Hi Everyone,

I spent a few hours at Fort Smallwood this afternoon, enjoying the interesting weather and some nice bird activity. Sue Ricciardi had moved to the parking lot for better viewing conditions, so I hung out with her and did some scanning there until she had to get going. I then moved down to the hawk watch and noticed an interesting bird on the southern jetty. Is that a... Willet? Yep, it sure was. It was my second at Fort Smallwood and only my third ever in Anne Arundel Co. It hung out for the rest of the evening and was successfully chased by Dan and Declan Haas, Stan Arnold, and Matt Grey. I didn't approach too closely because we didn't want to flush it before Stan and Matt got there. I'm hesitant to call the subspecies for now, so I guess it's time to hit the Willet subspecies literature again. Migrant Blue Jay and Tree Swallow numbers were impressive. Of note were my first COMMON TERN from the park this year, as well as my first-ever PRAIRIE WARBLER in
 the park. It was singing just north of the pond. I thought I heard a single COMMON MOORHEN call note from back in the pond, but it wasn't clear or close enough to be certain. 

Canada Goose--12
Double-crested Cormorant--26
Turkey Vulture--3
Osprey--3
Bald Eagle--1
Sharp-shinned Hawk--1
Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern)--1
Killdeer--3
Spotted Sandpiper--1
WILLET--1; hanging out and foraging on the southernmost jetty
Herring Gull--18
Great Black-backed Gull--5
COMMON TERN--1
Rock Pigeon--4
Mourning Dove--3
Red-bellied Woodpecker--1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)--1
Great Crested Flycatcher--2
Eastern Kingbird--2
Blue Jay--150; large migrant flocks flying around the park
Purple Martin--1
Tree Swallow--200; impressive swarm of swallows, especially high up. Sue said there were many thousands earlier in the day
Northern Rough-winged Swallow--2
Carolina Chickadee--2
Carolina Wren--2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--2
Eastern Bluebird--2
American Robin--10
Northern Mockingbird--3
European Starling--25
Prairie Warbler--1; singing north of the pond; my first at Fort Smallwood
White-throated Sparrow--3
Northern Cardinal--4
Red-winged Blackbird--20
Common Grackle (Purple)--2
Orchard Oriole--1
Baltimore Oriole--1

Good birding!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com