Migration

The time of migration has begun.

They are travelers.

For some the distance is short.
For others it may be thousands of miles.
For most it is in the darkness they fly.

For some the journey may be their first; to a place they have never been, they find their way.
For others they have made this journey throughout their life, miles upon miles.
For all, it is a perilous journey.

For some I say hello.
For others I say goodbye.
For all, I wish you well - travelers.

-Adele-

Welcome to Birding Pictures

Explore Birding.Pictures

It’s about birds and birding.

View a catalog of bird pictures - virtually join me on birding trips - learn about Great Horned Owls, identifying raptors in flight or warblers in the fall. Watch eaglets, owlets and ducklings develop into fledglings. All this and more at Birding.Pictures.

New

There is a very popular nest cavity at CBEC. So far those interested include: European Starlings, Gray Squirrel, Red-Headed Woodpeckers and Northern Flickers. Select the button below to follow the behavioral observations.

Select the button below to watch the Great Horned Owlets of Kent Island develop into fledglings.

Keeping it current -

Check out my most recent pictures.

Great Horned Owl - 05-03-24

Audience: Beginner - Intermediate

Objective: Become more efficient at identifying warblers in the spring season.

There is no cost or signup required. If you find it helpful consider buying me a coffee (link in page footer).

Watch Live

We are still in the Great Horned Owl nesting cycle for 2024. There are is an active nests I have been watching through the nest cam. If you too would like a front row seat to witness this live I encourage you to visit this site.

My Rare Bird Sightings

Latest sighting:

Western Tanager

Seen in Anne Arundel County, MD on 8 Mar 2024

On-line Courses

I invite you to check out these courses - they are free & no sign up required.

Audience: Beginner - Intermediate

Objective: Become more efficient at identifying warblers in the fall season.

Audience: Beginner - Intermediate

Objective: Become more efficient at identifying raptors in flight.

Bird in the Bins - Great Horned Owl

I’m exited to release Bird in the Bins - the Great Horned Owl. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Judy Wink of the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center as she talked about Great Horned Owls. Judy is an ornithologist with well over 50 years of field experience working with horned owls.

I separated this audio into segments with pictures and some videos associated with each segment.

So grab a beverage of choice and select the button to learn about these wonderful birds. Judy is an excellent story teller, so don’t miss the Stories to Tell at the end.

Note: I have created a Road Trip version so you can listen from your smart phone during your next road trip.

Sample from Segment 2

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Tips & Info

This section includes birding tips and bird/birding related information. I hope you find it useful.

Check back periodically as I will be adding new information to this section.

Birding Locations…

…is a collection of birding hotspots. It lists birding information for each location.

Nest Monitoring & Interesting Facts

Did you know?

  • Branching is what the owlets do during the period before fledging. They leave the nest and climb (with their feet and beak) to nearby branches and even glide to adjacent trees.

  • Eagles perform a courtship display known as the cartwheel. They fly high in the sky together, lock talons and spin downward. Just as you think they are going to hit the ground they separate and fly up high again.

  • At approximately 24 hours old wood ducklings will jump from the nest cavity and follow their mother, capable of flight at 8-9 weeks old.

Join me in nest monitoring where we will witness nesting and the young develop and prepare for fledging. I warn you though - we have to wake up a 4:00am and sit in a blind for approximately 4 hours a day, multiple days in a row to wait for wood ducklings to leave the nest. We will also have to go out into the middle of a corn field in the dead of winter, the temperature sometimes below freezing with high winds to watch eaglets develop into juvenile eagles. Plan to stand there for at least an hour, about every five days.

On second thought, why don’t you join me virtually from the comfort of your home, or wherever you may be and watch the nesting process and the young prepare for fledging:

Birding Trips - Select the button below to join me on virtual birding trips to:

Cape May/Smith Island Pelican Tour/Magee Marsh/Costa Rica/Hawk Mountain/Central Florida