I hesitate to post this, since I am a new subscriber. However, I have been a birder for more than
40 years, and had no more than my usual 1 cup of coffee at the time of the sighting.
Today, Monday, May 21, approximatelyl 8:30 am.
I was driving s. on Rockville Pike (MD 355) about where Cedar Lane crosses. I saw 2 large birds
flying slowly from the general vicinity of the Naval Hospital and passing to the e. of the Boy
Scout Building, and both crossed overhead in plain view. Initially, I thought that the one in
front was a black-crowned night heron, but it passed out of view (trees obstructed) before I could
confirm. The second one I saw more clearly; it was brown in color and had a long curved bill.
It, too, passed out of sight but the only species that I can think of that fit what I saw is a
long-billed curlew, no matter how improbably that may seem. I report this to alert other birders
in the general area.
John Newman |