Hey all,
I've been birding at Susquehanna State Park a lot recently because of the beautiful weather and sheer number of neotropical migrants present. But today, I hit Swan Harbor. I figured that the rain would be good for shorebirds, since the puddles by the road were just about dried up the last time I stopped in. Well, those puddles were still mostly dry, but there were a bunch of shorebirds in the marshy impoundment. Both yellowlegs were present (more Lesser than Greater) and at least a dozen Least Sandpipers were also poking around in the mud. Some Wilson's Snipes had flushed and there was also a Solitary Sandpiper hanging out in the impoundment. There were also 2 Great Egrets in the pond in the far back side of the park. But the gem of the day was a pair of Short-billed Dowitchers that were probing the mud in the northwest corner of the marshy impoundment. Just when I had spotted them, the clouds let loose and I was just about instantly drenched. I snapped off a few fogged up pictures and ran off into the woods for shelter. 45 minutes later, the rain ended and I was out looking at the dowitchers again. After drying out my gear I was able to take some better pictures. This is the point where I'm sure you're expecting to see those pictures, but I've been fighting with my computer for the past 2 hours trying to even get a look at them. I'm not sure what's going on with my laptop, but it's only a year old and should not be having these sorts of problems. Anyway, this is a huge boost for my Harford Big Year which now sits at 167 species. I've had some very good birds this winter (Bullock's Oriole, Common Redpoll, White-winged Crossbill, White-winged Scoter (my personal favorite), Rufous Hummingbird, etc.) and it's great to be on a roll picking up good birds in spring too.
I'll post pictures when I get my computer straightened out. I'm sure Tim Carney (who stopped by specifically for the dowitchers) will probably post pictures too.
Take good care,
Josh Emm
HdG, MD
--
-- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Group 'Maryland & DC Birding'.
To view group guidelines or change email preferences, visit this group on the web at http://www.mdbirding.com
Posts can be sent to the group by sending an email to <mdbirding...>
|