Date: Sun, 4 May 2003 12:14:09 -0700 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Clive Harris Subject: Rock Creek, DC, 5/4 In-Reply-To: <20030502155454.52507.qmail@web20309.mail.yahoo.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Plenty of birders at Rock Creek this morning, and though the conditions were not great for seeing birds well, with cloud and little sunshine, there were a lot of migrants about. Not sure what everyone else got but I saw or heard a total of 18 warbler species (where only singles seen location noted): Blue-winged (1 - nature center), Nashville (at least 4, seem to be common this spring), Northern Parula (many), Yellow (1 - female at dog run), Magnolia (1- maintenance yard), Black-throated Blue (as many as 10), Black-throated Green (likewise), Myrtle (tons still around), Praire (1- Nature center), Bay-breasted (1- Nature Center), Blackpoll (3), Chestnut-sided (2), Black-and-White (2), Am Redstart (2), Worm-eating (at least 2 at Nature Center), Ovenbird (4), Common Yellowthroat and rounded off with a Yellow-breasted Chat which a number of birders were listening to when I got to the maintenance yard - did anyone actually see this bird? Non-warbler migrants that I saw included R/B Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole and Yellow-billed Cuckoo; also heard Swainson's and Wood Thrushes and Veery. One of the Parulas had distinctly rufous flanks, almost like a Chestnut-sided. This surprised me but reading both Sibley and the Warblers guide, it seems that some males are like this. When I got back home from Rock Creek I opened the car door to a Blue-winged Warbler singing in the walnut tree in our front yard - a new yard bird. While weeding a flower bed in the back yard I found a dead immature Sharp-shinned Hawk; no obvious signs of what killed it but I suppose the effects of a window strike may be the most likely cause. Up close they do indeed have very narrow shins, hence the name. Good birding Clive Harris, Cabin John, Md Clive Harris wrote:Not as many migrants as present at Rock Creek but a nice morning nonetheless. Best bird was a Lincoln's Sparrow less than 1/2 mile upstream along the towpath at Riley's Lock. It even sang. Always nice to see this species, especially in spring when it seems to be a bit harder to get. There was also a Cerulean singing in the woods between Seneca Creek and the canal basin. There were more migrants along the stretch of the canal off of Sycamore Landing Rd and I had decent looks at one male Cerulean there. There were several singing Black-throated Blue, as well as Am Redstart, and Northern Waterthrush. Further up along River Rd a female Turkey crossed the road in front of my car. Most areas of woods had singing Wood Thrushes, and many Grasshopper Sparrows on territory where the grass has grown long enough. Good birding Clive HarrisCabin John, Md --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo. ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo. ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================