This female Wood Duck is from July3, and it’s the only decent shot I got at my friend’s house in Davidsonville.

0614, 7/4/2012

This Osprey is cruising for fish at Possum Point.

I was able to get quite close to this resting Osprey.

I’m more used to seeing Great Blue Herons in the water.

Another look at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

The Nature Center at USNA has a lot of these birds, and their strange call often drowns out most other bird song.

A distant but lovely Cardinal .

I took some distant shots of this Goldfinch, and was able to sneak a bit closer to get this one

Mockingbirds seem to like perching on a tall plant, tree, or artificial construct and proclaiming loudly.

Another low light shot (ISO 3200). but a very nice looking Red Bellied Woodpecker.

I believe this is a juvenile Northern Rough Winged Swallow, but I’m checking on it.

This Beaver swam under the bridge I was standing on a couple of times, living up to the old adage.

This is the first Eastern Kingbird I’ve seen at Truxtun Park.

This Downy Woodpecker was elusive and quiet.

Cardinals are common here, but the light was perfect and she posed very nicely.

There were two of these Titmice, travelling together for a while.

These two Titmice investigated the base of this tree together.

I believe this is a juvenile Chipping Sparrow.

This Mockingbird was clearly in charge of the parking lot, calling loudly and flying back and forth to this perch.

This Black Backed Seagull was soaking up the Sun near the water’s edge.

I think this is a Ring Billed Gull.

There’s more to see than birds some days.

Here’s another look at the colorful sunrise.

This Osprey was nicely silhouetted against the morning sky.

This Osprey has caught a very nice striped bass.

The Osprey has spread his wings to maintain his balance, giving us a good look at his impressive size

This probably a Bonaparte’s Gull.

This Crow was sharing the same tree, and may have been waiting for leftovers.

This Great Crested Flycatcher was high in a tree overlooking the Point.

It’s hard to pass up a beauty like this Monarch Butterfly.

I moved to the Nature Center after an hour or so, and there were many Goldfinches about.

This House Finch landed quite close to me and stayed for a while.

This another low light shot (ISO 3200), and I kind of like the look of this Red Winged Blackbird. It’s vaguely oriental.

I’ve often had trouble getting Crows to stay around long enough for a decent shot. but this guy was very cooperative.

This Great Crested Flycatcher was very active.

There were several Robins feasting on worms driven to the surface by the heavy rains.

Look just below the butterfly to see the open mouth of one of the two chicks.

Here’s a better shot of the nestlings. (ISO 3200 again)

You’ll never go wrong with a Cardinal close up.

Several Chickadees were flitting about, as usual.

I like this shot of a Red Eyed Vireo. I have often had trouble getting a good capture as they frequently inhabit the higher branches.

This might be my best Red Eyed Vireo to date.

I would bet that this is the same Mockingbird who greeted me yesterday. He would occasionally fly straight up a few feet and return to his perch. If I knew songs better , I could tell you what birds he’s imitating, and he seems to have a large repertoire.I made a YouTube video you can see here:
Mockingbird Singing

There were two female Orchard Orioles feeding in this small evergreen bush near the lake.
f6.3. 1/125, IO 2800

This Flycatcher was poised on a branch to catch breakfast in typical Empidonax fashion.

This Tree Swallow posed on a tree branch, instead of a sign, as all the others have done.

This Chipping Sparrow kept picking at the white string you can see, attempting to carry it off, probably for nesting material. It was all tied together, so he wasn’t successful during the time I watched him.

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.

There is a nesting box attached to the pole this Bluebird is sitting on.

I haven’t seen a Great Blue Heron quite this deep in the water before.

As soon as I started down the path, I saw a shaking in the tree nearest me, and managed this shot of a rather elusive Yellow Billed Cuckoo.

This Sparrow has me confused, so I’m checking for an ID. Update:Juvenile Chipping Sparrow

Yet another unknown Sparrow, but I’m working on it. Update:The experts are still unsure.

Another unknown bird. I was with an expert who got only a quick look, and thinks it’s a juvenile of some kind. Update-it’s likely a Juvenile Bluebird.

This appears to be a Common Yellowthroat female, but I’m double checking.

I’m not positive of this ID yet.

This Great Blue Heron was being harassed by a swallow as he flew across the lake.

I’ve seen a lot of Great Blue Herons, but this one is particularly colorful, in a nice setting.

With a little luck I got this Great Blue Heron as he was landing.

This family of Canadian Geese headed serenely across the lake.

Here he is again, just because I like this shot.

I saw this Hermit Thrush just as I entered the woods, which abounded with insects. I was stung on the lip shortly after this, and had a fat lip for several hours.

This Eastern Kingbird posed very nicely.

Tree Swallows and Bluebirds seem to compete for nesting boxes at Patuxent Wildlife Refuge.

I’m pretty sure this is a Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, but I don’t know these birds well. I’m checking with my experts at Bird Forum.Net.

This Blue Jay was very vocal, scolding loudly for several minutes. I saw some hawks in the area, and that may have been the cause.

This Red Tailed Hawk made even more racket than the Blue Jay, calling very loudly long before I saw him, and after he flew over.

This female Red Winged Blackbird hovered among the fragmite a while, then landed in the mud.

Here, it looks as though she’s captured a grasshopper.

The Acadian Flycatcher was back on her nest. I’m going to try to get a shot of her feeding the chicks, if I can do it without disturbing her too much.

Red Winged Blackbirds are fairly common around marshes at this time of year, but they are still very handsome, and willing subjects for the photographer.

Many birds, like this Bank Swallow, perch on this cable that crosses the creek.

This Cardinal is contemplating the day’s activities.

Cardinals are as likely to perch on the cable as any other small bird.

This Osprey has made her nest on top of the ball field lights, and doesn’t appear to be disturbed even when they are turned on for night games.

When I arrived to check on the nesting Acadian Flycatcher, the nest was empty.

I saw this Red Shouldered Hawk fly from his perch when I entered the woods, so I was pleasantly surprised to see he didn’t fly far. This seems to be a favored area, as I’ve seen him here several times before.

This close up lets you see the red shoulder patch and the excellence of nature’s camouflage.

I’m including this image because I really like these birds.

I’ve seen this female Bluebird on almost every visit to Hillsmere Elementary.

There are many Crows overlooking the playing fields.

After returning home and running some errands and taking a nap, I returned to Truxtun Park to check up on the Acadian Flycatcher nest, and at least one of the eggs has hatched.

Mama soon appeared, carrying what appears to be a moth to feed the chick.