Hi all --

We wet out to Lilypons, Frederick Co., in order to scout for a field trip we're leading this coming Sunday. The morning rain delayed our arival until late morning, then it became warm and (mostly) sunny. Activity was OK, considering the time of day. 

At Lilypons, birds of interest included:

Cooper's Hawk (1)
Red-shouldered Hawk (2)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
Kestrel (1)
Wilson's Snipe (6)
COMMON YELLOWTHROAT (1)
MARSH WREN (1)
Song Sparrow (~50)
Swamp Sparrow (15)
FOX SPARROW (3)
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (8-10)
White-Throated Sparrow (~20)
Field Sparrow (8-10)
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW (2)
Towhee (1)
Bluebird (~25)
Cedar Waxwing (12)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2)

No sign of any Bitterns or Rails but not a great time of day for either.

We drove the Lilypons Rd., Oland Rd., New Design and Rt. 85 circuit and saw little of interest. The fields
are very barren, no sign of any Horned Larks. This area is really deteriorating what with
increased development, loss of dairy farms, etc.

Best birds:

Northern Harrier (2)
Cooper's Hawk (1)
Kestrel (1)
Meadowlark (1)
Goldfinch (~40, no Siskins)

Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper
Colesville, MD