Hi Folks,

With all of the water in several of my atlas blocks, I couldn't stand
staying ashore anymore, so I called up my friend Wade Stephens to see if I
could borrow his poke boat, following an offer he made to me a year or two
ago.  This morning, I set adrift at 7 a.m., starting at Southwest Area Park
(SWAP) in southwest Baltimore County, and I paddled about four miles
upstream, then back, doing the entire length of the Patapsco River that
meanders through the Relay NE atlas block.  The birds were all the usual
suspects, except for large gatherings of CLIFF SWALLOWs on the various
bridges crossing the river.  The biggest concentration was at the BW Parkway
(Hwy 295) bridges, where there were about 30 Cliff Swallows, and three or
four Barn Swallows.  I counted nine nests under the pair of bridges, but
they were built smokestack, or volcano-style, and were probably the work of
Barn Swallows, as Cliff Swallows build a rather globular mud nest with a
hole in the side for entry.  The Light Rail bridge and the B&A Blvd bridge
also had about 6 to 8 Cliff Swallows each.  I will be checking these bridges
more thoroughly next Spring, in hopes of finding nesting Cliff Swallows.

I enjoyed the LEAST TERNs diving into the river, up near SWAP, and the
expected waders all along the river:  GREAT BLUE HERON, GREAT EGRET, GREEEN
HERON, and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON.  I explored the large Belle Grove
ponds, but found no nests or unusual birds.  I chased multiple BELTED
KINGFISHERs up the river, and had I needed them, could have counted them in
all four quarterblocks, as the river goes through each quarter of this
particular block.  There were several families of EASTERN KINGBIRD along the
river near SWAP, with as many as four youngsters in a group.

I discovered what most paddlers have learned:  it's a lot easier paddling
downstream than upstream.  Upstream time:  2h 40m, with some dawdling.
Downstream time:  1h 20m, with some dawdling.  It was a terribly enjoyable
experience for this person who hasn't paddled in about 30 years.

Some birds are still vocal, most are not.  The list of those seen or heard:

1.  Great Blue Heron
2.  Great Egret
3.  Green Heron
4.  Black-crowned Night Heron
5.  Canada Goose
6.  Wood Duck
7.  Osprey
8.  Red-shouldered Hawk
9.  Herring Gull
10. Least Tern
11. Rock Pigeon
12. Mourning Dove
13. Chimney Swift
14. Red-bellied Woodpecker
15. Downy Woodpecer
16. N. Flicker
17. Acadian Flycatcher
18. Willow Flycatcher (SWAP)
19. E. Kingbird
20. Red-eyed Vireo
21. Blue Jay
22. N. Rough-winged Swallow (SWAP)
23. Cliff Swallow
24. Barn Swallow
25. Carolina Chickadee
26. Tufted Titmouse
27. Carolina Wren
28. Am. Robin
29. N. Mockingbird
30. Eur. Starling
31. Cedar Waxwing
32. N. Parula
33. Yellow Warbler (SWAP)
34. Common Yellowthroat
35. N. Cardinal
36. Indigo Bunting
37. Red-winged Blackbird
38. Common Grackle
39. Am. Goldfinch
40. House Sparrow (SWAP)
41. Belted Kingfisher
42. Warbling Vireo
43. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

If my arms and back aren't too sore from the unacustomed exercise, I hope to
get out to a few other places in the next week.

Stan Arnold
Glen Burnie