Blue Mash Nature Trail, Montgomery County, 23 Oct 04, 0800-1000

Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, my wife and I headed over to ther
BMNT for a morning walk.  We immediately met up with Mark England  and
birded the trail together.  Ruby-crowned Kinglets were everywhere, oblivious
to our presence as they foraged in the cool morning air.  Sparrow species
remain in abundance with Savannah, White-crowned and Lincoln's noted.  Other
birds of interest included a No. Harrier Hawk, a perched Red-Tailed Hawk, an
abundance of Killdeer flying overhead, a Swainson's Thrush and many House
Finch.  The Swainson's puts my BMNT list at 130.

With my National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees
(Eastern Region) in hand, the three of us set out to ID the tree that was
felled by a beaver as reported in my previous post.  After examining the
shape and structure of the leaves, stem and bark, we concluded the tree in
question was a Bigtooth Aspen (Populus grandidentata).  Maryland falls
within this species range and it was growing along a drainage ditch, which
fits the habitat.

Tom Marko
Montgomery Bird Club