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Subject:

Blue Mash Nature Trail, Saturday, Oct. 9

From:

Rick Sussman

Reply-To:

Maryland Birds & Birding

Date:

Sat, 9 Oct 2004 14:49:10 EDT

Hi all,
 I birded at Blue Mash this morning and a bit of yesterday AM as well.
Yesterday I saw my first Dark-eyed Junco of the season, as well as a late(ish)
Barn Swallow. Also had a few Blue-headed Vireos and my first ever House Sparrow
in the park. Very exciting stuff!

This morning was very birdy, even more so than yesterday. Lots of stuff
moving about early, and it was foggy so I hung about the parking lot for a  while.
There were Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Blue-headed Vireo, Scarlet
Tanager, Black-throated Green Warbler, a pair of Black-throated Blue Warblers,
and lots of sparrows moving about. It didn't take long to pick through the many
Song and Swamp Sparrows to find a handsome LINCOLN'S SPARROW (possibly 2), a
first for me for the park (#136). Also present were Savannah Sparrow (a
single  today, at least 6 yesterday), and 2 White-crowned Sparrows, an immature and
a  very beautiful adult, as well as Field Sparrows and lots and lots of
towhees and  White-throated Sparrows. Many catbirds are still present, and over the
 settlement pond were many (100's) of Chimney Swifts.  A single Barn Swallow
was still flying over the other pond, and a Baltimore Oriole was still around
 and chattering. A single House Wren was seen, and many Common Yellowthroats
were  still around.

Bluebirds have come back to the park (haven't seen them in quite a while
here) and Phoebes were everywhere. Another Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was seen in
the locust trees, and I saw one late Indigo Bunting too. Yellow-rumps were all
 over the place, and there was an immature Red-shouldered Hawk hunting
around. A  nearly leafless cottonwood tree held a huge number of Black Vultures
beginning  early, and they looked quite eerie in the backlit morning light with
the  fog.

 Remember the Big Sit is tomorrow!

Rick Sussman
Ashton,MD