David and Sandi Gersten wrote:
> I took a long detour on the way home this evening to spend 90 minutes at
> Hughes Hollow.  Just after arriving I flushed an American Bittern in the
> first west impoundment.  A puddle just before the fields begin had an Indigo
> Bunting and two Orchard Orioles bathing. I did a quick loop around two
> fields and heard a Barred Owl and a Yellow-breasted Chat and saw a Blue
> Grosbeak.  Along the way back to the lot I found a Downy Woodpecker feeding
> its young and a Prothonotary Warbler. [...]

I knew about cowbirds and cuckoos, but I didn't realize that Prothonotary
Warblers were brood parasites... =p

Sadly resorting to such humor as I haven't been out birding in a few days...
hope you all get more birding in over the weekend than I.  In all
seriousness, thanks for the report, David, those are good birds, three of
which I've never seen (including the Prothonotary!).

Good birding,
Ryan Farrell
College Park, MD