I led a field trip for Montgomery Bird Club yesterday from 5 PM to 8PM. We met on the bridge at Riley's Lock on the C & O Canal topath. It was a beautiful evening  and we had 15 participants. When we left Riley's Lock our other stops were Sycamore Landing Road, then Hughes Hollow and then back to Sycamore Landing Road for A. Woodcock display.

The majority of the waterfowl seem to have moved out about a week ago. Two of the White-winged Scoters and the lone Surf Scoter were still hanging around near the Va. side of the Potomac River. Other than Pied-billed  and Horned Grebes on the Potomac R. and a flyby imm. Bald Eagle there was not much else to report.

We walked most of the second half of Sycamore Landing Road. A surprised (15 birders walking down the road) Wild Turkey came out of the woods and stopped halfway across the road, reversed direction and then quickly disappeared. Our real highlight was a flock of Rusty Blackbirds moving around in the trees and then moving lower into the wet areas. We had good looks at some perched birds. Moving around made it difficult to count them but several of us agreed that a conservative estimate of 200 was a low count. Let's hope they all survive on their breeding grounds to show up next year.

Over at Hughes Hollow there was very little variety of ducks in the impoundments; primarily Ring-necked Ducks. We heard but never saw a calling Pied-billed Grebe. We stood on the pathway observing waterfowl flying by, dropping into roost, etc. We had a pair of Hooded Mergansers, quite a few Wood Ducks, and 3 N. Pintails overhead. We also had a pair of male Blue-winged  Teal drop into the impoundment. Other species of note included a Winter Wren, a very distant Red-headed Woodpecker and about a dozen Tree Swallows. We heard a single note call of a Barred Owl.
Our last stop (back over to Sycamore Landing Rd.) left us standing emptyhanded for 25 minutes because we did not hear or see one displaying A. Woodcock. We did have two raspily (if that's a word) calling Wilson's Snipe flyby about 7:50 PM.

I will post a list of species seen as soon as I get a chance.

Jim Green
Gaithersburg, MD
301-208-2393