Sightings on Sligo Creek

Here is the place to post your sighting of animals and of plants in the Sligo Creek watershed or in the Park itself and to peruse what others have seen and reported. It is a fascinating list, growing year by year. No need to feel shy; what is of interest to you is what is fine to post, and interesting behavior and surprising locations are useful to record. Thanks for taking part - as a reader or as a reporter - in the web of life in Sligo Creek.

Spring Migrant Bird Sightings

Native Plant Inventory

What	Where	When	Reported by	Comments
Pair of pileated woodpeckers	Neighborhood just east of Sligo Park, north of Dennis Avenue in Silver Spring	8pm, Mon, June 29, 2009	Laura Mol and Theo Meline	Single pileated woodpeckers have been sighted before on this large silver maple in the backyards of Robin Road & Tenbrook Drive, up the sledding hill east of the basketball courts. This is the first time to see a pair: wow! Location is about 200 yards east of Sligo Creek itself. Web Photo
Large red-eared slider (turtle)	Sligo Creek Parkway, near constructed ponds north of Forest Glen	9am, Sat, June 20, 2009	Laura Mol	Female, shell about 10 inches long, had been headed east from ponds just onto edge of roadway and hit by vehicle; she was gravid (egg-bearing--but not necessarily fertilized.)
Box Turtle	Flower Ave Side of Creek, about 1/2 way between Maple and New Hampshire	7am, Sat, June 27, 2009	Matt McKinnon	Photo by Matt McKinnon
Snapping Turtle	The small pond just south of Dennis Ave immediately before the first Sligo Parking Lot	2:30pm, Sun, June 21, 2009	Sean Wright	The snapping turtle was under water near the foot path leading from the parking lot to the trail. Its shell was approximately 14" long. There were two box turtles basking on a log in the pond as well. Web Photo
Three snakes and a heron	Near old Takoma waterworks dam just upstream from Maple Ave	12:30pm, Tue, June 16, 2009	Mike Livingston	Black-crowned night heron wading in the creek between Mississippi Ave. and the waterworks dam; two northern watersnakes, each approx. 3 ft. long and an inch or two thick, between the dam and Maple Ave.; and a tan snake without any markings or pattern, 2-2.5 feet long and an inch thick, basking on the shore on the Parkway side of the dam.
Yellow crowned night heron nest	Downstream of Piney Branch Road & upstream of Park Valley Road	Sat, June 13, 2009	Brenda Gillum	There were 5 babies in the nest. Photo 1 by Brenda Gillum Photo 2 by Brenda Gillum Photo 3 by Brenda Gillum
Yellow crowned night heron	Downstream of Piney Branch Road & upstream of Park Valley Road	Sun, May 10, 2009	Jim Kuhn	Photo by Jim Kuhn
Box turtle	The woods off the field in Hillwood Manor Park in Takoma Park just downstream from New Hampshire Ave	Mon, May 25, 2009	Amy and Vincent Santiago-Linney	Photo by Amy and Vincent
A Deer & a Black Racer (snake)	Flower Av Side of Creek, about 1/2 way between Maple and New Hampshire	7:30am, Sat, June 6, 2009	Matt McKinnon
Barred owl	Near Harvey Road, West of Colesville Road	Dusk, Thu, June 4, 2009	Stuart Armstrong	It flew out of Sligo Creek Park and sat for about 45 minutes over a backyard pond which he watched closely. He also looked up a lot, since a Robin (who had a nest nearby) was dive bombing it. Photo by Stuart Armstrong
Red fox	Forty yards west of the trail, and about 50 yards south of University Boulevard. Sitting in the underbrush, just off the large clearing, staring directly out at the trail.	11am, Thu, June 4, 2009	Andre Williamson
Bald Cypress trees and knees	Left bank of Sligo Creek, a short distance upstream of Colesville Road	Always	Stuart Armstrong	This is the northern most part of their range. There's a cypress swamp in Calvert County, about an hour away. But in general, you don't see many of these trees around. They prefer a milder climate. Photo by Stuart Armstrong
Baltimore Oriole	Tenbrook and Robin Roads just upstream from Dennis Ave	Sun, May 31, 2009	Jed and Theo Meline	The beautifully striking bird is easy to spot. Having seen it several times over the last two weeks, I hope that means it is nesting nearby. In six years living on the Creek and watching the birds somewhat closely, have never seen an Oriole before. Baltimore oriole web page
Red Fox	Park Crest Drive near the park, north of Park Valley Rd, between Piney Branch and Maple	6:30am, Wed, May 20, 2009	Steve Metalitz	Sauntering around in yards. Seen and briefly chased by a cat, then hurried off toward the creek.
