Hi Everyone,
Mike Parr and I left early for a great day's birding in St. Mary's Co., meeting at Schoolhouse Pond at 5:00 a.m. I arrived a few minutes early and had at least a couple SWAINSON'S THRUSHes passing over. We headed toward Point Lookout, stopping just a couple times before the point to listen for nightbirds.
Things started off slowly at the point, but quickly picked up as we wandered north along wooded edges and hedgerows. Here's the full list for Point Lookout, followed by some other highlights.
But before the long lists, photos are at http://www.billhubick.com/new_set.html.
Brown Pelican--2
Double-crested Cormorant--35
Great Blue Heron--6
Turkey Vulture--3
Osprey--1
Bald Eagle--3
Sharp-shinned Hawk--1
Laughing Gull--32
Ring-billed Gull--1
Herring Gull--75
Great Black-backed Gull--15
Caspian Tern--4
Common Tern--2
Forster's Tern--131
Royal Tern--1
ROCK PIGEON--1 (first one I've ever seen at the point)
Red-bellied Woodpecker--2
Downy Woodpecker--5
Hairy Woodpecker--1
Northern Flicker--3
Pileated Woodpecker--1
Eastern Phoebe--6
White-eyed Vireo--1
BLUE-HEADED VIREO--1
Red-eyed Vireo--1
Blue Jay--5
American Crow--5
Fish Crow--12
Tree Swallow--1
Carolina Chickadee--13
Tufted Titmouse--1
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH--9
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH--1; unexpected migrant (county closeout)
Brown-headed Nuthatch--4
Carolina Wren--13
House Wren--2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--11
Gray Catbird--6
Northern Mockingbird--5
Brown Thrasher--3
European Starling--100
TENNESSEE WARBLER--1
Magnolia Warbler--1
Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler--11
Black-throated Green Warbler--1
Pine Warbler--5
YELLOW PALM WARBLER--2
American Redstart--4
Common Yellowthroat--7
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT--1
Scarlet Tanager--1
Eastern Towhee--4
Chipping Sparrow--1
Savannah Sparrow--5
White-throated Sparrow--2
Northern Cardinal--14
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK--1
Indigo Bunting--2
Red-winged Blackbird--4
Brown-headed Cowbird--35
Baltimore Oriole--1
House Finch--2
Non-avian: Monarchs (~8), Common Buckeyes, Cloudless and Orange Sulfurs, Common Wood-Nymph (worn)
We then drove a number of the roads north of the state park, including Cornfield Harbor Road, where we had our only noteworthy species.
Black Vulture--1
Turkey Vulture--25
Bald Eagle--1
Northern Harrier--1
Cooper's Hawk--1
American Kestrel--2
Royal Tern--1
Savannah Sparrow--5 (actually earlier, just after dawn)
MARSH WREN--1
Non-avian: Eastern Box Turtle (1)
Elms Park was pretty quiet, but a walk north up the beach led to our finding a single DUNLIN from a vantage of the shallow ponds. The only other shorebird was one KILLDEER. EASTERN PHOEBEs continue to be found in numbers as they push through the area, with four seen in one field of view as they picked off flies and tiger beetles on the beach.
Beauvue Ponds held very little of interest except one GREAT EGRET.
Taking some good advice from Tyler Bell, we ended at Myrtle Point Park, just south of the Rte. 4 bridge into the county. The park looks great for sparrows, as the sections we explored were full of hedgerows and nice wooded edge. To get there: As you head south from the Rte. 4 bridge, take a right on Patuxent Blvd and go to the end of the road. I will definitely be visiting this spot again. Thanks, Tyler!
PHOTOS: http://www.billhubick.com/new_set.html
Have a good week!
Bill
Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland
http://www.billhubick.com |