Folks

I took a little break in the afternoon from house chores to go to the Mattawomen Environmental Area (MEA), near Mason Spring, Charles Co to look for waterfowl.  I found nine species of waterfowl.  They were:

Canada Goose - ~150
Green-winged Teal - 4
American Black Duck - 10
Mallards - ~ 250
Northern Pintail -~200
Northern Shoveler - 2
Gadwall - ~10
American Wigeon -~150;  maybe one hybrid.  I will look again for this bird.
Ring-necked Duck - 4

Numbers are estimates since the vegetation blocked lots of dabblers from view, eagles flying, and just one pair of eyes searching.  

And there were those darn Red-headed Woodpeckers storing their acorn very close to were I was scanning the wetland.  Red-headed Woodpeckers can sure be noisy and annoying.  The annoying one was back near our house in Waldorf this afternoon.  Where was he yesterday when I had the other six eastern woodpecker species at the house.  The MEA also had one Brown Creeper and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  With the sapsucker, I found all seven eastern woodpeckers without any trouble today but between two location.  The house and MEA.

Other house birds of note today were:

Bald Eagle - one adult very close about 9 AM
Yellow-shafted Flicker - one adult ate 14 red Magnolia berries in one setting.  
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Hermit Thrush
Myrtle "Yellow-rumped" Warbler

Not a bad day.  Maybe Gwen and I will go see some more ducks tomorrow.   

Don't forget to vote for the bird friendly candidate.  That is not George Bush. 

George