Red Fox Pair	Crossing the road and leaping through the high grasses near the stormwater pond just south of Forest Glen and the beltway	7:30am, Tue, May 19, 2009	Debra Benator	Usually seen solo... first time to see a pair!
Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Warbling Vireo	Takoma Branch - Poplar and Elm intersection - near Spring Park	10am, Sun, May 10, 2009	Mary Sue	Fabulous - more warblers outside my window!
Black & White Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Redstart, Black crested Titmouse	Takoma Branch - Poplar and Elm intersection - near Spring Park	10am, Fri, May 8, 2009	Mary Sue	I opened the door to the balcony and waited --and all these birds showed out. A catbird came by to yell at me - I suspect a nest is nearby.
Red fox	Ladd St. backing up to the headwaters of Sligo Creek	8:30am, Tue, Apr 28, 2009	Kathy Michels	I surprised a red fox in our backyard just by the North west corner of my house. It hurried away towards sligo creek. Looked a bit ragged.
Yellow Tufted Wing Chair	Section 2, near Maple Ave Bridge	Mon, Apr 27, 2009	Marty Ittner	Rare sighting of this water bird! Usually seen only in living rooms. Photo by Marty Ittner
Big Beaver	The beaver was walking up the middle of the creek, just north of the little foot bridge behind the Dennis Avenue community center and the basketball courts.	8:30am, Thu, Apr 23, 2009	Megan and Alex Meline
A great northern water snake	Just down stream of the water works dam near Maple Ave The streamside rocks along Wheaton Branch	Fri, Apr 24, 2009 Mon, Apr 27, 2009	Don Olson Madere Olivar	I stopped on the foot bridge and got a shot of the dam then saw the snake coming from the left crossing the creek. In the second shot the bulge in the body looks like the snake got some thing to eat. I would guesstamate it might be around 5' to 7' long. Photo by Don Olson Photo by Don Olson
Yellow-crowned night Heron	Downstream of the Jackson Ave. footbridge	1:45pm, Sun, Apr 26, 2009	Don Olson	Photo by Don Olson
Dead possum	Piney Branch Road between Sligo Ave. & Sunnyside Road	Sat, Apr 25, 2009	Mike Livingston
Morels	between Colesville and University	Thu, Apr 23, 2009	Madere Olivar	Wikipedia page on Morels
A large Fish, A Cardinal, A male Mallard Duck & one Heron on the nest	From the foot bridge at Aspen Ave, I saw the 6"-8" fish. Walking on the path upstream sighted the cardinal. Then at Piney Branch Rd. I saw the duck. On my way back downstream I saw one of the Herons on the nest just down stream of Piney Branch .	afternoon, Sun, Apr 19, 2009	Don Olson	Duck Photo by Don Olson Cardinal Photo by Don Olson
Red shouldered hawk	At edge of park, uphill from the stream, near Harvey Road, on the right bank above Colesville Rd	Tue, Apr 7, 2009	Stuart Armstrong	Flew out of the park, snatched a spawning toad out of a backyard pond and carried it off. Photo by Stuart Armstrong
Woodchuck (Groundhog)	On two occasions by the James/Mary Lee Chestnut Ridge bench just south of University Blvd	April 2009	Stuart Armstrong	It has a den up the hill at the edge of the woods but grazes in the grass.
Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, 2nd nesting pair	At the south end of the parking lot near Dallas Ave, in a large tree just north of the bridge	2:30pm, Sun, Apr 19, 2009	Trish Koch	I went to look at the first pair, just over the parking lot. One was deep in that nest. While looking around I found the second pair, about 50 feet south.
Yellow-crowned Night Herons - two on a nest	Nest is on the south/west side of Sligo Creek Parkway, high in a tree over the small parking lot near Dallas Ave. just downstream from the golf course.	6:40om, Thu, Apr 16, 2009	Trish Koch
3 Yellow-crowned Night Herons, Mallard Ducks and small fish	The Ducks were at Piney Branch Rd. The nesting pair of Herons downstream from Piney Branch Rd., the other was just upstream of the Aspen Ave. footbridge. The small fish in many spots of the creek.	mid-afternoon, Sun, Apr 12, 2009	Don Olson	Ducks by Don Olson Two Herons on Nest by Don Olson Single Heron by Don Olson
Yellow-crowned Night Herons and Nest	High on a tree limb over Sligo Creek just downstream from Piney Branch Rd	3pm, Sun, Apr 5, 2009	Don Olson	A group of folks had gathered around trying to see what the birds were. The one on the nest seemed to be working on the nest or tending to something in the nest. One of the ladies said that she heard what she thought were small bird sounds coming from the nest, I must admit that I did not hear any thing. To be honest I do not know that I have ever heard any Heron make a sound. Photo 1 by Don Olson Photo 2 by Don Olson
Pileated Woodpecker and lots of new mayapple	Lower Long Branch, between Carroll Ave. and the Jackson St. bridge	Thu, Apr 2, 2009	Michael Wilpers	This was the first pileated woodpecker I've seen in Long Branch. The profusion of mayapples was encouraging, as they have fought their way up between leaves of English ivy that carpet the ground to claim their rightful place in the sun. Photo by Don Olson
Wood frog, American toad, deer bones, & dozens of skunk cabbage leafing out	Kemp Mill area. Vernal pool and along hiker-biker trail	10:30pm, Sat, Mar 28, 2009, 10:30 p.m.	Michael Wilpers	The wood frog sat motionless on a stick protruding from the vernal pool the entire time I was there (looking in the pool and under rotting logs for salamanders). The deer bones were hidden beneath the leaf-litter nearby. The tiny American toad was sitting in the mud by the hiker-biker trail directly east of there. The skunk cabbages were coming up all along two gulleys a bit downstream and to the east of the trail. Frog Photo by Michael Wilpers Bones Photo by Michael Wilpers
Great Blue Heron	About midway between Maple Ave. and the Carroll Ave. Bridge	2pm, Fri Mar 27, 2009	Don Olson	Walking upstream from the Carroll Ave. Bridge I saw the Heron fishing from the rocks and it was kind enough to let me take a few shots from the path (note the mating plummage on the back of the head). Photo by Don Olson
One Mourning Cloak butterfly, five Wood Ducks, and six or seven turtles	Wood Ducks and turtles at the Kemp Mill stormwater ponds; mourning cload along the hiker-biker path just upstream from where the path splits.	3-5pm, Sun, Mar 22, 2009	Michael Wilpers	Three male and two female wood ducks flew down from upstream on to the western pond. After paddling around for 15 minutes, they camped out on the western bank. The turtles were basking on logs and the bank on the north side of the eastern pond. Tentative ID (by Jo Arnone) is that these are Red-Eared Sliders, a mid-western & southern species introduced across central Maryland, probably by pet owners or science students. Turtle Photo by Michael Wilpers Duck Photo by Michael Wilpers
Wood Frog egg mass	Vernal pool in Kemp Mill	11:45pm, Sat, Mar 14, 2009	Michael Wilpers	Eight adults and one teenager went looking for breeding salamanders after a day of drizzle. Didn't see them, but found this fresh batch of wood frog eggs. They'll hatch in a couple weeks. If the pool doesn't dry out, the tadpoles will live there for a couple months before turning into adult wood frogs and heading back into the woods. Photo by Michael Wilpers
Daphnia (a tiny crustacean)	In one of the vernal pools along Wheaton Branch, downstream from Woodman	11:45pm, Sat, Mar 14, 2009	Michael Wilpers	These minute critters (also called "water fleas") were swarming in tremendous numbers and seemed to be attracted to our flashlights. They play an important role in vernal pools by breaking down leaf litter and providing abundant food supply to larger organisms. Enlarged image taken through a field microscope at home. Photo by Michael Wilpers
