Monday, 9/27  Washington Monument, from 7:30 to 11:30 I took some time to do
some hawk watching and was rewarded with a few county birds as well.

1 Osprey
3 Red-tailed Hawk
2 Harrier
3 Cooper's Hawk
38 Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 Peregrine Falcon
1 Kestrel

other birds included 1 Cape May Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warblers, 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Winter Wren, 1 Red-headed Woodpecker, 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Thursday 9/30 Piney Run Resevoir in the afternoon, slow but managed to find
some nice stuff.

6 Pied-billed Grebe
1 Hooded Merganser
2 Gadwall
3 Ring-necked Duck
2 Ruddy Duck
1 Richardson's Goose
1 Osprey
3-4 Gray-checked Thrush all in the same tree
1 Wilson's Warbler

At Morgan Run Environmental Area, I had one fly-over Red-headed Woodpecker.

10/2 A long night of railing with Jim Brighton produced 4 species of Rail
including a Black Rail in Somerset County.  By morning we were on
Assateague, birding was slow, we did have 1 Red-headed Woodpecker and a
Merlin.  Ocean City Inlet around mid-day produced 1 adult light-morph
Parasitic Jeager, killer looks at this bird.  A small flock of Black Scoters
passed by as well.  Skimmer Island held one Great Cormorant.

10/3 Ah, yes... Assateague again.  Another slow day, but more birds over
all.  Bayside Jim spotted a Pine Siskin, near the Mantainance Yard there was
a Nashville Warbler, and by the Historic Life Saving? or Rescue? House we
found a Clay-colored Sparrow in sharp plumage.  ORV Zone produced the usual,
1 Sandwich Tern, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (1 adult, 1 1st year), 1
Gannet, and thousands of Tree Swallow.  Also more Black Scoter and 1 Surf
Scoter.

An evening stop at the old Route 50 along the Nanticoke marshes turned up a
Merlin.

Hans Holbrook
Columbia, MD

_________________________________________________________________
Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE!
hthttp://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/