One thing about atlasing, it gets you to places you wouldn't go otherwise, 
and sometimes they are a delight.  This was my experience last Friday, when 
I got into my most neglected quarterblock by going to Ft. Slocum (entrance 
off 3d and Oglethorpe, if I remember right, tho I had parked at the big 
community garden on Blair, and walked around to it.  I was a little nervous 
about being there by myself, so when I got into the woods, at a little 
after 6 am on a very "misty, moisty morning," I took a side trail that 
seemed partly blocked and overgrown.  I figured, rightly as it turned out, 
that no one was that likely to be going that way on such a wet day.  

The rain held off, but I soon felt as if it was raining birds--it's such a 
small woods, they can't get very far from you anyway, and in fact seemed to 
almost ignore me standing there.  I think I got about 34 species for the 
morning, and most were there in multiples.  There were family groups of 
house wrens, gnatcatchers, catbirds, crows, and of course many robins.  

The outstanding sightings,and needed for the quarterblock, included hairy 
woodpecker, brown thrasher, and ovenbird.  But it wasn't just that they 
were present, it was that they were very visible and close.  The brown 
thrasher turned out to be a youngster--I saw it from the back, and it was 
classic brown thrasher, if perhaps a little less long and slim than usual, 
but when it turned around, I suddenly doubted the id--the streaks were 
rather light, and the eyes were brown of all things.  Who knew?  I wondered 
til I got to a book that says this is true often for the young ones (not 
all my books mention this).  The ovenbird was an even more interesting 
sighting--it flew onto a broad tree limb nearby, and proceded to calmly 
walk along it as if on the ground, giving an excellent view.  

A very nice morning, and it made me wonder if it's a migrant trap in 
Spring.  I think I'd suggest going in pairs if you go, though--there has to 
be a reason so many of the houses in the area sport decorative, and very 
sturdy, ironwork on the doors and windows, but maybe that's being over 
cautious.  It's a great little spot, though.

Patricia Wood

Silver Spring MD