Saturday, 25 September, 1999 Since I slept in this morning, I decided to try for my warbler fix at the local park. I arrived at Lake Artemesia (northern PG county) a little after 7 AM. It's quiet. The first thing I did was look up (a bad habit I learned at Fort Smallwood). Two Starlings. It's still quiet. I think, "This is going to be a slow day." Then I watch a flock of gulls fly past a -- BROWN PELICAN. The Pelican circled once, then flew north toward Howard county paralleling Indian Creek. Bonnie, I hope you pick the right minute to look up from your sparrows. This first county record was expected, but along the Potomac, not this far inland. Anyway, I was out birding two minutes and I already knew that the rest of the day was going to be anti-climatic. On a normal day, contenders for the highlight would have included a southbound immature Red-headed Woodpecker, a late morning Common Nighthawk, three species of swallows including Barn and Rough-winged, and 10 species of warblers: Parula (3!), Chestnut-sided, Cape May, Blackburnian (3 times in the last week), Black Throated Green, Black Throated Blue, Redstart, Bay Breasted, Blackpoll, and Nashville. The area surrounding Lake Artemesia, including the Indian Creek flood plane from the Beltway south to the College Park Airport provides consistently good birding. It does not always have the numbers of migrants I've grown to expect at some locations, but the variety is excellent. Unfortunately, there are only 2 or 3 half-way serious birders who regularly patrol the trails. I would love to know what the "Rock Creek Gang" could pull out of this area. Dave David Mozurkewich Seabrook, MD USA dm@fornax.usno.navy.mil