Daybreak
Daybreak
White-Tailed Deer use the marsh for forage and protection from predators.
Bald Eagles have 8 talons, which can be up to 2 inches in length.
Bald Eagle
A Baltimore Oriole enjoys a ripe mulberry.
Orchard Oriole (Immature Male). It will turn a dark orange by maturity.
Indigo Buntings lack blue pigments in their feathers, but the feathers refract and reflect blue light. In dim light they appear black or dark brown.
Striking in appearance, bold, with little fear of larger birds or humans, Red-Winged Blackbirds make excellent photographic subjects.
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Red-Bellied Woodpecker Pair
The Eastern Kingbird is very terriitorial and will attack larger birds and squirrels that get near its nest.
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroats prefer open areas with thick low vegetation, such as marshes.
Northern Mlockingbird
Warbling Vireo
Willow Flycatcher
House Sparrow (Juvenile)
House Sparrow
Mallard
Mallard Family Outing 1/3
Mallard Family Outing 2/3
Mallard Family Outing 3/3 - The "teenaged" duckllings are now able cruise the marsh without their parents.
Eastern Rat Snake out in the open during it's peak breeding season in early June, possibly searching for a mate.
Eastern Rat Snake
Northern Water Snake
Double-Crested Cormorant returns from its northern breeding grounds in September.
Bald Eagle in flight
Adult and juvenile White-Tailed Deer in the marsh.
A Bald Eagle pair surveys its nesting territory in mid-January.
Bald Eagle has an itch
Young Bald Eagle developing adult plumage
Gray Squirrel
White-Throated Sparrows typically forage on or near the ground and are frequent backyard feeders in the winter.
White-Throated Sparrow
A Red-Bellied Woodpecker takes flight.
Pileated Woodpeckers are the largest woodpeckers in North America. Despite their large size and bright coloring, they are often heard before being seen due to their loud staccato calls and forceful hammering into trees, looking for insects.
Pileated Woodpeckers stay in their breeding grounds year-round.
Hooded Merganser pair are seasonal visitors to Dyke Marsh.
A Common Merganser scans the water, preparing to dive for prey.
Ross's Goose
Ross's Goose following a Canada Geese pair. Ross’s geese frequently follow and mix with other, larger goose species, particularly Snow Geese and occasionally Canada Geese, during migration and throughout the winter. They are highly gregarious and often form large mixed-species flocks to find safety in numbers, sometimes appearing on the edges of massive Snow Geese flocks.
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Ring Billed Gulls winter as far as south as Mexico and the Caribbean, but also stay in coastal regions as far north as New England and British Columbia, where more moderate temperatures and scavenging opportunities from human sources are attractive.
Ring Billed Gull with a find.
Ring Billed Gull
Red Fox
Red Fox walks between Coconut Island and Dyke Island on the frozen Potomac River. Red Foxes have fur on their paw pads, providing insulation and traction on the ice.
Red Fox returns to shore with a fresh kill.
Bald Eagle guards its nest in mid-February around the time eggs are laid.
Winter gives way to spring.
