A pair of Northern Cardinals practice courtship rituals under the barest cover from the rain.

The church was damaged by fire on November 20, 2023. At least 100 firefighters responded to the scene. Smoke was visible high above the rooftops as crews tried to contain the flames. www.youtube.com/watch?v=32zRAMAEles

What happens when it's mid-fall and you go birding? You get squirrels.

A wonderfully unproductive day of birding yesterday...

Montgomery county, MD

Photographed at Chevy Chase, Montgomery County, Maryland. The seventeen-year cicadas are not due to appear until 2021 in the eastern United States. However, these So-called "stragglers" have been seen in the metropolitan Washington DC area since last week. After eclosion from the pupal case, the insects rest on leaves in the sun until they are able to fly. During this time they are vulnerable to predation and our garden birds are feasting on the unexpected bounty.

Corks! And the best selection of imported beer in the city.

Debra expects a hole she's bored in a young tree for some more tasty insects.

This time of year is not the most pleasant in Maryland. This year, it's made less pleasant by the presence of these guys.

Been only a couple weeks and I'm already sick of being flown into, crawled on, and otherwise harassed by them. :(

Chevy Chase, Maryland (2021)

Watching to see if he's being tailed

A squirrel works hard at removing the husk of a walnut

It was the least productive walk I've taken in a long time. Barely even any house sparrows!

I really like the feather detail in this shot

A youthful, partially-open grape-leaf anemone shows it's perfectly white petals #macro

A spotted cucumber beetle climbs a leaf. These guys damage crops by eating leaves and fruit and can spread disease across plants.

Down here in Florida, the Blue Jays keep teasing us. I hear them call, but never see them!

A Carolina chickadee aims for its nest in this cavity with a fresh morsel of food for the chicks.

The most concentrated area for Cherry Blossoms in the Washington, DC, area is in Chevy Chase's Kenwood neighborhood. The blossoms there are at peak and fill the entire neighborhood. We took a sunny spring stroll through the falling blossoms today and it was quite wonderful!

I used my lensbaby composer lens for this shot.

A golden-crowned kinglet fluffs his feathers in the cool afternoon winds

Male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker giving his chin a good scratching as he contines on examining the suitability of a tree.

Day 70 of my #365project

Photographed at Chevy Chase, Montgomery County, Maryland (Washington west quad).

Sometimes, it's good to have an achievable, short-term goal.

The cherry blossoms in the Washington, DC, metro area were quite amazing this year. People come from all over to walk the streets of this little neighborhood just outside the District.

A bunny sits in someone's garden on a cool January afternoon on hte way to Norwood Park in Chevy Chase, MD.

Chevy Chase, Maryland

This nuthatch found a little seed stashed away in the hole next to him -- lucky for him, not so lucky for whoever left it there!

Chevy Chase, DC

Chevy Chase, DC

This red-bellied woodpecker scouts for a likely branch to find food for its brood, located in the cavity just on the other side of the tree.