Hi All,

Yesterday (20 Apr) after Ian got on the school bus we could not resist some time on the deck on this splendid spring day. A Blue-headed Vireo was singing his slide-whistle song in the woods out back, there were still Purple Finches at the feeders and in the sweet gums singing cheerily (at least one today), and the Great Blue Herons were making their way from Poole's Island up the creek valley next to our yard. As we were taking all this in Nancy noticed a large dark bird cut across the Great Blue's flight path at right angles. I got my binocluars on it and it proved to be an adult LITTLE BLUE HERON, new for our yard list. Another pleasant surpise was provided by an Eastern Kingbird foraging in the sweet gums and tulip poplar tops catching the early morning sun - our first of the year. Later at eventide our first Wood Thrush of the year tuned-up for a brief serenade, given he wasn't heard in the morning he may have wandered into the woods during the day or just been too tired after his prior night's labors to sing in the morning.

On Monday during our daily neighborhood walk we had our first Chesapeake Landing yellowthroats and White-eyed Vireo of the year, a singing Swamp Sparrow, and a PINE SISKIN that flew over our heads near the end of Fish Hatchery Rd. All this and we had a zoo full of swallowtails - tigers and zebras, oh my! - and two large terrapins sunning on the stranded log in Mill Creek off the community landing. Spring can certainly turn your head when you're a naturephile.

Good Birding,

Walter Ellison
MD-DC Atlas Coordinator - MOS
23460 Clarissa Road
Chestertown, MD 21620
phone: 410-778-9568
e-mail: 

"A person who is looking for something doesn't travel very fast" - E. B. White (in "Stuart Little")

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