On Monday, August 20, 2012 12:55:39 PM UTC-4, jugbayjs wrote:
> Been out of town a lot this summer and have not had any recent posts. I had a chance to do some MD birding yesterday. Highlights included a quick check early (7:15) at John Brown Rd (Central Sod Farm) to look for grasspipers, plus some birding for PG County migrants.
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> I only found 2 grasspipers; 2 Uppies were in the sod field on north side of road, along with 64 Killdeer (exact count), 5 semi-p's, 2 semi-sands, and a lone Solitary. The Uppies were together, and at first were foraging about half way out to the back of the field, but then moved away from the road. I think it may have been due to my getting out of the car and watching them from the side of the road, since they moved away from the road as soon as I got out of the car.
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> The PG highlights included a late morning check at Gov Bridge Natural Area, which was slow but I still found a couple nice birds. I think all were migrants; I had 1 each of Ovenbird, Blue-winged Warbler, and Yellow Warbler, plus 3 N Parulas.
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> Then later in the afternoon, I birded the Critical Area Driving tour along the Patuxent, and had 1 each of Ovenbird, Worm-eating Warbler, Hooded, Yellow and Chestnut-sided, plus 5 Yellowthroats. I think the WEWA was the best bird of the day, they are very tough to get in PG County. I looked for the reported Dickcissel but had no luck. At the Visitor Center at Merkle in the sorghum patches, the number of Bobolinks, Grosbeaks and Buntings was amazing! There was about 160, 20 and 25 of each respecitively, plus a grasshopper sparrow.
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> Thanks to Mikey for posting about the this, and especially for mentioning the Dainty Sulphurs! I looked for them at and found 2! Even though it was drizzling on and off lightly, there were numerous species of butterflies out.
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> I also had my first nighthawk of the fall on Saturday eve at my house, a single bird flying over the Patuxent, foraging late in the eve.
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> On another matter, I have always had a dog and love them, but unfortunately while I was at the Gov Bridge area, at 4 different times I saw someone (all different people) walking their dog with the dog unleashed. There's a sign at entrance requiring dogs to be leashed but I guess there is no enforcement.
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> I too love dogs, Jeff, but it always bothered me when I birded at Layhill Park in MoCo that there were unleashed dogs all over the place, particularly on weekends. It seemed the locals walked their dogs there and used it as their own personal dog-park. We had a dog get hit and killed by a car when he inadvertently escaped from the house, so I am especially aware of this problem.
> Rick Sussman
Woodbine,MD
> Regards-
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> Jeff Shenot
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> Croom Md
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