Hi Everyone,

I headed south on Friday to begin what would end up being an epic weekend of birding. I made it to Smoky Road in Calvert Co. in time to enjoy a great dusk hike, which was topped off by two boldly singing WHIP-POOR-WILLs. I made it to a friend's party in St. Mary's, stayed up too late, and got up too early. 

I birded all over St. Mary's Co. on Saturday, exploring a variety of habitats and focusing on photography. Among other destinations, I spent a lot of time at Elms and Point Lookout. Migrant songbird diversity was high, including great birds like SEASIDE SPARROW and NASHVILLE WARBLER, but the real excitement was to be on Sunday.

Matt Hafner had done the Charles Co. bird-a-thon with George Jett and Co. on Saturday, and he left me a message around midnight saying he didn't have another day left in him. This was followed by a call at 5:00 a.m. saying he was leaving for Point Lookout. Admirable addiction! The weather forecast showed ideal conditions for a migrant fallout, and we were not disappointed. We met up with John Hubbell and were at Point Lookout soon after dawn. We knew quickly that many birds had arrived. Along with many warbler species and other migrants, the stars of the morning were a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW and a LINCOLN'S SPARROW. Full lists of the other noteworthy species are below.

We birded our way north via some favorite locations with additional highlights at Elms Park and Flag Ponds. At Elms we caught up with a migrant flock that contained a migrant SYCAMORE (White-lored/albilora ssp.) YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, which is very rarely detected outside of its breeding areas. This was a first for all of us. (Photos)

Another adventure still lay ahead. We visited Flag Ponds in Calvert Co. after hearing about a great collection of marsh sparrows found Saturday by Tyler Bell and Stan Arnold. We had at least five SEASIDE SPARROWs, a SALTMARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROW, and two NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROWs. At least one Nelson's was definitely of the ACADIAN subspecies, the other probably being of this subspecies as well. It was incredibly cool to see these birds as migrants on the western shore. 

Here are the abridged eBird lists, but there's still a lot. An exciting haul of photos is on the site:

http://www.billhubick.com/new_set.html

Good birding! 

Bill

FRIDAY, 5/2

Smoky Road, Calvert Co.

Solitary Sandpiper--1; in an open field at twilight, calling
Barred Owl--1; hunting just off the trail
Whip-poor-will--2
Eastern Wood-Pewee--1
Great Crested Flycatcher--1
White-eyed Vireo--1
Yellow-throated Vireo--1
Horned Lark--6
Wood Thrush--4
Gray Catbird--2
Brown Thrasher--4
American Pipit--1
Northern Parula--2
Prairie Warbler--1
Ovenbird--3
Louisiana Waterthrush--1
Yellow-breasted Chat--1
Summer Tanager--3
Non-avian: Hundreds of Fowler's Toad tadpoles, Copes Gray Treefrogs, baby Gray Squirrels.

SATURDAY, 5/3

Pre-dawn at Lawrence Hayden Rd., St. Mary's Co.

American Woodcock--3; displaying
Chuck-will's-widow--1
Whip-poor-will--2
Ovenbird--1
Grasshopper Sparrow--3

Wildewood Pond (behind Wildewood shopping center)

Wood Duck--2; county closeout (#82)
Red-shouldered Hawk--1
Eastern Phoebe--1
Great Crested Flycatcher--1
White-eyed Vireo--1
Black-and-white Warbler--1

St. Clements Creek (near Rte 234 x Rte 242), St. Mary's Co.

Acadian Flycatcher--1
White-eyed Vireo--1
Red-eyed Vireo--1
Wood Thrush--1
Gray Catbird--1
Northern Parula--1
Louisiana Waterthrush--1

Chaptico Creek (Rte 234 x 238), St. Mary's Co.

Wood Duck--2
White-eyed Vireo--1
Northern Parula--1
Prothonotary Warbler--1
Indigo Bunting--5
Baltimore Oriole--1

Beauvue Ponds and vicinity, St. Mary's Co.

Green Heron--3; boldly repelling crows away from their apparent nesting area; impressive
Bonaparte's Gull--1
American Pipit--1
Nashville Warbler--1; singing in the scrubby area southwest of the ponds
Northern Parula--1
Prairie Warbler--2
Yellow-breasted Chat--1
Summer Tanager--1; migrant
Grasshopper Sparrow--12
Blue Grosbeak--2
Indigo Bunting--3
Eastern Meadowlark--9
Orchard Oriole--2

Whirlwind Road, St. Mary's Co.

Wild Turkey--1
Great Crested Flycatcher--1
Gray Catbird--1
Northern Parula--1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)--1
Ovenbird--5
Scarlet Tanager--1

Elms Environmental Education Center, St. Mary's Co.

Mute Swan--1
Green-winged Teal--1 drake; county closeout (#83)
Great Egret--2
Snowy Egret--3
Greater Yellowlegs--5
Least Sandpiper--7
Laughing Gull--145; feeding flock offshore
Royal Tern--3 with the gulls
Chimney Swift--1
Eastern Kingbird--1
White-eyed Vireo--3
Red-eyed Vireo--3
Gray Catbird--4
Northern Parula--2
Yellow Warbler--1
Black-throated Blue Warbler--1
Yellow-throated Warbler (dominica)--3
Pine Warbler--4
Prairie Warbler--2
Black-and-white Warbler--2
Ovenbird--3
Northern Waterthrush--1
Kentucky Warbler--1
Savannah Sparrow--5
White-throated Sparrow--4
Non-avian: Citrine Forktail, Rambur's Forktail, Common Green Darner, Carolina Saddlebags, Am. Lady, Red Admiral, Green Tree Frogs

Point Lookout State Park, St. Mary's Co.

