My first official foray into the Bittinger - SW block yielded a good bird 
-- a Sedge Wren.  It was on the south side of North Glade Rd. just west of 
North Glade, MD, on Rt. 495 (Delorme 66, D1).  The nearest mailbox numbers 
were 2373 and 2287.  I first heard the bird on Saturday evening, but the 
traffic was heavy so I never heard it clearly enough.  Very early on 
Sunday morning, traffic was much quieter and the bird was singing its head 
off.  It even popped up for a quick look after the fog lifted -- the first 
time I've managed to see a Sedge Wren.  If anyone is in the area next 
weekend and hears the bird again, I'd like to know so I can upgrade it to 
probable.

In the same area as the Sedge Wren, I found 2 American Kestrels, 2 Willow 
Flycatchers, 2 Yellow Warblers, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and a Swamp 
Sparrow (all 7/31).  Other sightings (7/30) in the block included 
fledgling Wild Turkeys and a singing Black-billed Cuckoo, both near the 
bend of Fort Hill Rd north of O'Brien Rd.  A very birdy spot in the block 
is Meadow Mountain Trail, the first road (not shown on Delorme, but is on 
mapquest.com) off Rt 495 south of Dry Run Rd.  Birds here included Red-
bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, Blue-headed Vireo, 
Worm-eating Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, 
American Redstart, and Scarlet Tanager (all 7/31).

I didn't spend much time in my first Garrett block (Bittinger NW), but
did manage to add Red-breasted Nuthatch (Orendorf Rd) and Wild Turkey
(Bear Hill Rd), both on 7/31.

On the way up on Saturday (7/30), I stopped at a few places for shorebirds
and saw the following:

Boonsboro, Washington County

10 Killdeer
3 Spotted Sandpipers
1 Belted Kingfisher

Funkstown, Washington County

6 Killdeer
2 Solitary Sandpipers
1 Spotted Sandpiper
1 Least Sandpiper

Piney Reservoir, Garrett County

1 Lesser Scaup (drake)
12 Killdeer
1 Solitary Sandpiper
1 Broad-winged Hawk (FY)
2 Belted Kingfishers

Youghiogheny Reservoir, Friendsville, Garrett County

2 Great Blue Herons
3 Green Herons
1 Semipalmated Plover
25 Killdeer
1 Solitary Sandpiper
3 Spotted Sandpipers
1 Semipalmated Sandpiper
2 Least Sandpipers

Finally, on the way back (7/31), I saw 2 Northern Mockingbirds
on the eastern end of Russell Rd, in the first mile north of Michael Rd 
(Delorme 66, C3) when coming from Allegany County.  This was only the 
second time I've seen mockingbirds in Garrett County.

John Hubbell
Washington DC