Patuxent MOS and PG Audubon Society had a field trip to several spots
along the Patuxent River.  Stops included Mount Calvert, Croom Airport
Road, Merkle, Eagle Harbor and Aquasco Farms.

Highlights from each stop of the field trip included:

Mount Calvert:  1st year Orchard Oriole, adult Orchard Oriole, Yellow
Warbler, Spotted Sandpiper, Forsters Terns, Common Yellowthroat, Blue
Grosbeak, Common Yellowthroat, many Blackpoll Warblers, several Osprey, and
two Bald Eagles.  Perhaps the highlight of the stop was a singing Willow
Flycatcher in a small tree near the marsh.

Croom Airport Road (and road leading to driving tour) - Hooded Warbler,
another Orchard Oriole, Tree Swallows, Baltimore Oriole, and a Ruby-
throated Hummingbird.

Merkle - this stop was fairly slow.  The pond was flooded, and included no
shorebirds.  Purple Martins, Chipping Sparrows, Tree Swallows, and several
Osprey were present.

Eagle Harbor - also fairly slow, except for 2 or 3 Semipalmated Plovers, 5
Least Sandpipers, and 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers.  Many Cormorants were also
present, but no Royal Terns and no gulls other than Ring-billed.

Aquasco Farms - Bank Swallows, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, 2 Wild
Turkeys, Marsh Wren, Kentucky Warbler.

After the trip concluded, my brother and I went to Governor Bridge Park,
where the highlight was an Olive-sided Flycatcher.  The bird was on a high
snag on a dead portion of tree about 1/4 mile from the river.  We watched
the bird closely for several minutes, seeing its vest and white tufts on
the side of the rump.  It successfully caught several insects in mid-air,
but returned to the same perch.  Other birds at Governor Bridge Park
included a Prairie Warbler, Eastern Bluebird, and several Chats.

Fred Shaffer
Patuxent MOS