Hi Everyone,

Here are some highlights from around Fort Smallwood over the last couple days.

Running around the perimeter at Fort Smallwood today (7/5):

DC Cormorant--40+ on White Rocks
Great Blue Heron--family of 4 apparently doing flight training for two recently fledged youngsters; the four did repeated trips in big loops over the park and surrounding water. I wonder where they fledged, especially after seeing an adult carrying sticks at the park this spring.
Little Blue Heron--1 adult
Killdeer--5 adults
Spotted Sandpiper--1
Herring Gull--3
RT Hummingbird--1
Great Crested Flycatcher--2
Eastern Kingbird--3
American Crow--family group of 5
Purple Martin--3
Northern Mockingbird--feeding fledged youngster
Orchard Oriole--2
Red-eared Turtle (i.e., Red-eared Slider)--1 10" female laying eggs in a scratch in the grass about halfway between pond and front gate. This is the first of this introduced species I've seen at the park or in this area.
Northern Cricket Frogs--still clicking away

My yard near Fort Smallwood this morning (7/5)

Little Blue Heron--1 flyby adult
Blue Jays--brought their fledged youngsters by for the first time this morning
Carolina Wren--fledged young 
American Robin--another brood of fledged young
Brown Thrasher--brood fledged last week
Orchard Oriole--1 still singing every time I leave the house; seen almost as regularly

White Pond/Weinberg Park via kayak yesterday (7/4)

American Black Duck--1  
Mallard--25, many domestic
Snowy Egret--1
Black Vulture--1
Spotted Sandpiper--1
Herring Gull--2
Least Tern--1

Good birding,

Bill

 
Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com