Folks
Today I went out looking for storm driven birds. It was so cold in the wind I eventually put on my wool gloves. What's this I hear about global warming?
As I was leaving the house, I heard a singing White-eyed Vireo south of the house. #97 for the year yard list.
I then checked the pond at Mitchell & Hawthorne Rds. for new arriving shorebirds: Not much. More White-eyed Vireos, Hooded Warbler, and some other breeders. Shorebirds numbers were low.
1 Killdeer
3 Solitary Sandpipers
1 Spotted Sandpiper
1 Least Sandpiper
I then went to the pond behind the old courthouse in Port Tobacco. The calico Little Blue Heron found on Saturday, May 1 was perched high on a dead Sycamore Tree. Also Green Heron and Great Blue Heron were present. Yellow Warbler was on territory, as well. I did not here the House Wren today.
I then went to Allen's Fresh and parked by the first bridge on Rt. 234. With the north winds and low tide (at about 11 AM), there was lots of exposed mud. I had a little better luck there. The first thing I noticed was the clouds of swallows swooping around the waters edge. Mixed in the Barn, Tree, and Northern Rough-winged were a few Bank Swallow (# 186 for the year). Later many more Bank Swallow showed up.
I then headed to a quieter location on private property that exposes the marsh better were I could scanned for shorebirds. What I found:
~10 Greater Yellowlegs
~25 Lesser Yellowlegs
3 Spotted Sandpipers
~40 Least Sandpipers
1 Semipalmated Sandpiper (#187)
# 185 was yesterday. Yesterday afternoon, in the rain, Hal Delaplane and I were surveying a piece of property that is being considered for a conservation easement by the Conservancy for Charles County. (I do more then just bird.) This beautiful property is located in Allen's Fresh, one of my favorite places. There a male Kentucky Warbler was singing in the rain. The Kentucky Warbler I reported earlier (April 24) turned out to be an aberrant Prothonotary Warbler, so I took it off my list until yesterday. Since I was not totally convinced after I reported it, I went back to the Mattawomen Environmental Area on Monday, April 26 and checked. I found the male Prothonotary doing a non-typical song. (Keep it honest.) We also had several Yellow-breasted Chats and White-eyed Vireos, Parula and Prairie Warbler, and Common Yellowthroat, a single Swamp Sparrow, and numbers of Eastern Towhee. It will be interesting to go into this property and check in the morning, when a heavy rain is not falling.
Where are the warblers?
Regards
George
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