I spent the weekend in Garrett County, mostly in my atlas block around
North Glade (south of Bittinger on rt. 495). The best birding of the trip
was concentrated in the half hour after sunset on Saturday night. During
the first stop at North Glade Rd just west of 495, I added a peenting
American Woodcock to the atlas block. I then drove to the northeast end
of Fort Hill Rd., where I heard more woodcocks peenting and displaying as
well as 2 singing Whip-poor-wills, a county bird for me.
Although I heard a lot of Black-throated Green Warblers and Blue-headed
Vireos and saw 1 Least Flycatcher (4/29), not a lot of other warblers and
migrants had made it up to Garrett yet. Water levels were high at the
lakes and reservoirs -- the only shorebirds I saw were Spotted and
Solitary Sandpipers, including 9 Spotteds at Meadow Lake on Saturday.
I stopped at Big Pool in Washington County coming and going. I saw
Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday,
a Rusty Blackbird was feeding with the shorebirds. On Sunday, a pair of
Blue-winged Teal was present.
John Hubbell
Washington DC |