Hi all,
 I led a walk this morning at Blue Mash Nature Trail (where else?) and  we 
had 4 participants plus myself, and we saw 51 species. Weather was sort of  
overcast and because of the lack of sun we didn't find many sparrows, but we did  
manage to find Swamp, Song, Fox, White-throated,  a single Chipping,  Field, 
Dark-eyed Juncos and Towhee. We also had 2 warbler species, the surprise  being 
a late adult female BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER feeding very actively down  
low in the goldenrods, where she was when we left her. She was one of the most  
colorful females we had ever seen, and the latest we had ever seen as well.  
Yellow-rumped was the other warbler species.
 
We also saw an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk being harassed by at least a dozen  
Blue Jays, and chasing a flicker. Other hawks seen were Red-shouldered,  
Red-tailed, Cooper's and American Kestrel. Waterfowl included Ruddy Ducks,  Hooded 
Mergansers, Ring-necked Ducks and Mallards. 
 
 A single Eastern Phoebe, both kinglets, Carolina and Winter  Wrens, 
Killdeer, Great Blue Heron, and all the rest of the usual suspects  rounded out the 
morning, along with a nice rather late Brown Thrasher.
 
Cheers, 

Rick Sussman
Ashton,MD
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