This morning at the Little Patuxent Oxbow Lake Nature Preserve, Jay Sheppard and I participated in an exciting step forward to building the viewing platform that we've been talking about for a few years. This morning representatives from about 10 companies were on site to hear about what we enabout our vision and to begin their work on putting together a preliminary design. Soon we'll select a design and have an idea of how much will be needed to build the platform. We are working with Southern Maryland Resource Conservation & Development to make this all happen. Someday when you come to see that rarity at the Oxbow, you'll have an excellent platform from which to set up your scopes and cameras!

There wasn't a lot of birding activity, but here's what I remember:

Trumpeter Swan #960 (he was making noise almost the whole 2 hours we were on sight)
Canada Geese
Mallard
Wood Duck
Gadwall (2)
Chimney Swift
Great Blue Heron
Little Blue Heron (3)
Red-tailed Hawk
Turkey Vulture
Nothern Flicker
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch

Marcy Stutzman
Russett, MD