[MDOsprey] Rock Creek today (9/4)
GAIL@UMDD.UMD.EDU
Sat, 4 Sep 99 10:51:51 EDT
Hi all --
It looked like one of those days when more birders than birds showed up at the
Rock Creek DC ridge, and we all stood around looking at the ever-more-lowering
sky, feeling the humid gusty breeze that seemed to say "tropical depression
on the way." Some very early arrivals -- read pre-dawn -- had been rewarded
by a red-phase Screech Owl coming in to their whistle.
However, the ridge didn't fail us and about 7:30 birds started to drop in and
for a while it was fairly busy. Numbers nothing like yesterday, but good
diversity with 13 warbler species as well as thrushes. Due to the unfavorable
light, some birds remained unidentified as well -- just dark shapes shooting
into the vines. The porcelain berries are getting ripe, and although this is
a nasty invasive vine, it is pretty well thought-of by migrants.
Anyway, this was our tally: Yellow-billed Cuckoo (1), Great Crested FC (1),
Eastern Phoebe (3), Eastern Wood-pewee (3-4), Wood Thrush (4-5), Swainson's
Thrush (2), Veery (4), warblers: Black-and-white (6), Blackburnian (2),
Baybreasted (1), Black-throated Blue (6), Black-throated Green (1), Canada (1),
Chestnut-sided (2), Magnolia (4), Ovenbird (2), Parula (2), Redstart (4),
Tennessee (1), Wormeating (2). In the Maintanance Yard, 1-2 Red-breasted
Nuthatches calling and one of these flew over.
If Dennis arrives as expected I would think that things will shut down for a
few days, but be really hot on the first clear morning. (But that is only an
educated guess!)
Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper