I tallied 54 species on my morning walk around Schoolhouse Pond.  Nothing 
too unusual, but a nice assortment of warblers, shorebirds, returning breeders, 
flyover gulls, and other migrants.

Warblers included Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Blackpoll, Northern Waterthrush, 
Common Yellowthroat, and American Redstart.  Shorebirds included Lesser 
Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Killdeer, and Spotted 
Sandpiper.  Flyover gulls included 473 noisy Laughing Gulls, 21 Herring Gulls, 2 
Ring-billed Gulls, and a lone Great Black-backed Gull.  

In addition to the usual Great Blue Herons, 1 Snowy Egret flew over with a 
group of gulls, heading in the direction of Brown Station Road.  Flycatchers 
included Acadian, Eastern Kingbird, and Great-crested.  Other 
migrants/songbirds included Gnatcatcher, Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Bunting, 
Red-eyed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Orchard Oriole, Wood Thrush, Robin, House 
Wren, and Carolina Wren.  Raptors included Osprey and Red-shouldered Hawk.  
Other miscellaneous birds included a variety of swallows and woodpeckers, 
Chiimney Swift, Canada Geese, Mallard, Mute Swan (the Trumpeter was 
absent), Double-crested Cormorant, Mockingbird, and Catbird. 

Birds that I missed, but will almost certainly find if I get out at lunchtime 
included Mourning Dove, Phoebe, Song Sparrow and House Sparrow.  There 
has really been a nice variety of birds about recently.

Fred Shaffer
Patuxent MOS