Hi Everybody:

 I spent the weekend camping in Green Ridge St. Forest in Allegany County. Within walking distance of the campsite near Sidling Hill Creek were 2 pair of COMMON MERGANSERS slowly swimming upstream (potential breeders?). Friday night I went for a walk and heard an E. SCREECH OWL. When I returned to the campsite i was told by others that a WHIPPOORWILL called twice but it did not vocalize anymore.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18 - the day was spent making stops throughout Garrett and Allegany counties 

FINZEL SWAMP - GARRETT COUNTY - I arrived at  Finzel just before sunrise and immediately heard lots of "gobbling" Was it the bird or anxious hunters calling WILD TURKEYS on the first day of Spring hunting season? I later had a W. Turkey fly out of a tree near the parking lot. SWAMP SPARROWS were singing and I heard a drumming RUFFED GROUSE several times before 7: 30 AM.

PINEY RUN RESERVOIR-  on the reservoir:
    Common Loon - 1 in full breeding plumage
    D.-C. Cormorants - 3
    Pied-billed Grebe - 2
    Greater Scaup - 2
   Common Merganser - 1 male
   Red-breasted Merganser = 1 male
   Ruddy Duck - 12
   Osprey - 2
   Golden-crowned (7) and Ruby-crowned Kinglets (2)
On the opposite side of the road from the reservoir were 3 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, a pair of BLUE-WINGED TEAL and 1 GREATER YELLOWLEGS.

MEADOW LAKE & CAMPGROUND
   Pied-billed Grebe - 4
   Ring-necked Duck - 18
   Lesser Scaup - 1
   Greater Scaup - 3
   Red-breasted Merganser - 3 female
   Hooded Merganser - 2 femae
   Bufflehead - 3
   Ruddy Duck - 1

YOUGHIOGHENY RIVER LAKE (at the end of W. Old Morgantown Road) - there were many fisherman and boater using the lake so I walked some of the wet and marshy edges. Birds of note included:
   Wood duck - 15
   Greater Yellowlegs - 3
   Wilson's Snipe - 1
   E. Phoebe - 1
   Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1
   Louisiana Waterthrush - 1
   Rusty Blackbird - 2

BUFFALO RUN ROAD
   Blue-headed vireo - 2
   Louisiana Waterthrush - 3

TROUT RUN
   Greater Scaup - 1 
   Killdeer - 1
   Greater Yellowlrgs - 2

JENNINGS RANDOLPH LAKE
   Ring-billed gull - 7
   Herring Gull - 2

ROCKY GAP - ALLEGANY COUNTY
   Greater Scaup - 4
   Hooded Merganser - 1 
   Ring-billed Gulls  - 20
   Bonaparte's Gulls - 3 (@ in breeding plumage)

SUNDAY, APRIL 19 - I woke up to singing Louisiana Waterthrush at the campsite. While driving out of the Green Ridge Stat Forest  I heard 5 other L. Waterthrush on Cliff Road. I also observed a pair; the male was singing and I watched the female (presumably) gathering nesting material and returning to the obvious nest sight 4 different times.

HENLINE ROAD - WASHINGTON COUNTY
   Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2
   Brown Thrasher - 6
   Blue-headed vireo - 1
   Field Sparrow - 12

EXLINE ROAD - WASHINGTON COUNTY
   Ring-necked Pheasant - 1  in a field about 1/4 mile from the intercestion of Woodmont Rd.
   Brown Thrasher - 4
   Field Sparrow - 5

WOODMONT ROAD - WASHINGTON COUNTY
   Cooper's Hawk - 1
   Wild Turkey - 1
   Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1
   Brown Thrasher - 1
   Louisiana Waterthrush - 5

BIG POOL - WASHINGTON COUNTY 
   Osprey - 1
   Greater Scaup - 1

McCOY'S FERRY ROAD @ C & O CANAL - WASHINGTON COUNTY
   N. Parula Warbler - 1
   Rough-winged swallow - 2

ASHTON ROAD - WASHINGTON COUNTY
   Savannah Sparrow - 3

Dam # 5 - WASHINGTON COUNTY

   Wood Duck - 2
   Greater Scaup - 1

Williamsport - The only species on the Potomac River was Double-crested Cormorant. Six of them were perched on a log in the river and one of them showed white tufts on the head. I had never seen this before.

It was a great weekend of camping, birding and beautiful weather. 

Jim Green
Gaithersburg, MD

WORK IN MODERATION, BIRD IN EXCESS!!!