On 12/26 I did the Blackwater Xmas Count and covered the Bestpitch area (DeLorme pg32 A2 &A3). 

I had 70 species in my area plus another 6 that I picked up along the wildlife drive. The unofficial count was about 130 species. 


My highlights were: 

Northern Goshawk     1 immature at Cedar Landing 
Rough-legged Hawk     1 dark phase where the main power line cross Griffith Neck Rd 
Golden Eagle     1 near the Bestpitch boat landing 
Wilson's Snipe     10 
Short-eared Owl     3 
Brown-headed Nuthatch     20 
Winter Wren     1 
Marsh Wren     1 
Brown Thrasher     1 Longfield section of BNWR 
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     8 low numbers 
Eastern Towhee     3 
Savannah Sparrow     65 Longfield section of BNWR 

Red-winged Blackbird 1500 (an extremely low number) 



Joe Hanfman 

Columbia, MD