I birded the C&O Canal in Frederick County this morning (Wednesday) from the Monocacy Aqueduct to Noland's Ferry.  It was incredibly foggy driving out through Montgomery County and cold with a low cloud ceiling for a good part of my walk.  This probably kept the birds down.  I saw 44 species.  Highlights were lots of Wood Duck and Common Merganser on the Potomac, an adult Bald Eagle perched quietly above the Canal, a very sorrowful sounding Common Raven moving along the towpath with me, a male Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) coming into full breeding plumage, and two singing Field Sparrows in a weedy field beyond the trees.  Otherwise all the usual suspects that I would expect in this very woodsy stretch of the towpath.  My complete list from eBird follows.

Jim Nelson
Bethesda, Montgomery Co.

Location:     C&O Canal--Mouth of the Monocacy (Frederick County)
Observation date:     3/18/09

Canada Goose     41
Wood Duck     30
Mallard     4
Common Merganser     12
Double-crested Cormorant     2
Great Blue Heron     1
Turkey Vulture     2
Bald Eagle     1
Red-shouldered Hawk     1
Red-tailed Hawk     1
Killdeer     2
gull sp.     7
Belted Kingfisher     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     20
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     3
Downy Woodpecker     15
Hairy Woodpecker     2
Northern Flicker     1
Pileated Woodpecker     6
Eastern Phoebe     1
Blue Jay     8
American Crow     15
Fish Crow     1
crow sp.     4
Common Raven     1
Carolina Chickadee     31
Tufted Titmouse     19
White-breasted Nuthatch     21
Brown Creeper     4
Carolina Wren     21
Winter Wren     3
Golden-crowned Kinglet     5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     1
Eastern Bluebird     5
American Robin     4
European Starling     26
Yellow-rumped Warbler     2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)     1
Field Sparrow     2
Song Sparrow     6
White-throated Sparrow     5
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)     4
Northern Cardinal     14
Common Grackle     7
Brown-headed Cowbird     5
American Goldfinch     10