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Subject:

Cape May Warbler and Cattle Egrets in PG County (5/3)

From:

Fred Shaffer

Reply-To:

Fred Shaffer

Date:

Sun, 4 May 2008 21:14:40 -0400

The Patuxent Bird Club/PG Audubon Society held a joint field trip with the 
Southern MD Audubon Society to various sites along the Patuxent River in 
Prince George's County on Saturday, May 3.  We had a small group - just Bob 
Elvander, George Harrington (sp?) and myself.    It ended up being a very 
productive day as we visited Mount Calvert, Jug Bay, Merkle, and Schoolhouse 
Pond.  Highlights included 17 species of warblers, 7 species of shorebirds, and 
other returning migrants such as Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Orioles, Eastern 
Kingbird, Acadian Flycatchers, plus two Cattle Egrets at Merkle.  

The highlight of the warblers was probably the adult male Cape May Warbler 
seen low in a tree near the Jug Bay Visitor's Center.  Other warblers seen or 
heard included Parula, Black-throated Blue, Blackpoll, Prairie, Pine, Ovenbird, 
Hooded, Redstarts, Common Yellowthroats, many Yellow Warblers, both 
Waterthrush, a singing Worm-eating Warbler, many Yellow-rumped Warblers, 
and a Prothonatary Warbler.  I later found a Magnolia Warbler on a solo stop 
at Overbrook Park/former Bowie Landfill after the trip.

Shorebirds continued at Schoolhouse Pond in big numbers.  Solitary Sandpipers 
were especially numerous, as were both species of yellowlegs.  Least 
Sandpipers and Spotted Sandpipers were present in small numbers.  We also 
heard 1 Killdeer at Merkle, and I had one Wilson's Snipe on the stop at the 
former landfill site.  Yellowlegs and Solitary Sandpipers were also seen and 
heard at Mount Calvert.  

As noted above, we had two Cattle Egrets in the field behind the visitor's 
center at Merkle.  Other highlights at this stop included a close singing 
Grasshopper Sparrow, a singing Orchard Oriole, and numerous Purple Martins. 
The Grasshopper Sparrow sang from atop one of the park signs in the middle 
of one of the grassy fields near the visitor's center, and allowed great, 
prolonged views.  The Cattle Egrets had flown off before we left.

So, we ended up with 89 species on the field trip, and I was able to track 
down another 11 afterwards at Overbrook Park.  As usual, the former landfill 
was productive for Savannah Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, and Wilson's 
Snipe, as well as a few other migrants and returning breeders that we had 
missed elsewhere.

Fred Shaffer
Patuxent MOS