This Blue Grosbeak nest is made mostly from a shed snake skin!! There is still one nestling in the nest and the male was shading the youngster from the sun.
Freaking gorgeous. Didn't have time to get my camera out.
@tysmith this is the prettiest dusky I've ever seen. Who is it?
Seen on a field trip organized by the Natural History Society of Maryland to Hart-Miller Island. We had a great tour led by three knowledgeable guides. Thanks to NHSM and Maryland Environmental Service for making this trip possible!
My observations from the trip today, including a few from the MES property before leaving to Hart-Miller Island:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=39.400855564076046&nelng=-76.18659509868222&on=2023-07-14&order=asc&order_by=observed_on&place_id=any&swlat=39.1819111227571&swlng=-76.42829431743222&user_id=joemdo&verifiable=any
Seen on a field trip organized by the Natural History Society of Maryland to Hart-Miller Island. We had a great tour led by three knowledgeable guides. Thanks to NHSM and Maryland Environmental Service for making this trip possible!
My observations from the trip today, including a few from the MES property before leaving to Hart-Miller Island:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=39.400855564076046&nelng=-76.18659509868222&on=2023-07-14&order=asc&order_by=observed_on&place_id=any&swlat=39.1819111227571&swlng=-76.42829431743222&user_id=joemdo&verifiable=any
Seen on a field trip organized by the Natural History Society of Maryland to Hart-Miller Island. We had a great tour led by three knowledgeable guides. Thanks to NHSM and Maryland Environmental Service for making this trip possible!
My observations from the trip today, including a few from the MES property before leaving to Hart-Miller Island:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=39.400855564076046&nelng=-76.18659509868222&on=2023-07-14&order=asc&order_by=observed_on&place_id=any&swlat=39.1819111227571&swlng=-76.42829431743222&user_id=joemdo&verifiable=any
*VABU x BLGR hybrid. Initially heard this bird singing a typical vabu song and given Francis hadn’t yet seen a male vabu we pursued the bird only to find it wasn’t just a vabu! I studied the bird visually before it started giving further vocalizations and I noted an overall bright blue passerina-sized bunting with a black mask, a thin pale crescent below the eye, rusty edging to the black tertials and secondaries, and a paler blue rump. When the bird was facing us it gave off a blgr-like structure though it was obviously not blgr-sized. Upon sticking with the bird longer I studied it closely and noted that it was giving call notes of both vabu and blgr and flight calls more similar to blgr. Bird was being territorial and chasing nearby off around this pin: (31.7835377, -110.8880417).
audio here https://ebird.org/checklist/S142195363 and here https://ebird.org/checklist/S143266464
Date is approximate. 3 individuals (2 males & 1 female) seen sometime in April, 1987. My mother and father (@dmpeterson ) were living in Monteverde in the spring of 1987, staying with the Gavin family. I have been digitizing their old slides, and thought these ones were significant, so I uploaded them. The date and location are approximate, based on their best recollection.
Orca had been in the area for weeks; observation made aboard "Day's Catch" with Captain Peter Wilcox and Sea Watch Tours out of Seal Cove, G.M.I.
40+ SRWKs from J, K, and L pod. Many adult males. Social behavior. Breaching, slapping, rolling.
PA state first, first reported to birders this morning but apparently present for two days. No bands, able to fly.
Amphibian (I think) in beak of tern
feeding on Desmodium sp.; eating holes through the seed pod compartments....
very cool larval stage of something. Never seen this type of thing in saline habitat.
Scallop fossil from ~35 million years ago
Please help me identify this animal I believe to be a cougar. Pictures were caught in front of my house on my security camera at 3:39 am. I have video as well (see link below). I uploaded some prints of tracks in my yard but I am not an expert so I don't know if these are from this or another animal. These are only a couple of the pictures of tracks taken. I believe he was in my backyard as well as the front based on potential tracks as well as my dog's reaction to scents in the back yard in the morning. It looked like he walked down the driveway on hard ice but these prints could belong to him.
I have uploaded video to utube for viewing on this link: https://youtu.be/XxQEEh-49EM
Desmognathus pascagoula, Pyron et al., 2022. Muddy floodplain habitat, Pascagoula River drainage.
I found this Southern Flying Squirrel in the park across from my work this afternoon. I was astonished, since I had only seen flying squirrels twice before, and I certainly didn't expect to find one on the ground at 3 in the afternoon. And certainly not in a fairly urban park. At first it was wary, but then was fearless. I suspect it may have been sick or starving or both. It ate a tent caterpillar while I watched and foraged through debris piles, picking out various leaves and sticks. Amazing!
Patuxent Branch Trail, Columbia, MD
Love sals. Seen well before it slipped down into this hole. mildly zig/zag orangeish stripe going down dark body, keeled tail.
The unbelievable amelanistic individual was found by Eli Bieri. Just about the coolest thing I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. No surprise that this has become my most favorited observation
(3) species name (in some cases, identification to Genus or Family may be acceptable);
Northern Searobin Prionotus carolinus
(4) Phylum, Class, and Order to which species belongs;
Phylum Chordata, Class Actinopterygii, Order Perciformes
(5) key morphological traits used to identify individual (within Order);
Their fins are reddish-brown with darker edges
(6) Functional/ecological ‘fun fact’ about taxa.
Their eggs have been used as a substitute for caviar.
the venter was very pail, appeared to be a very old monticola
This mudpuppy skeleton was found at the Shenango River. It has been identified.
Found near the highest point in Maryland, where I've long hoped to confirm Appalachian Cottontail (Sylvilagus obscurus). A dark mark between the ears does seem to be present. Last photo is by Tom Feild.