With the nice weather predicted for today I figured I'd make
my first trip of the season to Rock Creek Park. Great
birding weather! Bright with little wind. Got good looks
at 3 warbler species: YELLOW-RUMPED (at the ridge), PALM
(ridge and maintenance yard), and PINE (maintenance yard).
Other migrants/new arrivals: CHIMNEY SWIFT, TREE & BARN
SWALLOW, and BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER. Also had a
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK at the horse field south of the ridge.
May have glimpsed an Eastern Phoebe. Others reported a
possible Brown Thrasher. Full eBird report below.
Cheers,
Derek
Location name: Rock Creek Park
Observation type: Stationary Count
Observation date: 4/20/07
Start time: 6:55 AM
Duration: 2 hour(s) 30 minute(s)
Number of people in party: 1
Comments: My first report of the year for Rock Creek
Park (usual venues: ridge, practice field, maintenance
yard). Mostly clear, cool, calm -- great birding weather!
First Palm, Pine, Yellow-rumpeds of the season, plus Chimney
Swift, Tree & Barn Swallow, gnatcatchers, and a Sharpie. May
have glimpsed a phoebe. Unidentified: large flyover bird
with shallow wingbeats, white below, dark head/neck --
didn't get enough for an ID. Common Loon?
7 Double-crested Cormorant flyover
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk immature, perched
5 Mourning Dove
1 Chimney Swift
2 Red-bellied Woodpecker
4 Downy Woodpecker
2 Northern Flicker
2 Pileated Woodpecker heard only
4 Blue Jay
5 American Crow 1 eating dead bird...
2 Tree Swallow
1 Barn Swallow
3 Carolina Chickadee
10 Tufted Titmouse
1 White-breasted Nuthatch heard only (2?)
2 Carolina Wren heard only
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 male in full display!
2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
30 American Robin 1 building nest at yard
1 Northern Mockingbird
2 Yellow-rumped Warbler
1 Pine Warbler
4 Palm Warbler all yellow/Eastern
4 Eastern Towhee 1 male singing hard!
30 Chipping Sparrow lots in fields
1 Song Sparrow
7 White-throated Sparrow
20 Dark-eyed Junco
7 Northern Cardinal
5 Red-winged Blackbird
1 Common Grackle
10 Brown-headed Cowbird
10 American Goldfinch
20 House Sparrow
34 species
--
Derek C. Richardson, Ph.D. (CANTAB) ________
Astronomy, U Maryland, College Park MD 20742
Tel: Office 301-405-8786 Fax 301-314-9067 __
Home page: http://www.astro.umd.edu/~dcr/ __ |