Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 10:57:50 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Gail Mackiernan Subject: Rock Creek today (4/30) Hi all -- Again, conditions remain poor for migration but with some patience we managed to tally quite a few species, but in the low numbers that have persisted in the last week. Warblers: Yellow-rumped (ca. 40), Cerulean (3 singing males!), Ovenbird (8) Black-throated Green (3), Black-throated Blue (1), Hooded (1), Tennessee (1), Black-and-white (3), Blue-winged (1). Vireos: Red-eyed (8), Yellow-throated (1). Thrushes: Wood (6 seen, lots more heard), Veery (2 seen, others heard). Scarlet tanager (2), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1), Great Crested Flycatcher (1), Yellow-billed Cuckoo (1), Phoebe (3), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (ca. 12), Ruby- throated Hummingbird (1). Also, a Wormeating Warbler was heard by Bill Dobbins so we just made it into double figures for Parulidae! Certainly the warm weather predicted will improve our fortunes at this migrant spot. Last night we went to (shhh-h-h) Huntley Meadows, Virginia, and were rewarded with three American Bitterns. Just at 8:10 pm we heard a Bittern call once, very softly, and then another called, and almost immediately they flew up out of the marsh and started to circle above us, higher and higher. We watched them strain to gain altitude for almost 10 minutes, and when they reached several hundred feet up, they stopped circling, pointed themselves north and started out. At this point we noticed a *third* Bittern coming in over the trees, which joined them, and the little flock headed off into the dusk. We also enjoyed (earlier) two Bobwhites feeding on the flowers of Spring Beauty almost under our feet at the Observation Tower. No King Rails, however... Cheers, Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper Colesville, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================