Dear All

Like many others I enjoyed a good day's birding yesterday.

In the Rock Creek Stables/Maintenance Yard, Frank Hawkins and I managed to 
see most of the birds that others saw, but left too early and hence missed the 
Mourning Warbler.  The only thing to add was a Red-breasted Nutchatch seen 
by the Stables with another calling close by and a further bird calling near to 
the yard, making three in total.  

I should also mention that Paul Pisano dug out a Gray-cheeked Thrush on the 
ridge which I don't think got reported.

For the record we saw:

Warblers:  Black & White (2), Redstart (3), Black-throated Green (2), 
Tennessee (1), Magnolia (2), Blackburnian (3+), Black-throated Blue (3), 
Yellowthroat (10), Parula (1), Nashville (1).

Other stuff:  RB Grosbeak (6+), R E Vireo (2), Brown Thrasher (3), Waxwing 
(40), Winter Wren (2 in the yard), Indigo Bunting (2), Baltimore Oriole (1). 

It was clear that there were raptors afoot and at least one nice adult Broad 
wing was upsetting the warblers, plus Sharp-shin and Cooper's.  As we were 
leaving at 9.30am there was a nice lift off of Broadwings with about 30 birds in 
total.  I watched from the deck at home for the next hour and saw about 300 
Broad wings streaming over Fort Reno in kettles of 20-35 birds - a tremendous 
sight.

Frank and I linked up at Great Falls at lunchtime where some raptors were 
visibily moving.  Frank saw several kettles of Black Vultures probably totalling 
over a hundred birds and I managed to catch one really excellent Broad wing 
kettle of 128 birds.

I finished off the day with a walk back in Rock Creek on the ridge and 
Equitation Field.  It was quiet, except for a nice bird party in the trees at the 
top of the ridge, mostly chickadees but with an adult  Bay-breasted Warbler, a 
Redstart and a (the) Philadelphia Vireo showing nicely to end the day.

Roll on autumn.

Gary