I led a walk at the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in Lothian (AA Co.) Saturday
morning. Despite favorable weather, no one showed up for the walk! The
walk was supposed to begin at 8, so I waited at the nearby observation deck
and watched birds over the river and marshes. Two people happened by and
came over to have a look at the observation deck, and then later another
person came who decided to go with me for the birdwalk.
Here are the birds observed (7:30-11 am):
Great blue heron 2
Tundra swan 130 (all but one, south of RR bed)
Canada goose 68 (about half above and half below RR bed)
Wood duck 20 (2 above RR bed; rest at beaver dam/swamp on
Glendening Preserve)
Mallard 55
American black duck 57 (Most were below RR bed)
Gadwall 2
Green-winged teal 43
American widgeon 2
Northern pintail 400 (all but 7 were in 1 flock above RR bed)
Northern shoveler 2
Common merganser 23
Turkey vulture 5
Black vulture 7
Osprey 2 (my first of year; an energetic pair exhibiting
courting behavior and defending territory from an eagle)
Northern harrier 1
Bald eagle 3 (1 adult, 2 immature)
Cooper's hawk 1
Red-shouldered hawk 1
Red-tailed hawk 4
Wilson's snipe 2
Ring-billed gull 775 (680 at Billingsley marsh, 95 below RR bed)
Herring gull 103 (13 at Billingsley marsh, 90 below RR bed)
Lesser black-bd. gull 1 (1 adult, below RR bed)
Greater black-b. gull 1 (2 adults, all fly-bys)
Rock pigeon 3 (uncommon here)
Mourning dove 4
Barred owl 1 (flushed, was eating flicker on ground)
Belted kingfisher 1
Red-bellied woodpecker 3
Northern flicker 4
Yell.-bellied sapsucker 1
Downy woodpecker 5
Hairy woodpecker 1
Blue jay 7
American crow 12
Fish crow 7
Tufted titmouse 5
Carolina chickadee 6
Brown creeper 2
White-breasted nuthatch 4
Carolina wren 5
Golden-crowned kinglet 3
Eastern bluebird 2
American robin 23
Northern mockingbird 1
Brown thrasher 1
European starling 21
Eastern towhee 1
Fox sparrow 1
Song sparrow 5
White-throated sparrow 86 (most were along RR bed)
Slate-colored junco 13
Northern cardinal 11
Red-winged blackbird 49
Common grackle 180
Rusty blackbird 8 (perched in tree along RR bed)
Brown-headed cowbird 13
House finch 3
American goldfinch 5
60 species
Jeff Shenot
Croom, MD |