Date: 4/12/13 12:56 pm
From: Clive Harris <clivegharris...>
Subject: [MDBirding] Montgomery County birds today 4/12
As a number of people have noted there was a good fallout of migrants today and it was really nice to be out in the field from 10-2:30.

I started at Violette's Lock and had a singing N. Parula just before the bend into the car park.� There must've been 50 or so Myrtle warblers in and around the car park, a number of them bright breeding plumage males.� The rapids had Tree, N Rough-winged and Barn Swallows.� Above the rapids were an odd pair of a male Greater Scaup and a much smaller female Lesser Scaup which were going round together, but not too closely as if they knew something was not right.� There were around 10 Red-breasted Merganser and about 20 Bufflehead.� 2 Common Loon passed overhead.

Moving onto Seneca/Riley's Lock I had about 100 Bonaparte's Gulls fly past down towards the rapids with a few Ring-billed Gulls mixed in.� A Forster's Tern (very pale-winged) was working the Va bank upstream.� The Bonies rafted with about 20 Horned Grebe and all these birds seemed to be feeding by picking something - flies? - from the surface of the water.� First time I have seen the grebes do that.� There were also several Yellow Palm warblers around and a single Yellow-throated singing by the turning basin.� As I was about to leave I heard the call of a Laughing Gull and saw 2 adults circling over the Bonie flock - I did not see them settle.

I had a female N Harrier cross the road en route to Hunting Quarter Rd (there is a half-hearted attempt to close the road in case people are thinking of driving it).

Hughes Hollow was relatively quiet - nearly all the duck from last weekend had moved on - so I drove some of the back roads towards Poolesville.� I had 3 Vesper Sparrows singing.� 2 were on Westerly Rd either side of the Dickcissel location (roughly 21000 block); Vespers have been on territory in this area for the last 2 years so hopefully they will stay.� I came across another Vesper Sparrow near Clear Morning Farm which is by the Whites Ferry end of the Patton Turf Farm.� All 3 were in close proximity to houses for some reason.

Driving round I encountered several Brown Thrashers and there has also been a good movement of Chipping Sparrow into the area.� Meadowlarks were singing at several locations including the Dickcissel spot at Westerly.

Non-bird highlight was a Fox Squirrel along River Rd, the graveled part just near Edwards Ferry.

Good birding

Clive Harris
Cabin John MD

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