the spectrum is the very common, ubiquitous White-Throated Sparrow. This beautiful sparrow is only a winter resident in Maryland. It's song which it sings occasionally on sunny winter mornings, defines for me winter in a Maryland forest.









Sandy Point Park hosted some interesting fall birds this year for the county. Some birds reported were White-Rumped Sandpiper, Black-Bellied Plover, Dunlin, Sanderling, Lesser-Black Backed Gull, and Brant. Pictured above: Black-Bellied Plover and below: Brant with Canada Goose



Finally, perhaps one of the most enjoyable parts of birding in Maryland is being able to visit the many beautiful, often overlooked parts of the state. The beauty of nature and birds is for me the fundamental reason that I enjoy searching for birds (and other things) and learning about their life histories. As I realise how difficult it is to photograph a small songbird with a big crappy lens, I have resorted to taking scenic shots as well. Below: Sunset at Thomas Point Park, in Anne Arundel County, and a beaver pond in beautiful Bacon Ridge Natural Area.

Just a Few Recent Photos

Just a few recent pics:

Black and White Warbler at Gov. Bridge Natural Area



Northern Parula at Davidsonville Park


Black-Throated Blue Warbler at Davidsonville Park



Osprey at Greenbury Point


White-Eyed Vireo at Davidsonville Park


Chipping Sparrow at Davidsonville Park


Kentucky Warbler at Gov. Bridge Natural Area