mdosprey Mo(u)rning at Rock Creek
GAIL@UMDD.UMD.EDU
Thu, 20 May 99 11:43:51 EDT
Hi all--
We had a very productive "last morning" at Rock Creek Park, DC -- we are
leaving Monday for three weeks in England, Finland and Norway and simply
don't have any time left to get ready!
Anyway, the highlight was a beautiful singing male Mourning Warbler in low
bushes bordering the woods next to the Stables, adjacent to the lawn and the
paved steps leading from the entrance road. We also had a lovely Brewster's
Warbler, one of the very gray birds (looking like a Golden-winged without
the black facial pattern) in the Maintenance Yard -- the second here this
spring. Added to that were 16 other warbler species including Kentucky,
Hooded, Canada, Tennessee, Yellow, and Magnolia, about 8 Gray-cheeked Thrushes,
one singing which I have only heard infrequently, two Least Flycatchers (seen
and heard), and a Bobolink in Military Field (the "dog run").
Ottavio Janni emailed me that he also had a male Mourning this am,. at
Battery Kemble Park at the top of the hill (near where the BB Cuckoo was).
So keep your eyes peeled, they are coming through!
This has really been quite a spring, although it seems to be ending at last.
Some species seemed to be unusually abundant (Blue-headed Vireo), others
unusually thin on the ground (for us anyway), like Tennessee and Blackburnian.
Wonder how much the odd weather patterns have affected this?
When we get back, maybe I will try and sort this out...
Cheers,
Good birding,
Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper