Nearby nature: Birds and more flock to Audubon’s Chevy Chase headquarters

by David Cohen

The Audubon Naturalist Society (audubonnaturalist.org) has its headquarters at Woodend, its Chevy Chase, Maryland mansion and grounds at 8940 Jones Mill Road. Its first mention that I can find on the Forest Hills Connection came in a 2012 post by Marjorie Rachlin, “Table Manners At The Bird Feeder.” Marlene Berlin (“A birdfeeder brings new life to the backyard”) and I (“Birdfeeder mania!”) followed Marjorie’s lead with other references.

I thought that maybe, just maybe, a birding and conservation group might host birds and other wildlife.

The hypothesis took flight. Over a half-dozen visits to Woodend since January, here’s a little of what I saw:

A red-bellied woodpecker

(All photos © David Cohen, davidcohenphotodc.com)

Cooper’s hawk

Cooper’s hawk in mid-snack

Carolina wren

Tufted titmouse

Dark-eyed junco

Cardinal on a tree trunk

A deer, one of a family of five.

Pileated woodpecker

Two pileated woodpeckers, drawn to a shade tree. I noticed the shades only when I saw the image on my computer monitor.