Animals

The natural areas of Oxon Cove Park have an active avian fauna where bald eagles can be seen soaring directly over the park. In addition, the park is a nesting or foraging habitat for at least 58 species of waterfowl, songbirds, and raptors. Yellow-breasted chat, northern oriole, common snipe, grasshopper sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern meadowlark, northern harrier, kestrel, red-shouldered, and red-tailed hawks, all utilize the park's shrub/meadow habitat.

Queen snakes, a species listed as uncommon by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, has been observed at Oxon Cove. Other reports by of interest by visitors include the presence of spotted salamanders and historic reports of green tree frogs.

With more and more development taking place in surrounding areas, wildlife has become part of the Oxon Hill Farm scene--where domesticated and wild animals are co-existing. Take a walk around the farm and you may see deer eating from the goat's trough or a flock of wild turkeys looking for food in the cow pasture.

 

Farm Animals

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  Chickens

  Oxon Hill Farm's flock has over 15 breeds of chicken

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  Goats

  Learn about our two playful goats.

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  Horses and Mule

  The horses and mule are the oldest animals on the farm

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  Cattle

  There are currently 3 cattle that live at Oxon Hill Farm

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  Ossabaw Island Hogs

  The pigs are one of many heritage breeds at Oxon Hill Farm.

 

Wild Animals at Oxon Cove Park

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  Haliaeetus leucocephalus

  Bald Eagle

  Learn about the Bald Eagle

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  Sturnella magna

  Eastern Meadowlark

  Learn about the Eastern Meadowlark

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  Regina septemvittata

  Queen Snake

  Learn about the Queen Snake

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm

Select a Species Category (optional):

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Species attribute definitions

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