Merkle, Jug Bay & Milford Mill (Gwynns Falls Trail)

Geoff Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Sat, 01 May 1999 17:53:18 -0400 

Went down south to see warblers at Merkle Wildlife Sancturay and Pauxent 
River Park at Jug Bay Natural Area (Black Walnut Creek) and up to 
Milford Mill - Gwynns Falls Trail at Villa Nova Park.

Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary:
 25 Canada Geese, 2 Mallard, 4 Turkey Vulture, 1 Black Vulture, 1 
Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Am. Kestrel, 1 Killdeer, 8 Greater Yellowleg, 4 
Lesser Yellowleg, 5 Rock Dove, 4 Mourning Dove, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 1 N. 
Flicker, 1 Eastern Kingbird, 6 Tree Swallow, 10 N. Rough-winged Swallow, 
42 Barn Swallow, 4 Am. Crow, 2 Carolina Chickadee, 1 House Wren, 2 
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 4 E. Bluebird, 1 Wood Thrush, 7 Am. Robin, 4 Gray 
Catbird, 2 N. Mockingbird, 8 European Starling, 2 Red-eyed Vireo, 1 
Yellow Warbler, 1 Prairie Warbler, 2 Common Yellowthroat, 2 N. Cardinal, 
1 E. Towhee, 6 Chipping Sparrow, 1 Vesper Sparrow, 8 Song Sparrow, 1 
Swamp Sparrow, 6 White-throated Sparrow, 4 Red-winged Blackbird, 1 E. 
Meadowlark, 9 C. Grackle, 2 Am. Goldfinch, and 4 House Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow was seen in grassy field behind the vistor center and the 
warblers and vireo except the yellowthroat was seen in woody trail. Both 
yellowlegs was seen in the grassy field.


Jug Bay Natural Area:
 6 Great Blue Heron, 2 Canada Geese, 2 Mallard, 4 Wood Duck, 2 Turkey 
Vulture, 5 Osprey, 1 Virginia Rail, 2 Spotted Sandpiper, 4 Ring-billed 
Gull, 10 Herring Gull, 5 Common Tern, 1 Forster's Tern, 2 Mourning Dove, 
61 Chimney Swift, 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 2 N. Flicker, 7 N. 
Rough-winged Swallow, 14 Barn Swallow, 3 Am. Crow, 2 Fish Crow, 1 Blue 
Jay, 6 Carolina Chickadee, 4 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 4 Am. Robin, 5 Gray 
Catbird, 2 N. Mockingbird, 1 Warbling Vireo, 1 Red-eyed Vireo, 2 N. 
Parula, 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler, 1 Black-throated Green Warbler, 1 
Yellow-throated Warbler, 2 Prairie Warbler, 1 C. Yelowthroat, 2 Hooded 
Warbler, 2 N. Cardinal, 2 Song Sparrow, 6 Red-winged Blackbird.    

All warblers seen in or around the Walnut Crek area, Virginia Rail seen 
at low tide marshy area from the Heron's Nest Observation Tower. For the 
first time since 1989 or 1990, I haven't seen the Hooded warbler.


Milford Mill Park

 1 Green-backed Heron, 2 Wood Duck, 2 Rock Dove, 3 Mourning Dove, 1 
Barred Owl, 4 Chimney Swift, 2 N. Flicker, 1 E. Phoebe, 1 N. 
Rough-winged Swallow, 4 Am. Crow, 1 Blue Jay, 15 Carolina Chickadee, 1 
Tufted Titmouse, 8 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 1 Wood Thrush, 6 Am. Robin, 14 
Gray Catbird, 2 N. Mockingbird, 1 Brown Thrasher, 6 European Starling, 1 
White-eyed Vireo, 2 Red-eyed Vireo, 1 N. Parula, 1 Chestnut-sided 
Warbler, 2 Cape May Warbler, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 5 Black-throated 
Green Warbler, 1 Blackburnian Warbler, 1 Yellow-throated Warbler, 1 
female Bay-breasted Warbler, 1 Black-and-white Warbler, 2 Am. Redstart, 
1 Ovenbird, 1 Louisiana Waterthrush, 1 female Connecticut Warbler, 1 C. 
Yellowthroat, 1 Canada Warbler, 1 Scarlet Tanager, 5 N. Cardinal, 1 
female Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 3 Common Grackle and 2 House Sparrow.

Female Connecticut Warbler was spotted at low brushy area at north end 
of trail between two loops in heavy woods area.  Scarlet Tanager was 
spotted at middle of woods between both trails. An Barred Owl was seen 
at left trail across from the river. It was pretty slow for warbler with 
several are single birds, where have all the flocks have gone to.

A total of 79 or 80 species counted at all three sites. Also a 
Prothonotary Warbler was seen at the creek at a narrow bridge along St 
Thomas Church Rd. near Jug Bay.

        Kevin Graff
        Baltimore, MD
        ggraff@erols.com