Spring beauty petals below duff	Twelve-Acre Wood, upland slope, north of Dennis Ave	Sat, Mar 14, 2009	Laura Mol	Pulling Japanese honeysuckle, I saw the oak-leaf duff lift to reveal the yet unfurled pink-white petals of the Spring Beauty (a lovely, small wildflower)on two plants. The linear leaves of scores of other Beauties were clearly visible all across the east-facing slope. Early garlic-mustard leaves are also showing; the young and ofter long root system pulls out entire--at least from the moist, soft woodland soil of this part of Sligo Woods
Large owl (probably Barred Owl)	About 100 yards downstream from University Blvd	11:30pm, Sat, Mar 14, 2009	Michael Wilpers	It was standing motionless on the west side of the road, looking more like a statue of an owl than a live bird. It stayed put as I passed, looking like a hitch-hiker, and then as the car behind passed, finally taking flight only as the third car went by (all driving south). Tentative ID by Helen Gray, who was in the second car, with help from Gary Lear, who was in the third car (part of our Salamander Search group).
Eastern Screech Owl	Near Long Branch, between Carroll and Maplewood Avenues	9:30pm, Thu, Mar 12, 2009	Michael Wilpers	Perhaps the same owl I've heard the last few years. I've only noticed it singing the low tremolo song (which functions as the pair and family-contact song), never the high whinny (its territorial defense song). An inspiring regular feature of my neighborhood. Web Photo of Screech Owl Listen to the Screech Owl
Barred owl	In the woods by Sligo Creek, about 1/4 mile south (downstream) from University Blvd	Thu, Mar 12, 2009	Stuart Armstrong	Larger than a crow but stocky and square, with a short tail. Dim light but clearly saw silhouette, rounded head and a little detail on throat. Did not have a light face, and had no "horns". I walked to University Blvd. On the way back I heard it hoot (after dark). I had heard an owl hooting along Sligo Creek earlier this year as well, and thought that it was a barred owl. Web Photo of Barred Owl Listen to the Barred Owl
Great Horned Owl - male & female	Perched in trees by Park Valley Road bridge (section 3), then moved to trees slightly downstream, and then flew off to the west	dawn, Sat, Feb 21, 2009	Audrey McMorrow	I first heard the Bubos (Great Horned Owl = Bubo virginianus) about a week before, around 5am as I entered the trail from Wabash. I had been calling to them each morning since (although my call leaves a bit to be desired). I was DELIGHTED to subsequently have them fly overhead and then perch at Park Valley Bridge - then move two more times allowing me excellent views. Web Photo of Great Horned Owl Listen to the Great Horned Owl
Mourning Cloak butterfly & unidentified hawk	Dowstream from NH Ave. The mourning cloak was flying above the paved path that connects Drexel St with the hiker-biker trail. The hawk was perched in a tree along the west edge of the powerline corridor.	Mon, Mar 9, 2009	Michael Wilpers	The mourning cloaks are the longest-living adults of all eastern butterflies, hatching in summer, semi-hibernating in fall and winter, re-emerging on warm winter days and then in spring to mate. The hawk was being mobbed by blue jays and flew off before I could get a good look at it. Web Photo of Butterfly
Hooded Merganser (pair); Wood Ducks (3 pairs)	University Blvd stormwater pond	10:30 am, Mon, Mar 9, 2009	Leah Haygood	Very good look at a pair of Hooded Mergansers. I've never seen them in Sligo before. I assume they're passing through. I hope the Wood Ducks stay and nest. Also a couple of pairs of Mallards -- they've been there all winter. The Great Blue Heron who wintered there has left. A pair of Red-Shouldered Hawks have been screeching at each other -- nesting nearby? Web Photo of Hooded Merganser Web Photo of Wood Ducks
Red-tailed hawks on nest	Deer path south of Colt Terrace field, visible from the bike path about 100 yards south of Orebaugh Ave	10:45 am, Mon, Mar 9, 2009	Leah Haygood	I have been seeing and hearing them in the area recently. Saw both on the nest. The nest is kind of small for such a big bird -- looks a lot like a squirrel's nest.