Mute Swan--1
Common Loon--1
Brown Pelican--29; exact count from the point
Laughing Gull--12
Herring Gull (American)--8
Forster's Tern--1
Royal Tern--18
Red-headed Woodpecker--1
Eastern Kingbird--1
White-eyed Vireo--1
Red-eyed Vireo--3
Purple Martin--1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow--3; pair at the marina
Brown-headed Nuthatch--4
Gray Catbird--9
Northern Mockingbird--3; One at the point had a very impressive repertoire. His imitations included all of the following: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Royal Tern, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Clapper/King Rail, Purple Martin, Killdeer, Am. Robin, Common Grackle, Northern Flicker, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Great Crested Flycatcher, Northern Cardinal, and of course E. Phoebe.
Brown Thrasher--4
Chestnut-sided Warbler--2
Black-throated Blue Warbler--1
Pine Warbler--6
Black-and-white Warbler--3
American Redstart--2
Ovenbird--1
Northern Waterthrush--1
Common Yellowthroat--13
Yellow-breasted Chat--1
Eastern Towhee--7
Chipping Sparrow--4
Seaside Sparrow--1
Swamp Sparrow--2; high in a tree
Indigo Bunting--1
Orchard Oriole--3
Non-avian: Cloudless Sulfur, Clouded Sulfur, Tiger Swallowtail, Pearl Crescent, Am. Lady, Sleepy Orange, Red-banded Hairstreak.

SUNDAY, 5/4
with Matt Hafner and John Hubbell

Point Lookout State Park, St. Mary's Co.

Lesser Scaup--1 hen
Red-breasted Merganser--1 hen on the beach
Common Loon--1
Brown Pelican--2
Solitary Sandpiper--2
Least Sandpiper--18
Laughing Gull--25
Herring Gull (American)--15
Great Black-backed Gull--12
Royal Tern--1
Chimney Swift--3
Red-headed Woodpecker--2
Eastern Wood-Pewee--1
Great Crested Flycatcher--2
Eastern Kingbird--6
White-eyed Vireo--4
Red-eyed Vireo--4
Purple Martin--2
Brown-headed Nuthatch--3
House Wren--2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--2
Gray Catbird--12
Brown Thrasher--4
Cedar Waxwing--75
Northern Parula--9
Yellow Warbler--3
Chestnut-sided Warbler--2
Magnolia Warbler--4
Black-throated Blue Warbler--4
Yellow-throated Warbler (dominica)--2
Pine Warbler--8
Blackpoll Warbler--5
Black-and-white Warbler--4
American Redstart--5
Ovenbird--3
Common Yellowthroat--13
Hooded Warbler--1
Summer Tanager--1
Scarlet Tanager--1
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW--1; photos
LINCOLN'S SPARROW--1; photos
Swamp Sparrow--5
White-throated Sparrow--3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak--4
Blue Grosbeak--8
Indigo Bunting--8
Orchard Oriole--7
Baltimore Oriole--5

Cornfield Harbor, St. Mary's Co.

Great Egret--1
Virginia Rail--1
Semipalmated Plover--1
Royal Tern--4
Red-headed Woodpecker--1
Prairie Warbler--1

Long Neck Road, St. Mary's Co.

Green Heron--1
Killdeer--1
Solitary Sandpiper--1
Least Sandpiper--7
Grasshopper Sparrow--3
Blue Grosbeak--2
Indigo Bunting--1
Bobolink--6
Eastern Meadowlark--2
Orchard Oriole--1

Elms Environmental Education Center, St. Mary's Co.

Snowy Egret--1
Semipalmated Plover--2
Semipalmated Sandpiper--1
Least Sandpiper--4
Red-eyed Vireo--4
Northern Rough-winged Swallow--2; Matt's county closeout
Northern Parula--1
Black-throated Blue Warbler--1
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER (ALBILORA)--1; photos
Yellow-throated Warbler (dominica)--2
Pine Warbler--2
Ovenbird--1
Summer Tanager--1

Flag Ponds Nature Park, Calvert Co.

Pied-billed Grebe--1
Great Egret--1
Semipalmated Plover--1
Killdeer with young
Spotted Sandpiper--1
Solitary Sandpiper--2
Sanderling--1
Semipalmated Sandpiper--2
Least Sandpiper--35
Royal Tern--2
Chimney Swift--2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird--1
Eastern Wood-Pewee--1
Acadian Flycatcher--2
Eastern Phoebe--2
Great Crested Flycatcher--2
Yellow-throated Vireo--1
Red-eyed Vireo--9
House Wren--1
Northern Parula--5
Magnolia Warbler--1
Yellow-throated Warbler (dominica)--2
Black-and-white Warbler--1
Worm-eating Warbler--2
Kentucky Warbler--1
Common Yellowthroat--4
Summer Tanager--1
SEASIDE SPARROW--5
NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW (Acadian)--1; photos
NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW (probable Acadian)--1; photos
SALTMARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROW--1; photos

North Beach, Calvert Co.

Snowy Egret--1
Least Sandpiper--1
Short-billed Dowitcher (griseus)--1

Herrington Harbor, Anne Arundel Co.

Solitary Sandpiper--3
Greater Yellowlegs--1
Lesser Yellowlegs--14
Semipalmated Sandpiper--2
Least Sandpiper--14
Forster's Tern--1
Royal Tern--1
Purple Martin--2
Yellow-throated Warbler (dominica)--1; Bend in the road before flooded field

Have a great week!  

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com