Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 13:29:59 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Gail Mackiernan Subject: Another great day at Rock Creek Park DC Mime-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hi everyone -- Well, if anything, there were MORE birds at Rock Creek Park, DC, today -- and more birders, too. Bird song was everywhere and it was one of those morning when you *know* you are missing something, and start to feel overwhelmed...we would probably still be there if the thunderstorms hadn't come through, effectively shutting things down. Highlights for us included (finally) a GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER, Black-billed Cuckoo (okay, probably the same one as yesterday), Lincoln's Sparrow (ditto), adult male Bobolinks, plus a female Merlin trying to catch warblers in a tree like an accipiter. Some 23 species of warbler were seen or heard by us or reported by others (noted below). Most unexpected -- the almost entire lack of Thrushes of any kind, save locally-breeding Wood. We should be seeing Swainson's and Veery, but only the odd ones or two have been reported. I recall last autumn was also very poor for thrushes at Rock Creek. Birds seen or heard (picnic areas 17/18, equitation field, nature center, maintenance yard, Military field): Warblers: Black-and-White (8), Black-throated Blue (18), Black-throated Green (12), Blackpoll (12), Blackburnian (2), Bay-breasted (2), Blue-winged (2), Canada (2), Chestnut-sided (15), Cape May (2, both excellent views of singing males), GOLDEN-WINGED (1, female, Military Field), Magnolia (12), Myrtle (~200), Nashville (1), Ovenbird (6), Northern Parula (15-20), Palm (3, all western), Redstart (16), Wilson's (2), Yellow (2), Common Yellowthroat (10). Reported by others: Hooded (1), Prairie (1). Other bird of note: Great Crested Flycatcher (3), Yellow-throated Vireo (1), White-eyed Vireo (2), Red-eyed Vireo (~35), Warbling Vireo (1), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1, getting pretty late), Yellow-billed Cuckoo (~12, could have been more), Black-billed Cuckoo (1, Military Field), Scarlet Tanager (15), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (4), Baltimore Oriole (6), Lincoln's Sparrow (1, maintenance yard), Ruby-throated Hummingbird (2), Bank Swallow (1 overhead at ridge), Merlin (1, Military Field, flying down into a tree and trying to grab smaller birds but those long wings aren't built for such activity!), Bobolink (2 beautiful males, Military Field). Of interest, one B&W Warbler female was carrying nesting material. Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper Silver Spring, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================