Updated: August 25, 2025
By Andrew Kling

Beginning as a regular Branching Out feature in 2016, the "Woodland Wildlife Spotlight" profiled a wide variety of species native to Maryland. Select from the lists below.

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2023

American beaver in Prince George’s County, MD. Photo by Dan Small, Maryland Biodiversity Project

American Beaver (Vol. 31, no. 1 - Winter 2023)

Timber rattlesnake. Photo © Scot Magnotta, iNaturalist.org

Timber Rattlesnake (Vol. 31, no. 2 - Spring 2023)

Adult Cooper's Hawk. Photo (c) Brendan Click, Macaulay Library

Cooper's Hawk (Vol. 31, no. 3 - Summer 2023)

River Otter in Kent Co., MD. Photo by Nancy Wyman, Maryland Biodiversity Project

River Otter (Vol. 31. no. 4 - Fall 2023)

2022

Gray fox in tree. Photo © Todd Fitzgerald, iNaturalist.org

Gray fox (Vol. 30, no. 1 - Winter 2022)

American Kestrel in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Photo by Dan Haas, Maryland Biodiversity Project

American Kestrel (Vol. 30, no. 2 - Spring 2022)

 

Eastern red bat roosting. Photo by Sue Muller, Maryland Biodiversity Project

Which Bat is That? (Vol. 30, no. 3 - Summer 2022)

Male adult downy woodpecker. Photo © Evan Lipton| Macaulay Library

Downy Woodpecker (Vol. 30 no. 4 - Fall 2022)

2021

Red fox along a stream

Red fox (Vol. 29, no. 1 - Winter 2021)

Striped skunk digging on woodland floor

Striped Skunk (Vol. 29, no. 2  - Spring 2021)

Sharp-shinned hawk perched on a branch

Sharp-shinned hawk (Vol. 29, no.  3 - Summer 2021)

A fisher caught on a trail cam. Photo courtesy Massachusetts Audubon

Fisher (Vol. 29, no. 4 - Fall 2021)

2020

North American porcupine in a tree

North American Porcupine (Vol. 28, no. 1  - Winter 2020)

Black bear in suburban yard

Black Bear (Vol. 28, no. 2  - Spring 2020)

Chuck-will's-widow after dark with wings extended

Chuck-will's-widow (Vol. 28, no. 3 - Summer 2020)

Eastern wild turkey displaying fanned-out tail feathers

Eastern wild turkey (Vol. 28, no. 4 - Fall 2020)

2019

Male belted kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher (Vol. 27, no. 1 - Winter 2019)

Bobcat photographed by a trail camera

Bobcat (Vol. 27, no. 2 - Spring 2019)

Mink along a snow-covered shoreline

American mink (Vol. 27, no. 3 - Summer, 2019)

Great Horned Owl on a branch

Great Horned Owl (Vol. 27, no. 4 - Fall 2019)

2018

Male red-bellied woodpecker

Red-bellied woodpecker (Vol. 26, no. 1 - Spring 2018)

Common muskrat feeding on aquatic plant

Common Muskrat (Vol. 26, no. 2 - Summer 2018)

Southern Flying Squirrel

Southern flying squirrel (Vol. 26, no. 3 - Fall 2018)

Eastern Screech-Owl perched on a branch

Eastern Screech-Owl (Vol. 26, no. 4 - Winter 2018)

2017

Woodchuck

Woodchuck (Vol. 25, no. 1 - Spring 2017)

Male eastern pondhawk dragonfly

The Dragonfly (Vol. 25, no. 2 - Summer 2017)

Bog turtle

Maryland's Endangered Reptiles and Amphibians (Vol. 25, no. 3 - Fall 2017)

Red-shouldered hawk perched in tree

Red-shouldered hawk (Vol. 25, no. 4 - Winter 2017)

2016

Red-tailed hawk in flight

Red-tailed hawk (Vol. 24, no. 1 - Spring 2016) 

Virginia opossum

"The Misunderstood Opossum" (Vol. 24, no. 2 - Summer 2016)

Northern Bobwhite Quail

Bobwhite Quail (Vol. 24, no. 3 - Fall, 2016)

Barred Owl

Barred Owl (Vol. 24, no. 4 - Winter 2016)