Date: 12/14/12 8:37 am
From: Gail B. Mackiernan %<3Ckatahdinss...>%3E <katahdinss...>
Subject: [MDBirding] Upper Northwest Branch Park (Mont. Co.) today


HI all,

Barry and I were scouting for tomorrow's Triadelphia CBC, the area we do is upper NW Branch Park (Montgomery Co.) which is the old-field area around the Trolley Museum. It's usually fairly interesting, this year the "flavor" seems to be really large numbers of sparrows including a dozen beautiful FOX SPARROWS, good numbers of Field, Song, Junco and an abundance of White-throats. A CATBIRD was watched as it fed on Bradford pear fruit (this invasive plant is good for something, I guess); hope we find it on the count tomorrow! Three male Towhees brightened a shrub, as did a flight of Bluebirds. Otherwise pretty much the "usual suspects" but lots of activity and you never know...

Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper
Colesville, MD

birds of interest:

Red-shouldered Hawk 2 both adult birds
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Bluebird 12
Gray Catbird 1 feeding on Bradford pear fruit
Eastern Towhee 3 adult males
Field Sparrow 15
Fox Sparrow 12
Song Sparrow 35
Swamp Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 120 estimate; largest number we have seen here
Dark-eyed Junco 40 estimate
Red-winged Blackbird 1 female

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12286839

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