Great Blue Heron	In the creek, just downstream from the second foot bridge crossing the creek (coming from Colesville Road, heading towards Wayne Avenue)	9am, Fri, Mar6, 2009	Jim Stedman	Seeing a heron in the creek led me to slap the Yellow-crowned Night-heron label on it, an absurd misidentification I shared with several folks on the path. My apologies. Clearly, it was a Great Blue -- the web picture posted here and my Sibley Guide make that clear. Web Photo
Muskrat	A pond upstream from Forest Glen Rd	3pm, Tue, Feb 17, 2009	Don Olson	I was standing on the bank of the pond when I saw some thing swimming from the far end of the pond toward the center. As I watched it came to some ice in the center of the pond and dived down and I never saw it again. Photo by Don Olson
Many species of grasses in winter stalks	Within the unmown portion of the Pepco corridor, on either side of the creek, between NH Ave. and East-West Highway	Mon, Feb 16, 2009	Michael Wilpers	A gorgeous palette of textures and shades of winter color, as the ROW hasn't been mown for more than a year. Considerable amounts of broom-sedge (Andropogon virginicus), purple-top (Tidens flavus), and poverty grass (Danthonia spicata), somewhat less Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) and bentgrass (Agrostis perennans), as well as little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius), deer tongue (Dichanthelium clandestinum), flat-stemmed panic grass (Panicum anceps), purple love-grass (Eragrostis spectabilis), and nimblewill (Muhlengergia schreberi). IDs by Randy Pheobus, who led M. Wilpers, L. Mol, and B. Sidwell in a survey of the ROW. Photo 1 by Michael Wilpers Photo 2 by Michael Wilpers Photo 3 by Michael Wilpers
Red-tailed hawk	At the downstream border of the Pepco corridor, about 40 feet up on a tree limb, being harassed by several crows	Mon, Feb 9, 2009	Michael Wilpers	It outlasted the crows, who departed. A few minutes later, the hawk took flight, crossed over the powerline corridor, and alighted on a branch high in a tree on the opposite edge of the ROW. I'd like to think that the unmown corridor has provided an improved source of prey for hawks and owls and will lead to further sightings. Photo 1 by Michael Wilpers Photo 2 by Michael Wilpers
winter wren, golden-crowned kinglets, juncoes, belted kingfisher	Crosby Woods (just inside the Beltway)	Tue, Feb 10, 2009	Madere Olivar	Red-shouldered hawks also very active today.
The first flower of 2009	Upstream along the path from the playground at the foot of Heather Ave	Sun. Feb. 8, 2009	Don Olson	Identified by Laura Mol as a Snowdrop. Photo by Don Olson
A Red Fox	Crossing our yard in 7200 Garland Ave and walking to our back yard	5pm, Tue, Feb 3, 2009	Patrick	Web Photo
Red Fox - a teenager	Crossing Poplar, going away from Spring Park in Takoma Park	8:30pm, Thu, Jan 15, 2009	Mary Sue	I saw the small red fox cross the road. I saw a Big Red Fox cross the same road about the same time 8 weeks earlier. I suspect a den is close by.