Images

Native to the Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, and Rio Grande Rivers, blue catfish were first introduced as a novel sportfish to the James River in the 1970s (Chesapeake Bay Program, 2020). The map below depicts observational records of the spatial and temporal invasion of blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay.

The great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is a large, wading bird known for its striking blue-gray plumage, long legs, and graceful demeanor, commonly found near water bodies across North America. This one was photographed in Ocean City, MD. 

A Baltimore Oriole sits in a tree.

Tom O'Connell is the Center Director for the Eastern Ecological Science Center. 

Ducklings born in the Sea Duck colony at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD, are housed in a separate building. The ducklings receive round-the-clock care. 

The Sea Duck colony at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD, is the only facility of its kind in the United States. Pictured are White-winged Scoters on the edge of their pond. 

The Sea Duck colony at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD, is the only facility of its kind in the United States. Pictured are two male and one female Common Eiders floating in their pond. 

A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird buzzing among the bee balm stops to get some nectar. Shot in front of the Gabrielson Building at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD. 

Brian Richardson is the Assistant Center Director for the Eastern Ecological Science Center

This image shows a common carp swimming upstream in the Aquatic Biomechanics and Kinematics Station (ABiKiS) at the S.O. Conte Research Laboratory. Mirrors below the flume allow for a ventral view of a swimming fish, allowing for kinematics analysis. Photo by Elsa Goerig. 

Emily is a biologist with the Eastern Ecological Science Center at the Patuxent Research Refuge

A CTD rosette prepped for deployment at the edge of the R/V Nancy Foster overlooking a sunrise.

Dave is the Program Manager of the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD.

Allison Sussman is a Biologist with the Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis Team (RSGAT) at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD. 

A conceptual box-and-arrow diagram of avian influenza transmission. In each box, the first letter indicates low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) infection status (susceptible, infected, recovered) and the second indicates highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infection status.

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

Photo shows the fall colors along the east side of the river road passing through the riparian hardwood forest dominated by the American beech (Fagus grandifolia) at the Patuxent Research Refuge.

Laurel, Maryland

Fall 2024 Photo Contest Winner: Serguei Drovetski, Honorable Mention

EESC's Fish biologist, Aaron Heisey, holds a shortnose sturgeon (acipenser brevirostrum) caught and released on the Merrimack River outside Lowell, Massachusetts.  This freshwater fish was captured as part of a 2024 population dynamics study.

One can really see how a Golden-crowned Kinglet got their name! This bird was handled and marked at the EESC Bird Banding Lab's Fall Migration Station. 

These tiny balls of energy are sometimes referred to as mice with the way they scurry around the forest floor. During the breeding season, males will sing one of the more complex songs out of North American bird species. Each song lasts 5-10 seconds and consists of unique bubbly notes which the individual will combine and modify over time.  

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