For the record keepers, since no one else posted from Tuesday I am
submitting this with apologies for the lateness.
Tally:
Blue-winged (2; seen only)
Tennessee (1; heard only but sang repeatedly in 2 locations)
Nashville (3; seen and heard)
N. Parula (4; seen and heard)
Chestnut-sided (~4; seen and heard)
Myrtle (~30; seen and heard)
Black-and-White (1; heard only)
Black-throated Blue (3; seen and heard)
Black-throated Green (~5; seen and heard)
Blackpoll (3; seen and heard)
Yellow (1; seen and heard)
Mourning (1 possibly 2; seen and heard; saw it interact with/chasing
another bird)
Canada (1; heard only, very early and only briefly)
Hooded (1; heard only)
Ovenbird (2; seen and heard)
Yellowthroat (4; seen and heard)
A. Redstart (1; seen and heard)
Other Migrants:
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (2; seen and heard)
Great Crested Flycatcher (2; seen and heard)
Red-eyed Vireo (~10, everywhere)
White-eyed Vireo (3; seen and heard)
Yellow-throated Vireo (1; heard only)
WINTER WREN (1 getting late!; seen only)
Veery (3; heard only)
Wood Thrush (~8; seen and heard)
Scarlet tanager (~5; seen and heard)
Lincoln's Sparrow (1; seen only)
Swamp Sparrow (3; seen and heard)
White-throated Sparrow (~15; many seen and heard)
Baltimore Oriole (~7; seen and heard, saw pair mating and nest building by
Nat.Ctr.; NOTE: the female is now occupying the nest there)
Notes:
Despite the ho-hum weather (overnight rain, low temp, 100% overcast
skies), we were pleasantly surprised by both the level of activity and the
number of different migrant birds we observed. I was at the Nature
Center, corral and maintenance area, from about 6:45-9:30.
Highlight for me was relocating a Mourning Warbler. I thought I saw one
briefly, and was fairly sure but did not confirm it. I tried to find it
with a camcorder before I made a positive ID with my bins, but it flushed
(before I got any video) when several warblers chasing each flew into the
branch(es) there. About a half hour later, a group of people arrived and
reported they just had a brief but good view of a mourning warbler! It
was in a different but nearby area then where I thought I saw one. I
looked intently, but had no luck.
After a steady flurry of birdsong (1.5 hours), there was a period of
noticeable inactivity when it got very quiet from about 8:30-9:00. Most
folks left then but I stayed, hoping to see the Mourning or TN warbler.
I was rewarded! Just before I had to go, I heard (for my first time ever)
what I thought was a Mourning Warbler. I was unsure if it might be a
Chestnut-sided; so I manuevered over to try and see it but the bird seemed
intent on singing from out-of-view. It sang like this for several
minutes, until I saw it leave the tree on the opposite side and fly across
to the other side of the meadow area. With my eyes, I could see it was
definitely not Chestnut-sided, so I walked to a vantage spot, and it
popped into view about 7-8 feet up in a young tree, a bright and beautiful
male. Yes!!
It stayed there quietly about a minute, then it got chased out by another
bird. The other warbler had a similar appearance and may have been
another Mourning, but I only saw it with my eyes.
Also, I briefly saw a suspiciously large black bird fly over the tree
tops, and land out of view in a tall oak tree. I tried to sneak up on it
to get a view from the other side of tree, but when I got there the bird
had vanished. My first impression was an eagle. However, from my view of
it (in flight) with my bins (only a couple of seconds), I could see it was
solid black and very large, but NOT an eagle. My next thought was Raven!
Despite the rarity for this here, this was a good possibility based on its
size and profile, and the number of observations in Maryland this spring
from not-very-distant Counties that are out of its normal range.
Unfortunately it did not call and I was unable to relocate it. Though
certainly in low numbers, this species seems to be getting noticed in many
new counties. Of course, it could have simply been a very large American
crow; I'll never know.
Jeff Shenot
Croom MD |