Happy New Year!

Although a red-breasted nuthatch wasn't my first bird of the year (what can 
I say, a house finch chose to have this honor!), it was one of the first 
few that sampled seed at my feeder. This winter is the first time we've had 
these little beauties, so it was highly welcomed.

January 1 we took an afternoon walk along the Blue Mash Trail in 
Lyatonsville and enjoyed the many woodpeckers - pileated, downy, red-
bellied, flicker, yellow-bellied sapsucker, and a hairy calling in the 
woods. We also enjoyed seeing a couple of golden-crowned kinglets.  

January 2 we visited Riley's Lock with more woodpeckers, about 40 cedar 
waxwings, and a brown creeper foraging on the under side of a branch. 
Lesser scaups floated down the river and a pair of buffleheads showed up as 
well.

At Hughes Hollow (before the rain got us), we found a winter wren, a ruby-
crowned kinglet, a swamp sparrow (in among many white-throateds), and a 
very quiet gray catbird (my latest record ever!)

But, alas, we did not go to Nolan's Ferry so we didn't glimpse the 
Townsend's warbler. Maybe next time!

Joy Peters
Germantown, MD