Our 4th atlasing trip to Garrett County last weekend
held surprises, both good and bad.  It was a drier 
Garrett County than previously.  It rained the earlier trips.  
It was also a more quiet place, with far less bird song.  We were 
fortunate to find the Conservation Corps manager of a 
Land Trust property on Durst Road in residence; he and 
his wife actually live in Howard County.   This land is 
closed to the public (except by arrangement), but he gave 
us a tour.  This was an outstanding contact in that he was 
able to give us several fledgling sightings (e.g., Ruffed 
Grouse).  He took us to one flooded grassy field, telling us that 
it was good for Snipe.  In fact, we flushed two there.  His 
wife indicates that she saw Snipe in late June (in the safe
date period).   We didn't see any submissions for Snipe 
on the PWR Atlas website so far for Garrett.  We have 
inquired by e-mail for more specific sighting dates.    

In regard to unexpected sightings this trip, we also include
a Yellow-rumped Warbler, seen on the side of Dung Hill 
Road on the edge of Savage River State Forest.   We were 
also very pleased with a pair of Alder Flycatchers on Legerer 
Road, one seen carrying food into a bush growing in a swampy 
thicket.
 
We revisited a power line in Savage State Forest.   It was a 
long, hot trek in the early afternoon, and things were pretty 
dead.   However, after we headed down a graveled path 
going south, the situation dramatically improved.  We had 
Black-throated Blue fledglings begging on the same branch 
as a Red-eyed Vireo fledgling; Canada Warbler fledglings 
being fed (we had seen no Canada Warblers previously), 
a stationary, open-mouthed hummingbird flying to meet 
a second bird behind a screen of flowering bush (we 
infer feeding), and an adult and fledgling Junco.  

On the down side, we were looking forward to revisiting 
the two good fields that had held so many Bobolinks and 
Grasshopper Sparrows on Bill Beitzel Road, without 
considering that the farmer may have had other plans than 
keeping it as bird habitat.  These two fields had been mowed.  
Mowing commenced on the formerly less birdy third field 
even as we watched.  This yielded about 20 fleeing Bobolinks.  
One of them landed on a telephone line as the rest moved on, 
looking short-tailed and unsteady.  

The list of birds for this trip is below:

Canada Goose
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ruffed Grouse
Kildeer
Rock Pigeon
Morning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
N. Flicker
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Barn Swallow
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Starling
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Canada Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting (including feeding young)
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow


Elise Kreiss (for Paul and Elise)
Baltimore City