I had a pretty remarkable walk around Schoolhouse Pond at lunchtime today. I was only out for 25 minutes or so, but I came across a flock of migrants low in the trees right next to the boardwalk. Migrant warblers were pretty sparse at the pond this fall, with the exception of good numbers of Magnolia Warblers and Northern Waterthrush. However, as I walked on the boardwalk on the righthand side of the pond (when looking from the road), a 1st winter Tennessee Warbler flew to an exposed branch in one of the scrubby willows nearby. I got great eye level views of the bird as it moved among various low-level perches. Next up was an adult Nashville Warbler, also low in a tree near the boardwalk. This bird also gave me great eye-level views. Lastly, I also got good views of a male Black-throated Blue Warbler foraging at the base of one of the scrubby willows. All three birds gave me spectacular views. Also mixed in with these warblers were several Yellow-rumped Warblers, calling Golden-crowned Kinglets, a few Song Sparrows, and one Indigo Bunting. Gulls were also swirling overhead, with some heading towards Brown Station Road, others towards Jug Bay, and several small groups dropping down to the water of Schoollhouse Pond briefly before moving on. The flyover gulls consisted only of Laughing Gulls, 321 in all.
Before work today, I walked the grassy fields of the former Bowie Landfill located in the northwest quadrant of the US 3 and MD 450 intersection. Highlights for this area included one Vesper Sparrow and one Savannah Sparrow with the much more numerous Song and White-throated Sparrows. Also of note were several Red-breasted Nuthatches in the pines immediately behind the I-Section. I've never seen more Red-breasted Nuthatches in these pines than I have over the last few weeks. Usually one is a treat, but I've had multiple birds on several recent visits. Good birding,
Fred Shaffer
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Crofton, Anne Arundel
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