As my friends and family know, I have a passion for wildlife which grown tremendously over the years. On my travels, I had always taken photos of animals and plants that I saw, but that activity became more focused when I joined Project Noah on 31 December 2011. Noah members introduced me to natural wonders that I never knew existed and induced me to look at animals and plants in a new way. The Project requires that you find the scientific names for what you post and I ended up continually learning about plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, bugs and insects. My appreciation for their beauty and diversity has increased every day.
After being invited to join Project Noah as a volunteer Ranger (who helps welcome people to the Project and give them guidance on how to contribute), my interest in sharing knowledge about nature increased and I began writing blogs for Noah (often about endangered animals). Through this personal blog, I’d like to share with you some of my photos and observations about the environment that I see around me. Much of it will focus on wildlife, although I may include something about other nature-related topics from time to time.
I hope you enjoy it and will want to follow my musings. Thanks for visiting and have a nice day!
Maria
My beautiful world 
Maria, I love the variety of your interests. You catch a remarkable variety of birds and insects with your camera. I had never seen either phoebes or chipping sparrows around here, but they are familiar birds in New England.
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Thank you, Ruth Ann! Perhaps one day you will see a phoebe or chipping sparrow here; the sparrows like to come to feeders. I’m now preparing a couple blogs on hummingbirds, butterflies and feeding babies!
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I have yesterday photo of the I think Hummingbird Clearwing but want to be sure I have labeled it correctly. Can I send photos to your email for identification. Thanks…. I don’t have any way on this site. Lee/Stewartstown, PA
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Sure! Send it to mdebruynphotography@yahoo.com
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Maria, just enjoyed all your photos taken of birds feasting on expiring shad in Eastwood lake. As a bird and wildlife photography enthusiast, I’m wondering what equipment your we’re shooting with to get your great in-flight shots? Were you shooting from a kayak or row boat? Well done. Thank you for sharing.
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Hi Judi – how nice to hear from you and thanks for mentioning that you enjoyed the photos! I was standing on shore at the lake and lucky that some birds came by fairly close from time to time. I have a Canon 7d II camera and was using a 100-400 II zoom lens. I went back a few days later with an extender (1.4) on the lens to see if I could get some better photos of the eagles, but they were no longer at the lake. Many of the gulls and cormorants had also left so I think they had eaten a lot of the shad by then.
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Just discovered your blog. Awesome!
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Glad you like it, Lynda!
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Very much enjoyed your photos. I just started observing birds more closely since I have placed feeders about the back. I am curious what kind of camera you use for your photos.
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Hi Roberta – glad you enjoyed looking at the blog. Up until about November last year, I used Canon DSLR cameras (different ones over the years, ending with the 7d II) and various lenses, often using the 100-400 zoom (sometimes with an extender). Now I use an Olympus mirrorless camera with a 300 mm lens. I’ve gotten nice photos with a Canon point-and-shoot as well.
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Greetings, and Many Thanks, for the pix and related scenarios. Brought back many memories.
The “no-necks” (chickadee, nuthatch, MD-DC-area wren) are my favorites. I think they’re adorable. There is so much personality in their little bodies, and they will let you know, in different ways, when they’re displeased and or frustrated.
I can count on them for a daily hoot.
Several species of backyard birds were as entertaining, once they lost their shyness.
Even at work, were I to dawdle overly long, a male cardinal or a titmouse would actually fly inside my work bay for emphasis. Most of the time they’d wait. When I changed my parking space, a female cardinal started to monitor my progress from the car to the building.
So many bosses! But they kept me laughing from before first light till after dark.
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Hi Deirdre, I just received notice of your comment – many thanks for looking at the blog and sharing your favorites and relationships with birds!
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Amazing blog!!!
There is one picture labeled chickadee and milkweed but I think it is a wren.
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