Blue Mash Nature Trail, Zion Road Section, Montgomery County, 14 Oct 06,
0730-1000

A beautiful, cold, crisp morning at Blue Mash with the trails and fields
covered in frost.  Best bird of the morning was a very rare flyover B-17
Stratofortress, most likely on its way to the Air Force memorial dedication
ceremony in DC.  Of several thousand manufactured during WWII, I believe
there are only 12 aircraft left in operation. 

Canada Geese were everwhere with a couple of hundred on the inner pond and
constant, noisy  V-formations passing overhead.  Also abundant were Blue
Jays, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers.  Sparrows are
certainly back in town as evidenced by a 7 species morning: E. Towhee,
Field, Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-throated and White-crowned (juv).
Another nice find was a juvenile male Rose-throated Grosbeak.

Tom Marko
Olney, MD