Adding yet one more triller to the list - this one's a bit easier - I heard
my first American Toads of the year this AM at Lilyponds and again along the
C&O at Noland's Ferry. They don't sound much like birds but they do trill.
    Martins are back en masse at Lilyponds. Also had a good look at a Brown
Thrasher. Mike Welsh and Barbara Gearhart advised me they heard LA
Waterthrush along the creek in the back. I believe that's Bennet Creek back
there. There was a Coot working the pond right next to the parking lot.
Nothing else out of the ordinary.
    Along the C&O I flushed some Woodies and a Red Shoulder. Numerous
woodpeckers.
    One was a rather large, crow-sized thing that made a racket as he
crossed the path right in front of me, landed on a tree about 20' away and
started hammering. I've seen this bird many times before. Had one land on a
tree once in Shenandoah Park as I sat on the top of a cliff overlooking one
of my trout streams. The tree was no more than a dozen feet away and he
hopped around it looking for a reason to drill for 10 seconds before he
realized I was there and retreated across the canyon. Then as today I can
only conclude that this is a Lord Bird of a lesser God. Too noisy and
conspicuous. They constantly announce their presence and land where anybody
can take their picture. Nothing sneaky about them at all.
    Jerry Tarbell
    Carroll County