Images

Taylor E. Woods is a Research Ecologist for the USGS Eastern Ecological Research Center

The USGS Bird Banding Lab’s fall migration station at Patuxent Research Refuge captured a new species record for the state of Maryland in September 2026. 

The USGS Bird Banding Lab’s fall migration station at Patuxent Research Refuge captured a new species record for the state of Maryland in September 2026. 

The USGS Bird Banding Lab’s fall migration station at Patuxent Research Refuge captured a new species record for the state of Maryland in September 2026. 

The USGS Bird Banding Lab’s fall migration station at Patuxent Research Refuge captured a new species record for the state of Maryland in September 2026. 

USGS scientist, Cassia Busch, collects water samples by obtaining water collected by a CTD rosette. These samples will be analyzed to determine nutrient composition within the water column as well as the bottom of the ocean within the Gulf of America.

USGS Scientist, Cassia Busch, casts the CDT rosette - an instrument that stands for Conductivity, Depth, and Temperature which is used to collect water parameters as well as collect seawater at different depths with the affixed Niskin bottles.

An eel ladder constructed along the Eden Mill Damn to help American eels make their way up and over the water. 

The barrel that the eels go into after they make it up the eel ladder at Eden Mill. 

A group of birders explore Patuxent Research Refuge. 

Birds enrich America’s outdoor spaces and support a thriving recreation economy. In 2022, about 96 million Americans participated in birdwatching, generating \$279 billion in economic output. Pictured here are four birdwatchers exploring Patuxent Research Refuge. 

A graphic depiction of what banders can learn from banding information. 

A banded Peregrine Falcon (band # 1266-00837, color marker 87/BU Silver on Black/Green) suffered a cracked beak after it collided with a window at the Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. The bird is being treated by Congress of the Birds, a rehabilitation facility.

Cheyenne Smith pipetting in the lab

Head shot of emeritus Alex Haro of the Eastern Ecological Science Center

Clayton Raines, PhD, is a fish biologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Leetown, WV.

A flock of Evening Grosbeaks at a feeder during the winter. 

A banded Peregrine Falcon (band # 1266-00837, color marker 87/BU Silver on Black/Green) suffered a cracked beak after it collided with a window at the Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. The bird is being examined by Congress of the Birds, a rehabilitation facility.

A blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) swims in the shallows of Dogue Creek near Mount Vernon, Virginia. 

One of the many trails at Leetown Research Laboratory behind the Fish Health building. It is a beautiful, shaded path that leads to the baseball field and degassing building. A very relaxing place to stroll and listen to the birds in the woods on either side of the path. Oftentimes, flycatchers can be heard or spotted in this area.

Sturgeons are among the most endangered animals globally. Once plentiful along the Atlantic coast, the shortnose sturgeon suffered severe population declines due to overfishing and habitat loss. In 1973, it was listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, as the Hudson River—its key habitat—was heavily polluted and oxygen-deprived.