Hi Everyone,

Stan Arnold and I did some hiking and birding around Howard County this
afternoon, enjoying the warmer weather. The wind seemed to work against us
in the warbler department, but we had some nice birds for the trip. Of
course, it's hard to go wrong being outdoors at this time of year. The
highlight of the trip was coming across a group of jays carrying on around a
tree ahead of us and learning the target of their mobbing. As we watched, we
noticed that they were focused on a crevice in the tree. Was it a
screech-owl, a snake, a confused squirrel? As we speculated, a tiny
songbird, which appeared at a distance to be a Myrtle Warbler, flew into the
mob of jays, looked into the hole, then promptly flew away. We walked up and
found the tail end of a Black Rat Snake disappearing into the hole. Imagine
the tales of bravery the Myrtle will tell its friends tomorrow. 

Here are some other highlights...

Middle Patuxent Environmental Area, Howard Co. (4/26, 3:30 to 5:30)

Barred Owls - 2-bird jam session
Chimney Swifts - 3
White-eyed Vireo - 2
Purple Martin - 1 noisy flyby
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers - somewhere between 30 and 400
Ruby-crowned Kinglets - 2 (also heard 2 singing on my lunchtime walk at work
today in AA Co.)
Northern Parulas - 5
Eastern Towhees - 20+, singing and very conspicuous
Swamp Sparrow - 1 obvious migrant in upland field habitat

Non-avian: Wood Frog (1), Gray Treefrogs calling, thousands of small
tadpoles or "toad"-poles (1 puddle was simply writhing with them--a quick
estimate of 3,000 was very conservative). Heard Northern Cricket Frogs
calling near the park. Juvenal's Duskywings (2), Dark swallowtail sp. (2,
poor looks). 

Flora: Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Mayapple; dogwood blooming; Poison Ivy growing
quickly.

Centennial Lake, Howard Co. (6:00 to 7:00)

Common Loon - 1 in breeding plumage
Pied-billed Grebe - 1
Osprey - 1
Bald Eagle - 1 adult flying high
Caspian Terns - 2
Tree, Barn, and NRW Swallows
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
Yellow Warblers - 3, singing extensively
Myrtle Warbler - 1

See you out there,

Bill

Bill Hubick
Linthicum, Maryland
bill_hubick at yahoo.com
www.billhubick.com