Last Summer we had a series of 90 + degree days in July, but this year is much better. If I’m not getting all the birds I want, the weather’s not to blame.
I made a quick stop at Sands Road near dawn, but it was foggy and a waste of time.
It had nearly cleared by the time I got to Wooton, and it looked nearly perfect for birding. Alas, not much was happening, and I felt lucky to get what I did.
It had gotten fairly hot by the time I got around to the bugs, so I didn’t spend much time looking.

Little Blue Herons are still hanging around.

This Great Blue Heron may have been sleeping.

This Catbird posed well.

I nearly walked by this juvenile White Ibis.

Today’s bugs.

Another gorgeous day, and another day of dithering about where to go. I decided on Governor Bridge because I wanted another chance at the hummingbirds.
I arrived about dawn, as usual, and did a complete loop of the lower area without finding much. Things picked up the second time around.
The hummingbirds weren’t as active as yesterday, but I found a few.
A shortened bug hunting trip was only mildly productive.

This Common Yellowthroat is probably a juvenile.

It’s difficult to get Ruby Throated Hummingbird in flight, but fun to try.

This Indigo Bunting is probably a juvenile also.

This Catbird was foraging in the big field.

A small flock of Cedar Waxwings was feeding in the area.

Today’s bugs.

The perfect weather continues, and I went back to Governor Bridge to see if I could get lucky again. I spent too much time on hummingbirds, but there wasn’t much else in the way of birds.
The bugs were limited as well.

I found where the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds were feeding and spent a lot of time trying to get a decent shot.

Today’s bugs.

Graeme and I did the Annapolis tour this morning, hitting Truxtun Park, Quiet Waters, Jonas Green Park and Greenbury Point. We probably overdid it a bit, but we found a few bugs and birds and I got to show him the local spots.
I spent the afternoon dealing with a computer crash, so I won’t finish this post ’til tomorrow.

This Eastern Kingbird and a companion were very active chasing flies.

Today’s bugs

This has been a good Summer, weather-wise, and today was no exception. I got to the park around dawn, and set out looking for birds right away. It’s the very beginning of Fall migration, and I was hoping to find some early birds.
I found a couple of good ones right off, and there was a lot of activity.
The bug hunting was also good, and I got a few good images.

This Common Yellowthroat was foraging in the big field.

This Scarlet Tanager is changing to his Fall colors.

This Tufted Titmouse was feeding with a flock of his friends.

Red Eyed Vireos will be leaving the area next month.

I’m not sure which Flycatcher this is.

Orchard Oriole

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Great Blue Heron

Today’s bugs.

Hot and humid with bright sunshine. Ideal in some ways, but the light was very harsh, and the heat was nearly too much.
I made a quick stop at Sands Road to see what was happening (not much) then headed up the road to Wooton. It was surprisingly slow for such a nice day, and even the bugs seemed to be hiding from the heat.

You can almost always find a Chipping Sparrow on the road to the parking lot.

This Cardinal landed quite near me.

I’m not used to seeing Green Herons hidden in a tree like this.

Today’s bugs.

I had an appointment this morning, so I got to Truxtun Park early, then went to Ft. Meade around 8:00. After the VA wasted my time on an unnecessary appointment, I stopped at Governor Bridge for a while, but it was too late to find many birds. The bugs were around in decent numbers, so I spent some time hunting.

This Indigo Bunting showed up as I was leaving.

Today’s bugs.

The rain was falling lightly when I awoke. The weatherman promised it would stop soon, so I headed out to Governor Bridge, which was pretty slow in the very cloudy morning.
This afternoon we had lots of sun, and I spent about an hour roaming the ‘hood, which was pretty productive.

This Common Yellowthroat was foraging in the low bushes.

Like many male Eastern Towhees, I heard this bird long before I saw him.

Today’s bugs.

It was raining this morning, but I managed to get to Truxtun Park briefly, where a few bugs and one lone bird appeared.

This Carolina Wren was foraging quitge close to where I was searching for bugs.

Today’s bugs.