I understand we had our first Golden Eagle of the season yesterday!
Thanks to Chris Starling for spotting it.

Today the Point was very birdy. The Purple Finches Sean McCandless noted
from Saturday were abundant in the dogwoods and in the remaining cedar
tree near the lighthouse. Bluebirds were also enjoying the dogwoods and
when I came back from the lighthouse had perched on the hawk watch
sign, the mailbox in which we store club brochures, and on top of
my sweatshirt, which I had left on the picnic table. I think this is the
first time I've seen such a good-sized flock of bluebirds during the
hawk watch this year, which is very strange. Normally they are all
over the place. There were dozens and dozens of cedar waxwings, too.
I could clearly hear the Black-capped Chickadees, too, which were
near the hawk watch, compared with the Carolinas, which were closer
to the parking lot.

Is it possible I saw a juvenile Black-throated Green Warbler today?
The bird had a pale yellow face, green crown, greenish-gray back, and 
wing bars.
Shouldn't it already be sipping margaritas someplace warm?

Raptor flight was tough at first with the deep blue sky and sun glare.
Sharp-shinned Hawks were extremely high and hard to see. Later
in the morning, I had a good flight of "shoulders" and "tails."

On the way to the lighthouse I walked right under a perched Cooper's Hawk,
but I didn't see it until I turned around to scan the sky. It glared at me and
flew away.

Around 11:30 a Merlin swooped across the meadow at eye level and
dived into the tree where the bluebirds were gathered. Little birds
shot out from that tree like fireworks. I didn't see where the merlin landed
or whether he nabbed lunch, but I had a great view of its gray back and
barred tail.


--Pat

Pat Valdata, Elkton, MD | 
"The natural function of the wing is to soar upwards
and carry that which is heavy up to the place where dwells the race of gods.
More than any other thing that pertains to the body
it partakes of the nature of the divine." --Plato