My GBBC was highlighted this morning by a flock of 16 RUSTY 
BLACKBIRDS mixed in with RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDs, AMERICAN 
ROBINs, and EUROPEAN STARLINGs, on the Paint Branch Stream 
Valley Park trail (specifically, along the sections where 
the agricultural fields and the golfcourse both border the 
trail), in College Park, PG County.  Other highlights 
included RED-SHOULDERED HAWKs, AMERICAN KESTREL, 
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETs, FIELD SPARROWs, and FOX SPARROWs.

Full report, sent to both eBird and GBBC, below:


Report Details
Location name: Paint Branch Stream Valley Park
Observation date: 2/20/06
Duration: 1 hour(s) 5 minute(s)
# of people in birding party: 1
Are you reporting all the species you identified? Yes
Total # of species: 32
Observation type: Traveling Count
Start time: 8:45 AM
Distance covered: 2.5 mile(s)
Area covered: N/A
Weather had a negative effect on my ability to collect 
birding information: No

Checklist diary notes:
Finally a chance to bird the trail by bike, and good birding 
it was. Mostly to partly cloudy, cold, but little wind. 
Highlight: Rusty Blackbirds in the agricultural fields and 
golfcourse. May have had Brown-headed Cowbird among them (it 
was a mixed flock with Red-winged Blackbirds, starlings, and 
robins). A mix of plumages among the Rusty's, with both 
basic (male) and alternate plumages. May have glimpsed a 
Winter Wren at the swamp, but couldn't relocate it.

Species Details
Species Name Number Reported
Canada Goose 50
Mallard 8
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 1
Killdeer 3
Mourning Dove 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 1
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 15
Fish Crow 5
Carolina Chickadee 5
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2
American Robin 20
Northern Mockingbird 3
European Starling 5
Eastern Towhee 3
Field Sparrow 2
Fox Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 25
White-throated Sparrow 5
Northern Cardinal 10
Red-winged Blackbird 5
Rusty Blackbird 16
Common Grackle 2
House Finch 3
American Goldfinch 2

-- 
Derek C. Richardson, College Park, PG County, MD
http://www.astro.umd.edu/~dcr/Archives/Photos/birds.html