30 October
      Over the past week I came out to McKee-Beshers WMA (Hughes Hollow) 
thrice to check what effect the drought and recent rain (over 4 inches) has 
had on the area.  On Tuesday the area was still dry with only a small amount 
of water in the NW impoundment.  It was so dry I walked to all my Tree 
Swallow nest boxes to see how many had been used (18 of the 20 had old 
nests).  I could also see many old boxes that had fallen to the ground.  It 
was relatively quiet bird-wise.  On Friday October 26 I spent a couple of 
hours walking around in a light rain and birds where everywhere.  There was 
some water in the large impoundment and more low spots in the NW 
impoundments were filling up.  I just made it back to car when the sky 
opened up and the heavy rains came.  There were huge puddles on River Road. 
I returned on Sunday October 28 and although the impoundments were anywhere 
back to normal there were a couple inches of water in the large impoundment 
and the NW impoundment was filled up even more than Friday.  Unfortunately 
the streams are still not filled so the impoundments can return to normal 
water levels.
     Bird highlights were: Oct 23 a Eastern Phoebe, 100 Redwinged 
Blackbirds, and 3 Purple Finches; Oct 26, a male Merlin, a House Wren, 13 
Myrtle Warblers, 6 Palm Warblers(4 yellow,1 western), 15 Field Sparrows, a 
Fox Sparrow (FOS), 7 immature White-crowned Sparrows, 12 Slate-colored 
Juncoes (first ones I have seen here this fall), and 175 Rusty Blackbirds 
feeding in the newly wet area of the NW impoundment); Oct 28, a latish 
Solitary Sandpiper, a Belted Kingfisher (sorry I don't think there are any 
fish left), my FOS sapsucker, a Common Raven calling to the west, 2 Winter 
Wren (FOS), 8 Yellow Palm Warblers, a female Common Yellowthroat, a Chipping 
Sparrow still in breeding plumage, 25 Rusty Blackbirds, 6 Purple Finch and 
at least 50 Am. Goldfinch.

Paul Woodward
Fairfax City, VA