Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 15:30:57 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Gail Mackiernan Subject: Am. Bittern at Kenilworth 4/14 Mime-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hi all -- A lovely day (but again, a cold night so migration not really in full swing) and we headed down to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (KAG) and Park in DC to see what was about. The best bird was an AMERICAN BITTERN, flushed from the wet marsh at the back (south side) of KAG, which flew over the chain link fence and out into the Phragmites marsh near where they are building the new boardwalk. (The workmen say this new walk and viewing platform should be finished at the end of the next week). The tide was high out on the pool at the end of the (old) boardwalk, so not too much of interest save a Phoebe, a singing Field Sparrow, a few Swamp Sparrows, a female Hooded Merganser and a pair of Ospreys. Lots of Tree Swallows around the new nest boxes, and a few Rough-wings as well. A walk on the River Trail was much more productive -- at least 6 Gnatcatchers, 6-8 Ruby-crowned and one Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2 Hermit Thrushes, 2 Pine, 2 (yellow) Palm, and a half-dozen or so Myrtle Warblers (one a very bright male), a Brown Thrasher, and a Brown Creeper. Kenilworth Park was rather quiet, but we had a little party of five Savannah Sparrows and a beautiful (and rather late) male Sapsucker. And a Mourning Cloak butterfly! 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 ======================================================================= =========================================================================