MD nature pics thread

Most of my pictures are on my other computer, but here are a few from my notebook:

Good ole Garrett County

Digital Cams are addictive- Im a bit of a shutterbug especially with wildlife stuff - Ill make this post just critter animal related- I have many scenic photos, but dont want to hog to much. All are photgraphed in MD by me.I have also greatly reduced the pic size from the orginals to ease in upload and download. Ill post the pics and put a little commentary about the pic. All of the pics were taken here in Garrett County with exception of the Timber Rattler - that picture was taken in Fredrick County - Fredrick Watershed / Gambrill State Park. Also the last 2 pics will be another post as I can only upload 10 per post.

The first 3 pics where taken near my house. I went for a walk and ran into these 2. One was the younger cub - the other the mom. The last of the 3 bears is the same one thats bigger just a back view to get an idea of its size.







The timber rattler pic was taken at the Fredrick Watershed years ago with my old and now retired Digital Camera. I took the picture, by hanging the camera out of the passenger window in my truck. Notice the yellow look - that one just shed its skin.

The grouse pic was taken on the road I live on- you have to drive through a section of hardwoods to get to my house- I always see some kind of wildilfe there - Grouse, bear foxes, coyotes, and tutkeys. I happen to have my cam the day I took the pic of the grouse. I run itno them when I hike in the woods near my house -they scare the daylights outof you sometimes when they flush.

The next 2 pics are off the feeder in my front porch. I get so many hummingbirds off of my feeder - they drain it in just a few days. I have many pics of hummingbirds- but just posted these 2.

The oriole pic is just a visitor from the same feeder in hummingbird pics. They came for a few days.

The next is the common Eastern Newt (called an Eft when they have there swim tail and are aquatic) They turn this bright orange when they become land dwellers.

Next is an odd bug - a Walking stick. This was in a bushell of pears I picked from my yard. I see these every year - but not as big as the one in the pic. Often they look like a dried blade of grass, until it starts to move!

Next pic is a Spring Peeper. I took the pic off of my deck - it came leaping out of a strawberry box.

Next is the common Praying Mantis. It was in one of the pear trees in my home orchard. Everytime I moved the camera towards it it started to swing it arms at me.

Last of this bunch is the common Brown Snake. This one was in mt garden. Sometimes they creep into the plastic mulch, and decide to pop out when you least expect it.

The last 2 of my post.

The first is just a Buck in velvet with a fawn nearby- in my front yard. I took the pic off of my front porch.

The last is a baby cottontail. I took the pic last year - in my garden. Last year I went to pick some cucumbers, and the ground under one of the vines moved. There was a nest of 5 rabbits this size. They next day they dispersed - and I took this pic then.

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me goin out on the ice on patapsco to save the deer in the previous pic....

I didn't see my first walking stick until I was about 40. Since then, I've seen at least one ever year. They are odd-looking, but fascinating too.

Llyrin said:

I didn't see my first walking stick until I was about 40. Since then, I've seen at least one ever year. They are odd-looking, but fascinating too.

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They used to be all around my house. I haven't seen one in a long time though. Always thought they were really neat critters.

Saw this little guy yesterday while hiking up at Sugarloaf Mountain. 'Tis a Timber Rattler, I believe. We heard him first rattling a little next to the path, then we stopped and watched him cross the path and move on into the woods on the other side.

MD is a pretty state.

Here are some pics mostly from Carderock or Great Falls, which is only a few miles from my home. I can be on the trails in about 15 minutes.

Here's one of my favorite Maryland nature scenes, taken just a few hours ago:

Gfacter said:

MD is a pretty state.

Here are some pics mostly from Carderock or Great Falls, which is only a few miles from my home. I can be on the trails in about 15 minutes.

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That place looks familiar - the pic with aqua duct looks like I place I used to fish all the time as a kid. Looks upward of Old Anglers Inn on the C&O where it opens up. And the 2 pics of the lizards brought back some memories - we used to see those lizards in the woods on the rocks- near where that aqua duct is.

The first lizard is a female Eastern Fence Lizard, the 2nd one is a Five Lined Skink. I used to see the skinks run across the path of the C&O- along with black snakes. I also remembered the Paw Paws along canal - the fruit that when it breaks open looks like scrambled eggs - and the seeds look like sausage. They are edible fruit ! I never forget when I saw a goose lock its mouth on a nearby jogger there once - it was a nasty bugger! Thanks for posting that!

Fishguy said:

Saw this little guy yesterday while hiking up at Sugarloaf Mountain. 'Tis a Timber Rattler, I believe. We heard him first rattling a little next to the path, then we stopped and watched him cross the path and move on into the woods on the other side.

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Yup that sure is one. My Aunt & Uncle used to live near Sugarloaf - I recall once they told me the geological survey crew was up there once, and found a huge den just full of timber rattlers. Apparently there is a healthy population in that area.

Yep that's the place, I remember going there right after Hurricane Agnes in 72 the canal wall broke and the entire area emptied into the river.

It's called Widewater I believe

Deep Creek Rock said:

That place looks familiar - the pic with aqua
duct looks like I place I used to fish all the time as a kid. Looks upward of Old Anglers Inn on the C&O where it opens up. And the 2 pics of the lizards brought back some memories - we used to see those lizards in the woods on the rocks- near where that aqua duct is.

Click to expand...

You mean the overpass /bridge that used to connect VA to MD side over the Potomac? I remember seeing the remnents of that bridge, I was born after Agnes so missed the bridge in one piece. We used to go walking there all the time as kids - I really miss it down there - I should make a trip, and visit my old stomping grounds.

There was a bridge (now rebuilt) that went to a area to see the falls at Great Falls park, I don't think there was a bridge all the way to VA.

Here are few other "scenic" pics - that I wanted to share. Again all in MD -this time all in Garrett County all shot by me.And the pics are downszied to ease in uploading / downloading. These arent critter ones though..

The first pic is of the 4th of July on the Wisp. I took the pic off of my front porch - using a slow shutter speed for a pretty cool effect! The camera has to be tripod mounted to use this mode. The pic below is just a cropped section of the picture to show you how a firework actually travels. You can see the charges actually shoot in a corkscrew spiral. I always photgraph the display- and have many pics of the 4th displays.

Next is Deep Creek Lake at Ski Harbor and some of the homes on the lakefront- in the winter during ice up on the lake. I took this pic through a window of a van going over 40MPH - I think it was a lucky shot.

Next is Maryland Largest waterfall - Swallow Falls. If you look in the upper left corner you can see a person. This can give a perspective on how big the falls really are.

Next - I shot this pic in the woods beside my home after a Garrett County snowfall. The area gets used by cross country skiers, as well as snowmobilers, as the tracks in the center of the pic shows.

Last is a pic of the "Yough" river in the Friendsville area on a misty morning.

This is a peninsula in Breton Bay, taken via Google Satellite. It's right off Leonardtown Wharf.

Speaking of tow trucks, I found this along Route 66 while in AZ. in 2008. I swear, this must be the one thing that inspiered "Mater" in the movie Cars.