Saturday morning was the Patuxent River waterfowl survey compiled by the folks at the Jug Bay Sanctuary. My highlight was 7 White-winged Scoters, including 2 males, near the old pier across from the Maryland Archaeological Conservation (MAC) Lab at Jefferson Patterson Park in St. Leonard. For those of you who came for the Tufted Duck, they were at that same location. I also had a Red-throated Loon a bit south of there and closer to the St. Mary's side of the river.

When I was done with the survey, I stopped by Battle Creek Cypress Swamp and joined the throngs watching the female Evening Grosbeak. Once I got a poor view through someone's scope, I went inside to wait and try and get a photo. Warren and Lisa Strobel arrived shortly after having completed their counts for the survey. Their highlight was a Red-necked Grebe on the Calvert side of the Solomons bridge near the fishing pier (just to the north of the bridge).

Checking email last night, we got an email from a newcomer to southern MD. He has a Baltimore Oriole coming to his saucer-type hummer feeder. We went out to his house in Piney Point with hopes that it might be a Bullock's or even something really out there like Scott's. While we were there, a pair of Brown-headed Nuthatches came in to the feeders. They are fairly easy to find on nearby St. George's Island but I'm not familiar with their distribution in the Piney Point area. Similar habitat and only a mile or so away so why not! Also at Piney Point was a male Northern Pintail hanging out with a bunch of Mallards.

Good stuff during the GBBC!
 
Tyler Bell

California, Maryland


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