Paul and I went to the Southwest Area Park in Baltimore County this 
morning and birded the area near the boat ramp and the road leading 
up to it.   

There were numerous Song Sparrows, but also  Savannah, Chipping, 
Swamp, Field Sparrows,  Juncos, at least four White-crowned and a 
great view of a Vesper Sparrow.   In the field north of the parking lot, 
we followed a bird with white outer tail feathers down a muddy 
secondary path off the main path.  We saw bits of it in and out of the 
grass, well enough to see an eye ring, until it flushed and landed in a 
small tree in good light, where it stayed upwards of five minutes.   We 
had it in the scope, and it was a wonderful look.  It matched Sibley’s 
drawing of a “fresh” bird; kind of muted looking, no rufous coverts 
visible and a little buff on the side.   Not a single White-throated 
Sparrow did we see.     

We looked in the parking lot for the Snow Bunting, but did not find it.   
We did have a flock of 6 Kildeer there, however.   Further down the 
road, we had a couple of shorebird flyovers while hearing “cu-cu-cu,” 
and came upon two Greater Yellowlegs in pretty deep water – up 
above their legs.  We also saw mallards and a coot paddling around, 
along with a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret.  

Nice raptors; with an American Eagle and four hawk species seen. 


Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Mallard
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Coot
Kildeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
American Crow
Carolina Wren
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Palm Warbler (yellow)
Northern Cardinal
Chipping Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch