Was writing a post at home when the lights went out.
Yesterday's birding was great despite few warbler
species.  From work, without benefit of notes:

It was a grand day for Orioles at Leakin Park yesterday
morning.  We were greeted by the song of a young male
BALTIMORE ORIOLE in the parking lot at Eagle Drive.
We had a pair of ORCHARD ORIOLES in the "dump,"
and at least two male and a female Baltimore Oriole at
Winans Meadows with singing and an aggressive display.
Winans Meadows was fine, with a pair of SCARLET
TANAGERS, and an INDIGO BUNTING seen
and a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH heard.   Lots
of Northern Rough-winged Swallows flew over the
damp grass.  There were NORTHERN PARULAS
and COMMON YELLOWTHROATS in abundance;
and one BLACK & WHITE WARBLER.  We heard a
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and a ROSE-BREASTED
GROSBEAK along Weatheredsville Road.  (Also had
a Rose-breasted Grosbeak at the feeder yesterday.) Another
highlight was watching a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER
FEEDING YOUNG by the Gwynns Falls.  The hawks seen
were COOPER'S, RED-TAILED and RED-SHOULDERED.
Also notable was a BROWN THRASHER.  So, what's a
little rain!

I was unable to identify one bird I saw pretty well.
I note it just to get it off my chest (it is very hard
to view birds from that angle!)   To the best of
my memory:

It was perched 15ft + up on a thin branch in overcast
conditions on a tree bordering a wet weedy area.
My first (and last) thought was "sparrow."
Its upright posture gave it a tallish, thin look, for a
small bird.  It had a longish tail that  was notched; and
stayed notched  when it shifted position.  The bill
didn't stand out to me; sorry.  The feathers were
brownish, with a bland facial pattern in light browns,
a faint dark eye stripe, the barest suggestion of a spot
on an otherwise unmarked brown breast,
the barest suggestion of thin malar stripes and a lighter
colored throat.   If it had wing bars, they were subdued.
No noticeable "cap" or streaks or reddish or outstanding
markings like that were visible.  The colors were bland
browns.  That's all I got before it flew.   The area had
several Song and White-throated Sparrows.

Elise Kreiss
Baltimore City

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