You beat my Jug Bay FOY Osprey by two days. Now, just three days later, they have moved in with good numbers. I saw five today, two pairs and a lone bird (as far as I could tell, but maybe his/her mate was out and about). Both pairs were bringing new vegetation and sticks to their respected platforms, adding to the nesting material that survived the winter. Other FOY Jug Bay birds today were two male RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, a lone Ruddy Duck, and three Buffleheads, marking the first time, I believe, I've ever seen a Ruddy Duck or a Bufflehead on the Patuxent in PG County.

Just a little ways up the river, at Mt. Calvert, I had my FOY Laughing Gull. I agree that overall the gulls numbers have dropped in Jug Bay over the last 2 days or so. On March 4th, I had roughly 800 gulls (Ring-billed, Herring, GBBG) at Mt. Calvert and 750 at Jug Bay, which is a total of about 1600 gulls in the span of one mile on the river. Today there were only 5 gulls on the water at Jug Bay, but about 50-75 more soaring across the river in AACO. At Mt. Calvert, there were a little bit more, totaling about 160.

I tried looking for the previously reported Sandhill Cranes, but had no luck during my hour at the Patuxent Research Refuge - South Tract, and 45 minutes driving around BARC. 

Notables from the day: 20 Tundra Swans flying over White Marsh Park, heading north-northwest, at the South Tract: 7 Tree Swallows and 1 singing Chipping Sparrow, at Mt. Calvert: 1 Laughing Gull, 114 Green-winged Teal, 9 Wood Ducks, and at Jug Bay: 3 Bufflehead, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 1 Ruddy Duck, 5 Osprey, 4 Eastern Phoebes, and 10 Rusty Blackbirds.

Complete lists:

Location:     Patuxent Research Refuge--South Tract
Observation date:     3/11/09, 12:45-1:35pm
Number of species:     22

Canada Goose     96
American Black Duck     2
Ring-necked Duck     24
Turkey Vulture     3
Bald Eagle     1
Pileated Woodpecker     1
Eastern Phoebe     2
Blue Jay     2
American Crow     1
Tree Swallow     7
Carolina Chickadee     2
Tufted Titmouse     2
White-breasted Nuthatch     3
Carolina Wren     1
Eastern Bluebird     2
American Robin     3
Chipping Sparrow     1     singing
Song Sparrow     3
White-throated Sparrow     3
Dark-eyed Junco     1
Northern Cardinal     4
Red-winged Blackbird     4

Location:     Greenbelt Lake
Observation date:     3/11/09
Number of species:     7

Canada Goose     27
Mallard     6
Ring-billed Gull     8
Tufted Titmouse     1
American Robin     19
Song Sparrow     2
Common Grackle     25

Location:     Patuxent River Park--Mt. Calvert
Observation date:     3/11/09, 3:15-3:45pm
Number of species:     19

Canada Goose     20
Wood Duck     9
American Black Duck     94
Green-winged Teal     114
Common Merganser     2
Turkey Vulture     1
Northern Harrier     1
Laughing Gull     1
Ring-billed Gull     50
Herring Gull     110
Eastern Phoebe     1
American Crow     2
Eastern Bluebird     2
Northern Mockingbird     1
European Starling     2
Eastern Towhee     2
Song Sparrow     12
Northern Cardinal     4
Red-winged Blackbird     25

Location:     Patuxent River Park
Observation date:     3/11/09, 4:00-5:30pm
Number of species:     34

Canada Goose     10
American Black Duck     4
Green-winged Teal     3
Bufflehead     3
Common Merganser     9
Red-breasted Merganser     2
Ruddy Duck     1     
Great Blue Heron     2
Black Vulture     3
Turkey Vulture     1
Osprey     5
Bald Eagle     1
Ring-billed Gull     2
Herring Gull     3
Mourning Dove     1
Belted Kingfisher     2
Red-bellied Woodpecker     2
Downy Woodpecker     2
Northern Flicker     1
Eastern Phoebe     4
Blue Jay     2
American Crow     5
Fish Crow     3
Carolina Chickadee     3
Tufted Titmouse     2
Eastern Towhee     2
Song Sparrow     3
Swamp Sparrow     2
White-throated Sparrow     18
Northern Cardinal     10
Red-winged Blackbird     65
Rusty Blackbird     10
Common Grackle     1
American Goldfinch     1


Robert Ostrowski
Bowie, MD