Hi all,
It's been a while since I posted anything here, a while since I've seen  
anything noteworthy around too. 
 
While Blue Mash was once again unusually quiet again today, I did manage a  
few good finds, including brief looks at #'s 162 & 163 for my park list; a  
single Semipalmated Plover and a single juvenile STILT SANDPIPER were both  
feeding at the "big" pond, along with a single Solitary Sandpiper (in  association 
with the Stilt). 
 
I birded around the park early with John Pangborn, then I went back to the  
big pond to bird some more. This habit has paid off well for me in the past, 
and  indeed again today, as this is when I found these two good shorebirds. John 
had  already left. These birds are probably not "chaseable" though, as the 
pond edge  is very obscured by high willows and seeing into the pond is 
hit-or-miss (last  week I carried a 6 ft stepladder out to the big pond to look over 
the willows).  I was lucky to see these birds when I did, because I went back 
to my van and  quickly biked back out with a lawn chair which was in my van, 
and after standing  on the seat for a better vantage, did not relocate either 
bird.  They may  still be there but viewing here is certainly not optimal like 
last year.This was  around 11:30 this morning.
 
Also in the park this morning were single male Blue Grosbeak and Indigo  
Bunting, a lone A. Kestrel, 2 Magnolia Warblers, one immature/female A.  Redstart, 
loads of Yellowthroats, both White-eyed and Red-eyed Vireos and an  
unidentifiable empid which I got killer looks at the second time around but it  still 
remains just an empid (though my mind was thinking immature  Yellow-bellied). 
 
Way fewer swallows and swifts than a couple of weeks ago over the park.  
Maybe they have moved on...
 
Rick Sussman
Ashton,MD
 (mailto:[log in to unmask])