BBC Milford Mill Field Trip, etc
Steve Sanford (tanager@bcpl.net)
Sun, 09 May 1999 22:35:37 -0400
The Baltimore Bird Club field trip to Milford Mill Park found 15 species
of warblers and 52 species overall. Redstarts were most numerous with
Black-throated Blues close behind. We had good looks at Magnolia,
Chestnut-sided, Canada, and Black-throated Green Warblers. We also had
spectacular looks at a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a male Scarlet
Tanager, and a Pileated Woodpecker, as well as Swainson's Thrush and
Veery.
An extension of the field trip to Powell's Run Rd added 4 more
open-country warblers, and at least 3 Baltimore and 2 Orchard Orioles,
and brought the day's total species to 73. Also of interest there was a
N Harrier - probably the first I've ever seen there in many visits.
Swainson's Thrushes were so numerous this weekend that one even
condescended to appear in my yard, which was also graced with 6 species
of warblers this weekend, which is astounding for my densely suburban
yard. I even had an apparent Yellow-crowned Night-Heron fly over, maybe
one of Pete Webb's birds.
Yesterday, on the May Count, Simon Calle and I also got a Gray-cheeked
Thrush on Duncan Hill Rd in N Balto Co off Belfast Rd. This is a great
little warbler/thrush area along a wooded ridge with virtually no
traffic. (We had one vehicle pass us in one hour.)
On both days the warblering was good but not great. A lot of migrants
that I would have reasonable hope for such as Blackburnian, Tennessee,
Nashville, and Wilson's eluded me this weekend. With the general
lateness of migration, though, there's lots of hope for the next two
weeks.
Oh yes, I finally saw some Indigo Buntings. Absence made them unusually
pretty.
Steve Sanford
tanager@bcpl.net
Randallstown MD (Baltimore Co)