Great day to be out and about at a place like the PG side of Jug Bay,
including Merkle. We had 74 species, but some of the better ones were heard
only - like:

Great Crested Flycatcher
Baltimore Oriole
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Black-throated Green Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Pine Warbler
Worm-eating warbler
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (rats!)

They either tore down the blind near the Prothonotary spot or it might have
blown down in a storm. There is some fresh lumber already stacked out there
to build a new one, surely better than the old one. We missed sitting in it
this year waiting for the bright yellow critter to practically hop into it
with us like it did last year.

Birds we got looks at included:

Mama Wood Duck and her young
Lotsa Ospreys - several on nests and some with fish, including the male on
camera in                             the nature center
Bald Eagle - one perched, 2 in the air
Both Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Forster's Tern
Acadian Flycatcher
Rough-winged Swallow
Brown Thrasher
Blue-winged Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
BLACKPOLL WARBLER(!)
Hooded Warbler (2 very co-operative ones)
Ovenbird
American Redstart
Scarlet Tanager (Blowin' in the wind up there high)

    The look at the Blackpoll was particularly invigorating. One of the best
looks we have ever had at this hard to find bird. We have had them sing in
our yard every year since we moved here and have had only a handful of
decent looks. It's just one of those birds that does his best singing from
behind a big leaf.

    Jerry Tarbell
    Carroll County