Hello all,

I got home from work and couldn't resist a chance to see more of the flood
of arriving migrants. I braved the threat of imminent rain and was rewarded
with some great birds, an excellent walk, and air heavy and intoxicating
with the smells of spring.

Highlight species:

Great Egrets - A pair; flyby  (a welcome first-of-the-year sighting)
Osprey - 1
Caspian Tern - Raucous flyby.
Eastern Kingbirds - 2
Northern Rough-winged Swallows - ~10
Barn Swallows - 4+
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers - ~10; everywhere and vocal
Wood Thrush - 1
Yellow Warbler - 1  (first of the year)
Yellow-rumped Warblers - ~20
Palm Warbler; BROWN/WESTERN - 1  (studied this bird extensively; first of
the year)
Swamp Sparrow - 1

Other observations: Spring Peepers still peeping; gnats and other insects
out in far greater force than I'd see them before tonight; early Poison Ivy
unfurling its jagged purple leaves; Boxelder trees appearing as if its been
summer for a month (their leaves so reminiscent of Poison Ivy), first of
the goldenrod, Common Pokeweed.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone :)

Bill

Bill Hubick
Linthicum, Maryland

www.billhubick.com

=======================================================================
To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to 
with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey
=======================================================================