Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2002 13:47:02 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Rick Sussman Subject: Layhill Park,Saturday, October 19 Comments: To: voice@audubonnaturalist.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi all, Having some problems with my computer but will try posting this again. My friend Mike and I spent the morning birding Layhill Park, which is fast becoming a favorite. We had 42 species, with highlights being juvenile Northern Goshawk, juvenile Northern Harrier, Merlin, Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, Blue-headed Vireo, and Lincoln's Sparrow. We started at the north fields about 7:30, where we found a single Palm Warbler near the soccer field. A pair of E. Phoebes were right at the entrance to the fields. Ruby-crowned Kinglets were everywhere. A single Yellow-rumped Warbler and a single Common Yellowthroat were found, and a Winter Wren was near the stream picking about in the roots of an upturned tree. Near the end of the last field (by the white shed) was a beautiful Blue-headed Vireo. Heading back we had a MERLIN fly over heading west in direct flight. In the light woods coming back we saw 2 or 3 HERMIT THRUSHES feeding on berries. We stopped by the parking lot before heading to the south fields to put on some extra clothes and pick up my lens cover, as it was spitting rain and getting windier. A pair of Tree Swallows flew over, as did a Chimney Swift. We checked out the area by the cattails and had some sparrows, mostly Song, Swamp and White-throated. As we walked towards the boy scout bridge, we had a juvenile NORTHERN GOSHAWK fly out of a large tree and head down the closed-in trail along the stream (heading to the left). It was a good large bird, with light bars on the upper coverts, very distinct and easily seen as the bird flew low over the trail. We could not relocate it. The south fields almost immediately produced a very lovely LINCOLN'S SPARROW in a shrub with lots of White-throats. Lots of sparrows back in here, Swamps, Songs, White-throats, Fields. A few towhees, another E. Phoebe and another sighting of the MERLIN as it rocketed out of a tree and swooped right over us, before flying off to the south. Amazingly fast! Before leaving the south fields we had a juvenile NORTHERN HARRIER fly over being harrassed by crows. What a beautiful morning! We birded around the edges of the field where the goshawk was, heading back behind the ball fields towards our vehicles. We found another Palm Warbler (a brownish western bird), and a few Chipping Sparrows, and lots of Bluebirds. By the parking lot before we left we had an adult Red-tailed Hawk and an adult Red-shouldered Hawk fly over, both being chased by crows (of which there seems to be no shortage). A sharp-shinned Hawk bolted across the parking lot. I think I'd like to schedule a walk here for this time next year for the MCC-MOS (as well as the one earlier in the month). Things have really changed here in the past 2 weeks. Lots of great birds around today. Rick Sussman Ashton,MD warblerick@aol.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================