Governor Bridge is about 20 minutes from my house, so I’ve been spending more time there than at most places.The hummingbird is a big attraction because I know where to find him, and it’s got a good variety of birds and habitat.
I went out yesterday, but the rain came early and I didn’t get much. Today, was better, clear skies and a bit warmer. My obsession to get a great Hummingbird image continues. All I need is perfect light and a a whole lot of luck.
Fortunately, some other birds came along to brighten up the day.


Another perfect day! I had arranged to meet my friend Graeme at 7:00, and I got there about 6:30 for a quick look around. We roamed the canoe area for awhile, then circled the lake, which continues to disappoint.
We found a Bed Belly feeding on berried, then took one more look around the canoe launch before calling it a day around 10:00.

I’ve seen this before, but it still seems unusual to see a Red Bellied Woodpecker feeding on berries.
I stayed up late last night (Online pool, my guilty secret), so I got a late start and didn’t take my first picture until 9:00.
I met some birders who said they’d done well near the big lake, which has never been productive for me, and today was no different. Then, I wandered down by the canoe launch and found a Hummingbird out in the swamp. I got seriously wet, but it was worth it.



I was photographing this Ruby Throated Hummingbird when he left his perch and flew to a nearby bush. Lucky me.
At dawn it looked like a clear, bright sky was in store, so I left the house around 6:00 to go back to Wooton, which is relatively close and has been very productive.
A Green Heron popped up right away, and the pics are reasonable even though he was backlit. A few others posed briefly, and it was a decent day with cool temps.

It was very cloudy this morning, so I didn’t get away until 7:00. I headed for Possum Point, and was very disappointed to see it’s been posted with, “No Trespassing” signs. I’m trying to find out what that’s about.
The USNA firing range was open, so I was limited to the area behind the Nature Center, but I found a few good birds, so it worked out.
After running some errands, I headed up to Swan Creek near Baltimore Harbor in hopes of seeing the Phalaropes reported there. I actually did get to see them, but they were little more than faraway blobs in a spotting scope.
I did a quick walk around under the gray, threatening skies, and got a few pictures, but nothing great.
I’ll try it again some day.
With bad weather and work, it’s been three days since I got a decent chance to go out. I did manage a trip to Liberty Reservoir yesterday, but it was a bummer-I don’t know the place well and didn’t see much at all.
I went back to old reliable Wooton this morning and redeemed myself a bit.

There are many White Eyed Vireos at Wooton, and they respond quickly to the Ibird App. This seems to be a controversial technique, but with so many songs being sung, I don’t see how one more could make a difference.
When I lived in Baltimore I used to spend a lot of time fishing at Liberty Reservoir (When I should have been studying). In those days it was easy to access. Nowadays they’ve fenced off the dam and closed some of the parking places, but it’s still a good place for wildlife.
I didn’t do spectacularly well today, but I’m going back soon to see what I can find.

I went on an impromptu trip to Patuxent NWR with the AABC, and we had a so-so morning. We saw a few good birds, but the light was lousy and the birds elusive. The Ovenbird is my best such bird to date.

We only got a brief look at the American Redstart (Female), and it’s not much of an image, but they are lovely birds.