Bill Hubick and I spent the day birding in Frederick and Washington Counties.  
Bill will post later with fuller lists and pictures, but I wanted to get a few 
highlights out today.

We met at 5am at the Sugarloaf Mountain parking lot, and shortly afterwards 
heard a singing Whip-poor-will on Mt. Ephraim Rd.   Just after daybreak, we 
were at the corner of Mt. Ephraim Rd and Comus Rd, where I spotted an Olive-
sided Flycatcher.  While Bill was getting a picture, he heard a Mourning 
Warbler, which he also photographed.

We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon working south to north 
in Frederick County.  Some of the better birds included a Gray-cheeked Thrush 
at Sugarloaf, a Kentucky Warbler on Slate Quarry Rd, a Northern Waterthrush 
near Noland's Ferry, a Canada Warbler and Alder Flycatcher at Lilypons, and 
several Cerulean Warblers on Tower Rd. in the Catoctin Mountains.  We ended 
up with 21 species of warbler in Frederick County.

When the birds started slowing down in the afternoon, we hopped over to the 
Hagerstown area to try for shorebirds.   A Dunlin was still present at the 
wetlands near the Walmart on Rt 40 near I-81.   The Boonsboro sewage ponds 
had a Lesser Yellowlegs and 2 Least Sandpipers in addition to a dozen Spotted 
Sandpipers.  We hit the jackpot at our last stop -- a flooded field on Monroe 
Rd, between the sewage ponds and Mill Point Rd.--  where we found 4 Semi-
palmated Plovers and a Pectoral Sandpiper.

John Hubbell
Washington DC