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Subject:

King Rail (heard) at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

From:

Gail Mackiernan

Reply-To:

Gail Mackiernan

Date:

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:53:51 -0400

Hi all --

Cool and cloudy so we decided to head over to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in
case there was a bittern around, or a rail. Well, no bittern but we heard a
KING RAIL calling at the edge of the marsh (on right) looking out from the
first boardwalk overlook! We then asked and received permission from the KAG
manager to play a tape of the KR call to try and entice the bird out. But
although it called back aggressively in response a number of times, it
stubbornly would not show. (Which is, based on our experience with KR over
the years at Huntley Meadows, pretty typical!)

Other than that, not too much other than local breeders but some of these
were nice to see for the first time this year:

Solitary sandpiper (1, FOY)
Greater Yellowlegs (1)
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (2 males, FOY)
Yellow Warbler (3-4, FOY)
Northern Parula (1)
Common Yellowthroat (8-10)
Myrtle Warbler (15+)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (6-7)
White-eyed Vireo (2, FOY)
WARBLING VIREO (1, FOY)
Red-eyed Vireo (2)
Orchard Oriole (2-3)
Baltimore Oriole (1)
Swamp Sparrow (5)

Kenilworth Park was quiet because the lawn mowers and other noisemakers were
out in force. One Killdeer only.

We then drove home via Hains Point but it was also dead quiet save a pair of
adult Bald Eagles and a couple of Brown Thrashers.

Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper
Colesville, MD