Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2002 16:13:21 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "Hilton, Rob" Subject: Rock Creek Park DC Sep. 11 (Philly V and shorebird) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-2" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The MOS Montgomery County chapter bird walk to Rock Creek Park DC drew 7 = people on a fine morning. Temperatures started out in the upper 60s at = 7 am and quickly rose to around 80 by the end. A light breeze and = eastern clouds changed to clear sky, then treetop winds and partly = cloudy conditions as the cold front pushed through around 9 am. =20 The meeting area, picnic area 18, was kind of dull until around 8 am = when the sunlight started falling on the treetops. When the resultant = burst of bird activity was over, we went to the clearing near the = maintenance yard. We did manage to see or hear 40 species all together. = About half a dozen warbler species at both places: Chestnut-sided = Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blackpoll = Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat ( I hope I didn't leave = anything out). Other migrants included Red-eyed Vireo, Wood Thrush, = Veery. A Philadelphia Vireo was a life bird for several participants = and was a new bird for the 2002 DC comp list. A silent Least = Flycatcher gave us fits for a while. And we noted neither House Sparrow = nor Starling. =20 The most interesting bird was spotted accidentally while several of us = looked at a high-flying Monarch butterfly. Way high up over the = butterfly was a shorebird which we thought was a Killdeer as it had a = long tail projection and white underparts. It was performing one of = what ended up being a half-dozen or more wide circles over the clearing = and took its time heading south. We soon noticed, however, that it had = a longer head/neck projection than a Killdeer, and the underwings as = well as the chest and head/neck were darker than the white belly. The = wings struck me (at least as long and narrow; every once in while it = looked like it glided for a second or two. Mike Bowen wondered if it = might be an Upland Sandpiper. That species seems like a reasonable = suggestion, given that it has a long tail, barred underwings and buffy = neck that would offer a somewhat contrast with the white belly, and long = wings. Those of us who watched it were unable to see the bill even at = its closest approach. So, we are not putting a species name on this = bird. =20 Other butterflies included dark and yellow morph Eastern Tiger = Swallowtails and one Great Spangled Fritillary. One or two Common Green = Darners buzzed around too. =20 Shortly before 9 am we heard bells tolling from somewhere to the south = or southwest, part of commemoration of the previous year's events. =20 Rob Hilton rhilton@csa.com Bethesda, Md.=20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================