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.
