I arrived at Patuxent Wildlife Refuge, South Tract, about 6:00 AM and had the place to myself. The plan was to stay until 8:00 or so, then get a look at North Tract, which I haven’t visited before. It was a cool morning, but warmed up very quickly, so I only stayed at North Tract about an hour.
This Mockingbird was the first bird I saw this morning.
This Carolina Wren was singing loudly, greeting the morning, and was a very willing subject.
For a brief while, I had two Carolina Wrens in the viewfinder.
A classic Carolina Wren shot.
This juvenile Robin was foraging in what appeared to be newly planted grass.
I’m not sure which Sparrow this is, but I like the shot.
This female Cardinal was a little camera-shy.
This Bluebird was quite distant in the low light.
I’m not sure of this ID (Again). This little guy was very active, and I was able to follow him for several minutes.Update:It’s a female Orchard Oriole.
This family of Canadian Geese was out for a walk. Later, I saw them foraging in the tall grass.
It was nice of this Sparrow to pose so neatly.
This Great Crested Flycatcher is a little too bright, so he’s just here for the record.
This butterfly was feeding right outside the visitor center at North Tract.
I couldn’t pass up this Dragonfly who stopped for a while right in front of me.
This Blue Gray Gnatcatcher was at the pond near the North Tract bridge. He flew around quite a bit, but kept returning to the same tree.
Another look at the Gnatcatcher.
Maybe it’s a moth. Someday I’ll find the time to ID these guys.
The Tree Swallow is an elegant looking bird.
Carolina Saddlebags dragonfly , Common buckeye butterfly