Jug Bay during Warbler Doldrums
Steve Sanford (tanager@bcpl.net)
Sun, 02 May 1999 20:35:55 -0400
I was going to relax locally today, basking in the flood of warblers
that should have been coming in. I went to close-by Milford Mill Park
(near the Liberty Road exit on the NW corner of the Baltimore Beltway),
which is usually hopping with warblers the first 2 weeks of May. All I
got was three unexciting species, all heard-only. Yuk! This is May.
What's happening?
So I decided - what the heck - I'll go back to Jug Bay again. Things
were a lot better there, but still slow. I did get my first tanager of
the season, Summer Tanager, but heard only. It was at the usual area
around the pull-off on the north side of old Croom Airport. I also got
my first Blue Grosbeak of the season in the wooden-fenced area near the
Merkle WMA visitor center. This must be the first season where I got
Blue Grosbeak before Indigo Bunting (still waiting!), and Summer Tanager
before Scarlet Tanager (also still waiting).
I scratched up 12 warbler species: Parula, Hooded (about 5-8, mainly
heard-only), Redstarts galore, 2 Prothonotaries at Black Walnut Creek,
yellow Palm, Yellowthroat, Yellow-throated, Myrtles galore, Pine,
Prairie, Ovenbird, and my first Yellow-breasted Chat of the season.
I can't wait for the explosion of migrants that I hope will arrive very
soon.
Steve Sanford
tanager@bcpl.net
Randallstown MD