Today began with the familiar yardbirds en route to the woods (brief) with
exception of a ring-neck pheasant calling at the border of neighbors yard
and upland meadow (was wondering if they bought & caged a bird but they say
no).

The typical suite of general forest birds as I climbed toward the AT -
Downy / Hairy / Red-belly / Redheaded / Pileated / Flicker / YB Sapsucker
in the woodpecker dept, Cardinals, T.Timouse, C.Chickadee and then WHAM the
new arrivals - Hermit Thrush on the ridgeline (male & fe) and Eastern
Towee's on the AT ridgeline - could've arrived here in the past 14 days
since I've been on the ridge.

Other typical birds were Amer / Fish Crows, T.Vulture, M.Dove, Cowbird,
Caro Wren and an unknown hawk, just a whoosh out from the tree above me.
Sounded like maybe an oriole at one point but (sorry) I've never really
seen them...I'm almost alwayws in forest or on the river so no clue who
they are or what they're up to. Birds mostly quiet after 10aam - pretty
warm.

Blooming on the upper west & east slopes and ridgeline were enough garlic
mustard to make a botanist sad but enough blooming or in strong form were
Spring Beauty, Cutleaf Toothwort, Mayapples (on the way), Bloodroot, Sweet
Cicely, Bedstraw, Common Chickweed, Yellow Corydalis, Oak-leech (a native
foxglove) and Black Cohosh.  Oddly, not a violet in the house.

Also got to watch a wood-bound woodchuck living in the woods - never seen
one deep in the woods but the references say yes, they can be way back in
forests.  Four types of lepidoptera but not sure who they were - quite
striking and many on the wing.

Kevin Caldwell
Knoxville, MD; Washington Co.


Kevin Caldwell

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