On Sunday, Jon Boone and park ranger Mike Donovan discovered a Baird's
Sandpiper amomg a small group of shorebirds at this park, which lies
just outside the DC line, entered from Rt 450 just before it joins Rt 1
at Peace Cross in Bladensburg.

I was there at 6 am this morning, where at first only a Solitary was
present. A few Least's joined him, and at ~6:20 lo! - the Baird's landed
nearby. But he had little peace in pecking (not probing) the mud in his
search for nourishment, because a Least (!) Sandpiper kept harrassing
him, forcing him closer to the bank for better views, but soon driving
him away altogether. He was gone by 6:30 when Dave Mozurkewich arrived
on the same quest, and never came back during the next hour.

But Mike Donovan reports that he did return at ~ 5 pm this evening, in
time again for low tide.

The exact location is a very small area of mud flat beneath the new
foot-bridge under construction on the bank of the river. On all 3
occasions he and the other shorebirds were seen near low tide, which
tomorrow will be at about 5 am and 5:30 pm. Apparently there is too
little mud exposed elsewise. On Sunday, Mike reports, there were also
Pectoral, Spotted, and Lesser Y-legs (1 each) present. Today there was
also a Semi-palmated, somewhat unexpected this far from the coast.

Active construction is underway here during working hours, so approach
to the spot would be limited during those times.

--
Fred Fallon
Bowie MD