Hi Folks,

After leading two walks for the MOS conference on Saturday (most of the
finds have already been reported), Elaine and I spent Sunday in St. Mary's
County, enjoying a few interesting finds there.

We began at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station (not opened to the public)
where we found a basic-plumaged RED-THROATED LOON viewed from the long
causeway on Cedar Point Rd.  At the Beach House, up the road, we had a
breeding plumaged HORNED GREBE just off the beach, and a RUDDY TURNSTONE and
three LEAST SANDPIPERs on the beach.

Leaving the Navy base and traveling further south, we visited the Elms
Environmental area and had singing HOODED WARBLERs along Bay Forest Rd.  As
we took this road to its end, it curved and became Carroll Rd.  Along this
road were extensive plowed fields, still soggy from Friday's rains.  These
fields had over 100 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERs, about as many LEAST SANDPIPERs,
four GREATER YELLOWLEGS, a solitary SOLITARY SANDPIPER, and a very colorful
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER.

Long Neck Rd., just north of Point Lookout State Park, was productive.  Here
we flushed two N. BOBWHITEs from the roadside edge.  EASTERN MEADOWLARKs and
GRASSHOPPER SPARROWs were evident along the initial stretch of this road and
an active PURPLE MARTIN colony is by the first house on the right after
turning from Rte 5.  The impoundment at the end of the road had a COMMON
TERN flying over the water.

Taking Rte 5 north from Point Lookout to St. Inigoes (Delorme p 23 A-2/3),
there are a number of dead trees in a hollow on the east side of the highway
directly opposite Whitaker Rd.  Here we had a pair of RED-HEADED WOODPECKERs
that favored a small leaning tree on the left of the opening.  a
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO cooperatively flew into a tree by the road as we were
looking for the woodpeckers.

Many thanks to Tyler Bell who offered extensive ideas on where to find many
birds I was looking for.

Stan Arnold
Glen Burnie