Geoffrey Baker

Found an adult and juvenile barred owl hanging out on different days. Patapsco River, Maryland. 5/12/26 © Geoffrey S. Baker

The Baltimore Oriole is my white whale this spring migration season. Seems like I'm hearing far fewer numbers of them compared to years past. In the last two weeks, I've specifically gone out multiple times trying to land a decent image. Have I heard them throughout the Patapsco Valley, yes. Have I seen them throughout the Patapsco Valley, yes. Have I put my lens on them throughout the Patapsco Valley, yes but, they've been too high up in the canopy, or they are on the other side of the river from me, or horribly backlit by the sun. Dagnabbit! Luck favors persistence. Yesterday morning I finally had a few brief seconds of decent light, the oriole down low, and a hole in the leaves to shoot through. I'm calling this a small win.

First time birding at Patterson Park in Baltimore. What a gem. Yellow warbler singing its heart out. #baltimore #pattersonpark #maryland #birding #warbler

Spring migration - black-and-white warbler, Patapsco River at Oella, Maryland. 5/6/26

I spent the last several weeks checking in on these four newborn fox kits, and mom, in Patapsco Valley State Park. Using a very big telephoto, a silent camera, and a drape of camo netting hiding my body, yielded this photographer's nirvana. #fox #kits #wildlife #patapsco #maryland #nikon

I've read that the Piscataway viewed owls as protectors and guides to the spirit world. Because owls see things others can't, viewing one during the day means clarity and enlightenment. So I got that going for me. Barred Owl, Patapsco River. #patapsco #owl #birding #maryland

Beautiful Baltimore. Mount Vernon Flower Mart. Baltimore’s oldest free public festival. Such a smile. Look forward to it each year. #baltimore #flowermart #mountvernon #maryland #spring

Louisiana Waterthrush Sings. Patapsco River at Oella, Maryland. #birding #birdphotography #patapsco #maryland #spring

Shouldn't everyday be Earth Day? Celebrating by featuring my muse: the Patapsco River. Shown here is Daniels, Maryland. #earthday #patapsco #maryland

Redd & the Paper Flowers, an Appalachian Folk band from Knoxville, Tennessee, plays at Gary Memorial United Methodist Church in Daniels, Maryland. @reddandthepaperflowers @howardcounty_historicalsociety

Verklempt in North Baltimore It wasn't the flowers..... “Can you take our picture?” I turned around to find an elderly couple smiling at me. The women held out her iPhone. “Happy to,” I answered. “You know, we've been coming to the park a long time. We always take our picture with this tree,” she said. The weather at Sherwood Gardens, a privately owned 6-acre park located in the Guilford neighborhood of North Baltimore, was perfect. The renowned tulip beds were just past their peak, but still photo worthy. I took her phone and told them I would take several photos to be sure to get one they liked. “Careful, I don't want you to get hurt,” I said as she slowly climbed between the branches. Her husband stood behind her and gingerly braced her back with one arm. I could see the love between them. “We're eighty years old,” the man proudly said as I handed back the phone. I asked if they'd like a photo with my pro camera, as a gift to to them. When I finished shooting, I had to ask them, “How long have you been coming here?” “Fifty years,” she said. “We're worried that this tree won't be here much longer.” I think I have something in my eye. It's not the pollen. #sherwoodgardens #baltimore #spring #lovestory

It's warbler season again! Yellow-rumped warbler, Oella, Maryland. #warbler #birding #patapsco #maryland