Hi all,
 While we did not see Jack's Red-shafted Flicker, we did have a good  morning 
(not great, but good). We had 5 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 Solitary  Sandpipers, 
and a single Semipalmated Sandpiper at the big pond, along with a  single male 
Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, American Black Duck and Mallards. 3  Great Blue 
Herons and a single Great Egret were also on the pond edge, with many  
Killdeer, and a single kingfisher. A Brown Thrasher scolded us from a locust  tree 
inside the fence.
 
The first field on the left held a Black-throated Green Warbler and an  
Indigo Bunting, and the fields on the right had both Golden and Ruby-crowned  
Kinglet, and our first White-throated Sparrows. Bluebirds and phoebes were seen  in 
small numbers. A single Black & White Warbler was seen here too. 
 
Moving along into the heart of the park we began to see more and more  
Chimney Swifts and a single Tree Swallow, later joined by a few others over the  
small pond. A distant perched bird turned into a Kestrel which soon flew, and a  
Sharp-shinned Hawk soared over. A Northern Harrier was seen sporadically  
throughout the morning, and an Osprey flew over and hunted above the small  pond.
 
Mid-morning and we were only halfway around before we started seeing any  
more sparrows, which seem late here this year. A small group held at least 3  
Field Sparrows, a few Song Sparrows, and a single immature WHITE-CROWNED  
SPARROW, which perched cooperatively on the fence next to a Field Sparrow for  
comparison. We also saw at least 3 Savannah Sparrows, always lovely this time of  
year when seen in good light. It was about here when we heard a very close  
nuthatch right nearby, which flew out from a locust tree. It turned out to be a  
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, a new bird for my park list (and typical of this species 
 for this time of year, not at all in "proper" RBNU habitat). 
 
Things slowed a bit at the back of the park, but things got exciting for a  
brief moment when a loud scream was heard. It turned out to be one of our  
participaants who had stepped on a sunning black snake, giving her quite a  start! 
 
A brief flurry of activity occured in the field opposite the small pond,  
where we saw an empid flycatcher (possibly Willow?) alternately snapping up  
insects from a willow tree, and a persimmon tree (Persimmon Flycatcher?). Also  
seen here were a single Yellow-rumped Warbler, a few goldfinches, E. Phoebe,  
another kinglet, and further along, Cedar Waxwings, another Song and  
White-throated Sparrow and a Common Yellowthroat. Lots of Chimney Swifts were  over the 
pond as well as a few more Tree Swallows. Back at the parking lot a  single 
Magnolia Warbler was working the trees above my van.
 
60 species seen, weather was magnificent though a bit warm for this time of  
year. 9 participants plus leader.
 
Rick Sussman
Ashton,MD
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