Hello all,

I see that spring has reached western Maryland as well -- how lush and
alive everything is already! I atlased from before dawn until well after
dusk on Saturday (4/24) in my Washington Co. block (Smithsburg SE), picking
up a total of ELEVEN atlas tics (and one deer tick), as well as 6 new birds
for the year. I'm now quite exhausted, but still winding down from an
exciting, beautiful day.

Some highlights:
Osprey  - 1-2 (one flyover on the AT; then one unexpectedly working my
little reservoir!)
SPOTTED SANDPIPER  (doing the silly Spotted Sandpiper dance)
BARRED OWL  - 1
Eastern Phoebe - 1
COMMON RAVEN - 1
GRAY CATBIRD - 1
NORTHERN PARULA ~ 4
PRAIRIE WARBLER - 2
LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH - 4-5
Dark-eyed Junco - 2 holding out in the hills

New or upgraded Atlas tics:
Canada Goose - ON  (at least four pairs with the female on the nest, the
male on vigilant guard duty).
AMERICAN WOODCOCK - X  (still a couple lonely fellas peeanting in them
there hills)
Belted Kingfisher - X  (what great little routines they have: hunt from
favorite perch, plunge-dive!, off to the eating perch, repeat)
Common Raven - X
Carolina Wren - X
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER - NB  (absolutely abundant! I was rarely out of
earshot of one or more. I found 3 different pairs building nests and
picking lichen from the tree trunks for the supreme fairy-nest camouflage.
Could have probably found a dozen more.)
Northern Mockingbird - X
European Starling - P
Red-winged Blackbird - NB
Common Grackle - X
House Sparrow - NB

In other news:
Too bad it's not the Breeding Mammal Atlas today. The best sighting of the
day was a mother Red Fox standing guard at her den while four kits
sunbathed, rolled around in the dirt, and pounced on one another and her!
Absolutely delightful to watch :) Noted Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, a lone
Mourning Cloak, Skunk Cabbage everywhere, Dutchman's Breeches up; Raspberry
coming back in force; Jack-in-the-Pulpit getting started; oaks and
yellow-poplar trying to catch up with the maples; Poison Ivy growing all
too rapidly. Low point of the day was removing an enormous Deer Tick
(before it latched on, thankfully!). A small creepy price to pay for such a
day!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Linthicum, Maryland

www.billhubick.com

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