Hi Folks,

Having recovered from last weekend's Wicomico Co kayaking adventure with 
Bill Hubick, I decided to do a solo trip along the Patuxent River this 
morning, this time focusing on Calvert Co. where my targets were Least 
Bittern and King Rail.  I batted 50%.  I was at Magruder's Ferry Rd. at 6 
a.m., but the gate was closed, so I headed to the next road south, Milltown 
Landing Rd., where I drove back to the hunter's parking area, and then 
birded my way to the river by foot.  I spent more than an hour there, with 
the following highlights:

Milltown Landing Rd. (PG Co), 6:12 - 7:34 a.m., 3.7 miles by car and foot:

Wild Turkey--2 calling in different directions
Barred Owl--1 called spontaneously, 6:50 a.m.
RT Hummingbird--2 juveniles on trumpet vine
YB Chat--1
Scarlet Tanager--2--a male flew into a tree in the parking area with his 
mate
Field Sparrow--8 singing
Blue Grosbeak--3 singing
Orchard Oriole--a family of 5 all in one tree together

Suspecting that the gate to the boat ramp would now be open, I headed back 
to Magruder's Ferry Rd., and indeed the gate to the Watson Boat Ramp was 
open, so I unloaded, loaded, and was in the water before 8 a.m.  I headed 
straight across the river, and birded the Calvert County shoreline, then 
headed up Chew Creek, which somewhat borders the property near the end of 
Smoky Rd.  After Chew Creek, I paddled south to Cocktown Creek, and took it 
for a mile or so.  Cocktown Creek lies roughly along the northern edge of 
Kings Landing Park.  While on this part of the journey I heard one 
softly-calling LEAST BITTERN while on the Patuxent River, and heard another 
one on Chew Creek.  I counted 17 MARSH WRENs in Calvert Co., and the only 
shorebird I had was a SPOTTED SANDPIPER on Chew Creek (and probably the same 
bird back on the big river).

From near the mouth of Cocktown Creek, I crossed the Patuxent back to PG 
Co., and made a very short foray into Black Swamp Creek.  Then I headed 
straight back to the boat ramp, and ended the trip in about three hours, 
with roughly seven miles of paddling.  On the PG side of the river the most 
notable birds were four singing MARSH WRENs and a single BANK SWALLOW in a 
mix of about 20 martins and Barn Swallows.

CATTLE EGRETS IN AA CO.

The trip home was a little more interesting.  I decided to take all country 
roads back home, traveling for the first time ever along the western edge of 
AA Co. (Sands Rd., Patuxent River Rd., Rossback Rd...).  I had mentioned in 
my latest yard-bird post that northern AA County is one of the easier places 
to find Cattle Egret.  Well, I don't have to eat my words.  On Rutland Rd., 
where Phil Davis just posted about Barbara seeing several Cattle Egrets I 
saw a single bird out in the pasture.  Further north in the pasture at the 
corner of Cecil Ave and Churchview Rd., I counted 18 Cattle Egrets hanging 
out among a herd of loafing cows.  Then, just a few hundred yards to the 
west of there, in a tree at the edge of a large pond on Churchview Rd. I 
counted 71 (!) Cattle Egrets, the most I have ever seen in one place.  All 
but two or three were roosting in the one tree.  By the way, Churchview Rd. 
looks like a private road, but I didn't see any signs to that effect.  After 
the pond, I felt like I was driving through someone's private farm, and then 
I ended up going through a gate into a business establishment, and coming 
out a gate on the other side before connecting with US 301.  But again, I 
did not see any signs saying I shouldn't be there.

The last birding stop for the day was at the USNA Dairy Farm viewed from 
Dairy Farm Rd. near Gambrills.  Here I saw two groups of loafing cows, one 
group with six Cattle Egrets, and the other group with four.  So, the tally 
of Cattle Egrets in N. AA Co., all within about five miles of each other, is 
an even hundred.

Best to all,

Stan Arnold
Ferndale (AA Co.)