{"id":43742,"date":"2024-12-31T10:48:57","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T15:48:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=43742"},"modified":"2025-01-02T16:51:24","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T21:51:24","slug":"on-hart-miller-island-wildlife-abounds-in-manmade-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2024\/12\/31\/on-hart-miller-island-wildlife-abounds-in-manmade-space\/","title":{"rendered":"On Hart-Miller Island, Wildlife Abounds in \u2018Manmade\u2019 Space"},"content":{"rendered":"

Park photographer shares his stories of coyotes, waterfowl and \u201cone turkey\u201d on the dredged island<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A resting fox curls up on a rock on Hart-Miller Island. Photo by Cory Byrne\/DNR<\/p><\/div>\n

To Cory Byrne, nothing sums up Hart-Miller Island like its foxes.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the seasonal ranger would make his rounds along Hart-Miller Island State Park, he noticed that the foxes would stick around the road, sometimes playing, sometimes snoozing on a rock.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not scared of the truck driving by,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re less timid than others you\u2019d encounter in the wild, so you\u2019re able to get up a bit closer and get some pictures.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier generations of foxes likely swam or crossed over ice to the state park, which is just under a mile offshore from Baltimore County. But these young foxes were born on the island, beneficiaries to a habitat unique in the state.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hart-Miller Island is the result of a decades-long project that brought dredge material from the Baltimore Harbor to the island, shaping the landscape as it exists today. Before 1981, Hart-Miller Island was two separate, smaller islands\u2014Hart and Miller\u2014that were eroding into the Chesapeake Bay.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A flock of birds takes off near the island’s road. Photo by Cory Byrne\/DNR<\/p><\/div>

\"A<\/a>

A white-tailed deer buck runs across the water along the island, which provides a wetland habitat to many species. Photo by Cory Byrne\/DNR<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

The environment may be a planned and constructed one, but the island is now home to thriving communities of wildlife. Accessible only by boat, the quiet Chesapeake Bay island also provides an uncommon recreational opportunity close to Baltimore.<\/span><\/p>\n

After taking up wildlife photography during the pandemic, Byrne has captured images of all kinds of animals during his two years working seasonally at the state park, from raccoons to otters to one lone turkey. He said it\u2019s a perk of the location, where so much wildlife is so accessible.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn an average workday I probably see more bald eagles, osprey, and great blue herons than sparrows,\u201d Bryne said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once when he was helping conduct a deer count on the island, he paused to take a photo of a bald eagle, and a coyote wandered into the background of his frame. He decided to seek out the canine\u2014and found another surprise.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we thought was one coyote was apparently two, and they had pups,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were walking all around out onto the mud flats, exploring, picking pieces of grass out and trying to steal it from each other, resting their heads on each other. It seemed like a very social gathering for them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\"A<\/a>

A group of coyotes on the island. Only waterfowl hunting is permitted on Hart-Miller Island. Photo by Cory Byrne\/DNR<\/p><\/div>

\"A<\/a>

Otters observe Byrne as he snaps a photo. Photo by Cory Byrne\/DNR<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

While he credits many of his photographs to a good zoom lens, Byrne said Hart-Miller Island has a wild feeling, where you never know what you might encounter. He said he often tells hikers and bikers there\u2019s always something to see ahead, whether it\u2019s a turtle or an interesting bird.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of his wildlife photos happened when he would drive around the perimeter road of the island, looking for something moving.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another notable find for Byrne was a group of otters, which he heard about for a while before he was able to track them down. Despite difficulties getting them in focus when they kept swimming away, he eventually got a shot where all four otters were looking at him.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the biggest draw to the island is probably its waterfowl. Many migrating birds stop at the island, taking advantage of its pools of water and exposed mud flats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year, Byrne photographed a roseate spoonbill\u2014a rarity in Maryland<\/a>\u2014but said he\u2019s seen all kinds of migratory species on the island.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the best birding destinations in Maryland,\u201d Byrne said. \u201cAny day, you can see a whole flock of something new. They\u2019ll be here a day or two, then move on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>

Osprey are an everyday sight on Hart-Miller Island. Photo by Cory Byrne\/DNR<\/p><\/div>\n

The dredging that went into the creation of Hart-Miller Island removed sediment that allowed Baltimore to remain a navigable port, but it also created habitat spaces that make the Chesapeake Bay an important stop in the Atlantic Flyway migration route. Similar dredging projects have occurred throughout the Bay, including at Poplar Island, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers touts as a \u201cnational model for habitat restoration and the beneficial use of dredged material.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Byrne said the history of the place is part of what makes Hart-Miller Island special too. He said he likes how he can see the ship traffic in the Bay, and at certain places he can see the Baltimore skyline or the Bay Bridge in the distance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool to have a wetlands ecosystem so close to the city and close to Baltimore,\u201d he said. \u201cEven though it\u2019s a manmade area, it feels very untouched by man. The wildlife is just able to be there and be safe. It\u2019s great.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A raccoon looks on at a park structure. Photo by Cory Byrne\/DNR<\/p><\/div>

\"A<\/a>

What might be the island’s only turkey stands watch near a park restroom. Park staff aren’t sure how the turkey came to Hart-Miller Island. Photo by Cory Byrne\/DNR<\/p><\/div>

\"The<\/a>

A view of Baltimore from Hart-Miller Island. Photo by Cory Byrne\/DNR<\/p><\/div>
\nBy Joe Zimmermann, science writer with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources<\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Park photographer shares his stories of coyotes, waterfowl and \u201cone turkey\u201d on the dredged island\u00a0 To Cory Byrne, nothing sums up Hart-Miller Island like its foxes. When the seasonal ranger would make his rounds along Hart-Miller Island State Park, he noticed that the foxes would stick around the road, sometimes playing, sometimes snoozing on a  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":250,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13],"tags":[3951,5302,5555],"class_list":["post-43742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-parks","category-wildlife","tag-hart-miller-island-state-park","tag-photography","tag-wildlife-photography"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43742"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43766,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43742\/revisions\/43766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}