Hi --

I guess most of you know about the draining of Pine Lake in Wheaton Regional
Park (Mont. Co.) to search for Snakehead fish. On spec Barry and I went over
yesterday evening to see how much of the lake bottom was visible and if any
shorebirds had dropped in.

Well, the lake is essentially all drained and there is lots of mud, and yes,
shorebirds already! We counted 24+ Solitary Sandpipers, one Spotted and one
Least. A worker told us that they expected it to take up to two weeks to
refill based on normal rainfall (if we have a lot of rain, faster of
course). However, it seems that folks near to the lake should check it
regularly because who knows what could drop in! Shorebirding habitat is slim
in Montgomery Co.

Pine Lake can be accessed from the WRP entrance on Georgia Avenue (picnic
area), or from the Nature Center on Glenallen Drive, or through the
Botanical Gardens.

Oh, and so far no other snakeheads have been found but they are still
probing the last of the water.

Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper
Colesville, MD

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