Wayne Bierbaum Photography

A colorful green frog was sitting at the edge of a "vernal pool" at Patuxent River Park.

I saw a Baltimore oriole feeding its young. Also, a darker orchard oriole perched at the edge of the Patuxent River.

The tick species seems to have shifted. Ten years ago, lone star ticks were rarely seen around here. This year, the only ticks I've seen have been lone star ticks. Of course, they have a single white dot on their "back".
Lone star ticks aren't known for carrying Lyme's Disease but they can cause the development of a severe allergy to red meat.

Aphrodite Fritillary

mushrooms - golden oyster mushrooms, deadman's fingers, coral mushroom, chocolate tube slime mold.

Vacationing on Peaks Island, ME is such complete change in scenery and I relish the sights. I am awake from an hour before sunrise to an hour after sunset (4:45 to 9:45). , , , , , ,

Wood Pewees at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary were displaying to each other out in the open. I saw four at a time doing face-offs.
The birding walk this Saturday should be good.

More Blue Angels photos from last Tuesday's practice.

Blue Angels, May 21, 2024
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Flower 2014. Fig flowers are the figs.

This is a fun photo. A beaver was slapping the water surface.
You can see the tail upstroke and then the hard down stroke.

Bombay Hook NWS was loaded with colorful birds yesterday.
Descriptions are on each photo.

After the over-night rain, I took a walk around the yard. It was good to see that gray tree frog survived the winter. Descriptions are on the photos.

I think my Pawpaw tree will finally have fruit this year. The pawpaws require cross pollination from genetically non-familial trees. This year I had two trees flowering and with a fine artist paint brush, I cross pollinated them.

Virginia Beach

Greater Yellow-legs at Blackwater NWS

Strutting grackle

A Muskrat, Northern Parula, and a Barn Swallow.
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The Caspian Terns seem to have mostly moved on. I only saw two in thirty minutes vs last week's dozen in thirty minutes.

It is Caspian Tern season. I saw a dozen on South river this morning. The Alewife run was pretty poor this year.The osprey were catching 'mud shad' instead. There also has been almost no white perch showing up.

The red-headed woodpeckers are still at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in large numbers. The area around Otter Point seems to hold the most. The red-winged blackbirds are doing a lot of displaying.

This young turkey surprised Digital Photography Club Members during a walk at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary. , , , , ,

DeKay's Brown Snake. --HARMLESS--
This tiny nocturnal snake species feeds on slugs and earthworms. They are occasionally seen during the day sunning. Like garter snakes, they are viviparous, giving birth to 4 to 30 live young after about a 110 day gestation period. They are sexually dimorphic with the females being larger than males and have shorter, wider tails. Brown snakes become sexually mature after three years.
The largest DeKay's brown snake recorded was about 20 inches long but most are under 14 inches. Because they have keeled dorsal scales, they are not shiny looking.
They are elusive but common throughout Maryland. Most people encounter them during gardening, turning over rocks and logs, and maintaining a compose bin. Because they are nocturnal and fragile, brown snakes should not be kept as pets. Wild animals in general should not be kept as pets.