Back to the birds.

     Took a long hike on 7-22 after checking the wires along River Rd..
Walked the towpath from Sycamore Landing to Sharp-shinned Island.  Then back
through the fields, by the impoundments, Hughes Rd, River Rd and Sycamore
Landing Rd..
       Not a bad day- 41 species.  Not a whole lot of singing but recorded
the following species in song (sometimes very briefly)- Acadian
Flycatcher(9),White-eyed Vireo(9), Red-eyed Vireo (3), House Wren (5), Wood
Thrush (4), Northern Parula (1), Common Yellowthroat (10), Field Sparrow
(2), Cardinal (33) , Indigo Bunting (11), and Am. Goldfinch (31). (Number in
parentheses is the number recorded not the number singing).
       Highlight for me was the 80 Rough-winged Swallows on the wires along
River Rd.  Far from my high count, but back to normal numbers after last
year's dramatic decrease for fall migrants caused by reduced productivity
because of the cold wet spring.   I was also happy to see 12 Purple Martins
a decent count for this area.

Paul Woodward
Fairfax City, VA 22032