National Oceanographic Data Center employees up a creek - kayaking along the Patuxent River.

A white marsh hibiscus flower in bloom.

A pink marsh hibiscus flower.

A tundra swan family cruising along the Patuxent River.

Ospreys nesting along a Patuxent River duck blind.

Profile view of an osprey perched in a dead tree.

Evening silhouette of an osprey perched in a dead tree.

A Great Egret.

American Oystercatchers are the black and white birds with the reddish-orange beaks.

A Patuxent River Great Blue Heron nesting site, or "heronry."

A Patuxent River Great Blue Heron nesting site, or "heronry."

Footprints in the sand.

Footprints in the sand. The large footprint at the top was apparently made by Homo sapiens.

A female diamondback terrapin, probably looking for a good place to deposit her eggs.

A well-camouflaged Leopard Frog sitting near the edge of a salt water creek.

Horseshoe crabs coming into the shallows at Flag Ponds Nature Park, a unit of Montgomery County, Maryland, public schools.

A Class B pair of horseshoe crabs spawning in the shallows at Flag Ponds Nature Park, a unit of Montgomery County, Maryland, public schools.

Horseshoe crabs coming into the shallows at Flag Ponds Nature Park, a unit of Montgomery County, Maryland, public schools.

The lighthouse at Key West.

The lighthouse at Key West.

The distance and direction to Havana, Cuba, from the southernmost pier on Key West.

The lighthouse at Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas National Park.

The mandatory pose at the entrance to Fort Jefferson.

The lighthouse at Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas National Park, as seen from the interior of the fort.

Sign over the cell that housed Dr. Samuel Mudd, controversial doctor who treated John Wilkes Booth following Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Mudd was convicted of helping Booth and served three years of his sentence at Fort Jefferson. He helped treat many Union soldiers during a yellow fever epidemic and was subsequently paroled.

A view looking to the north along a section of the top of Fort Jefferson.

Looking through a cannon port towards the azure waters of the southern Gulf of Mexico. These openings also served as air conditioning and let the sea breeze through.

The lighthouse as seen from the far end of the parade ground at Fort Jefferson. The configuration of the palm trees is testimony to the force and continuity of the trade winds in this area.

Looking at the outside walls and moat around Fort Jefferson.

The "Wrecker Memorial" at Key West. Wreckers flocked to the scene of shipwrecks hoping to salvage the cargoes for their own enrichment. However, their first legal priority was to save lives.

The "Wrecker Memorial" at Key West. Wreckers flocked to the scene of shipwrecks hoping to salvage the cargoes for their own enrichment. However, their first legal priority was to save lives.

The boundary monument between the United States and Mexico just south of San Diego. This also gives a good seaward view of Tijuana Slough, now part of the the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory. . By George Davidson, 1869. P. 8. Library Call Number VK947.D4 1869.

A view of Point Loma with the Point Loma lighthouse seen to the right. In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory . By George Davidson, 1869. P. 22. Library Call Number VK947.D4 1869.

A view of Point Duma, today known as Point Dume, just to the east of Malibu. In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory . By George Davidson, 1869. P. 15. Library Call Number VK947.D4 1869.

A view of San Pedro to the right and the highlands of Palos Verdes on the left. The Coast Survey Schooner EWING and Steamer ACTIVE are to the left of Dead Man's Island in this image, directly in front of what is now the major port area for Los Angeles. In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory. By George Davidson, 1869. P. 15. Call No. VK947.D4 1869.

A view of Point Conception and the Point Conception Lighthouse from the Santa Barbara Channel. In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory . By George Davidson, 1869. P. 22. Library Call Number VK947.D4 1869.

Point Sur along the Big Sur coastline about 25 miles south of Monterey. In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory . By George Davidson, 1869. P. 45. Library Call Number VK947.D4 1869.

Point Pinos and the Point Pinos Lighthouse as seen from offshore. This is at the southern extent of Monterey Bay. In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory . By George Davidson, 1869. P. 45. Library Call Number VK947.D4 1869.

Point Ano Nuevo and Ano Nuevo Island as seen from offshore. This is about 20 miles north of Santa Cruz, California. In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory . By George Davidson, 1869. P. 51. Library Call Number VK947.D4 1869.

The entrance to San Francisco Bay. In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory . By George Davidson, 1869. P. 56. Library Call Number VK947.D4 1869.

The entrance to San Francisco Bay with Alcatraz Island seen in the center of the image. In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory . By George Davidson, 1869. P. 67. Library Call Number VK947.D4 1869.

The entrance to the Columbia River with Mount St. Helens seen in the distance. In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory . By George Davidson, 1869. P. 146. Library Call Number VK947.D4 1869.

The lighthouse at Tatoosh Island with Cape Flattery and the entrance to the Straits of Juan de Fuca seen in the right center. In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory . By George Davidson, 1869. P. 179. Library Call Number VK947.D4 1869.

Flattery Rocks, approximately 12 nautical miles south of Cape Flattery. In: Pacific Coast. Coast Pilot of California, Oregon, and Washington Territory . By George Davidson, 1869. P. 177. Library Call Number VK947.D4 1869.

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Description not available.

Description not available.

Description not available.

Description not available.

Description not available.