Hi Everybody:
Helen Patton and I spent the morning birding in Hartford County. We made a brief stop at Otter Point off of Rt. 40, spent several hours walking around the wetland area at Swan Harbor, then moved further down Oakington Road birding from the roadside. Our highlights at Swan Harbor included BOBOLINKS, LEAST & AMERICAN BITTERNS, SORA, MARSH WREN, WILD TURKEY & PEREGRINE FALCON. Warblers on Oakington Road included CERULEAN, PROTHONOTARY & BLACK-THROATED GREEN. After that we went to Lapidum and then drove along Stafford Road in Susquehanna State Park. The Deer Creek Picnic Area gate was open; we spent some lucrative time walking short distances on the different trails at the back end of the Picnic Area Parking Lot (the first time that either of us had explored this spot). Some of the birds we had here included BLUE-WINGED & BLACK-THROATED WARBLERS, & YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. After leaving Susquehanna St. Pk. we took back roads over to Belair for a quick lunch.
We "wasted" most of the rest of the day driving through Baltimore where we came up empty at Patterson Park looking for the Sedge Wren and then driving through center city to get to Southwest Area Park where we struck out on sparrows, specifically Grasshopper. We did finish our day on a positive note by seeing the Howard County COMMON MOORHEN at Centennial Lake. We had no rain until we had the scope on the C. Moorhen and then got soaked walking back to the car. Reflecting on the great day we had we agreed that we did not even feel a drop of rain. We had a total of 101 birds for the day with 98 of them in Harford County. Below is a list of our day's highlights:
HARTFORD COUNTY
OTTER POINT - (adj. to Rt. 40)
N. Rough-winged Swallow 2
Orchard oriole 1
Baltimore Oriole 1
SWAN HARBOR - we birded the road in and the wetland area only
Wood Duck 6
Blue-winged Teal 1 drake
Peregrine Falcon 1 perched in a dead tree as we left Swan Harbor (County bird for Helen & Jim)
Wild Turkey 1 heard calling numerous times just outside of the park on our way out (County bird - Helen & Jim))
Pied- billed Grebe 1 seen by me and both of us heard it calling several times
American Bittern 3 all of them flushed as we walked the perimeter; one of them gave its throaty croak call as it flew off
(county bird - Jim)
Least Bittern 3 all of them flushed as we walked the perimeter and flew to opposite ends of the wetland which
enabled great views while in flight; also heard themcall periodically (County bird - Helen & Jim)
Black-crowned Night Heron 1
Bald Eagle 2
Sora 1 called one time (County bird - Helen)
Killdeer 1
Greater Yellowlegs 5
Lesser Yellowlegs 8
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 5
Least Sandpiper 9
Wilson's Snipe 1
Tree Swallow 12
Bank Swallow 3
Barn Swallow 9
Marsh Wren 2 (County bird - Helen)
Wood Thrush 5 numerous on the road approaching Swan Harbor
Yellow Warbler 1
Louisiana Waterthrush 1
Ovenbird 2
Savannah Sparrow 5
Swamp Sparrow 1
Bobolink 6 hung around the fields near the blind the entire time we were there; what a beautiful song!!!
(County bird - Helen & Jim)
OAKINGTON ROAD
N. Parula 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 4
Cerulean Warbler 2 (County bird - Jim)
Prothonotary Warbler 1 (County bird - Jim)
Ovenbird 1
CHESAPEAKE DRIVE in HAVRE de GRACE
Chimney Swift 2
Blackpoll Warbler 1 (County bird for Helen & Jim)
LAPIDUM & SUSQUEHANNA ST. PK.
Common Loon 1 (full breeding plumage) initially seen in the river on the Hartford side and 5 minutes later flew down river
and hit the Cecil County side of the river - the famous double dip - a County bird for Helen & Jim in BOTH
counties!
Osprey 1
Caspian Tern 18 (seen in both counties)
Forster's Tern 1 (Hartford only)
Acadian Flycatcher 1
Great-crested Flycatcher 2
White-eyed Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo 2
Common Raven 1 heard calling (county bird for Helen & Jim)
Wood Thrush 4
Cerulean Warbler 6
Scarlet Tanager 2
N. Parula 1
E. Towhee 1
Indigo Bunting 1
DEER CREEK PICNIC AREA TRAILS (in Suss. St. Pk.)
Acadian Flycatcher 1
White-eyed Vireo 1
Blue-winged Warbler 1 (County bird for Helen & Jim)
Black-throated Blue Warbler 1 ((County bird for Helen & Jim)
Ovenbird 1
Amer. Redstart 1
Yellow-breasted Chat 1 (County bird for Jim)
Chipping Sparrow 2
Field Sparrow 1
GLENVILLE ROAD
Ovenbird 1
Scarlet Tanager 1
HARMONY CHURCH ROAD
Brown Thrasher 2
E. Phoebe 1
Yellow-throated Vireo 1
N. Parula 1
Common Yellowthroat 2
Prairie Warbler 1 (County bird for Helen & Jim)
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Baltimore Oriole 1
THOMAS RUN ROAD
Purple Martin 2
Yellow Warbler 4 all in the same location
Rose-breasted Grosbeak seen by Jim only (County bird for Jim)
Orchard Oriole 1
PENNINGTON ROAD
Rough-winged Swallow 3
E. Meadowlark 1 singing from the top of a spruce tree
SOUTHWEST AREA PARK (BALTIMORE COUNTY)
Bald Eagle 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Barn Swallow 2
House Wren 1
Yellow Warbler 2
common Yellowthroat 4
Savannah Sparrow 3
CENTENNIAL LAKE (HOWARD COUNTY)
Great Egret 1
Common Moorhen 1 (County bird for Helen & Jim)
Belted Kingfisher 1
Rough-winged Swallow 3
Barn Swallow 2
E. Kingbird 1
Yellow Warbler 1
The end to a great day of birding. Is there a day of sunshine on the horizon?
Jim Green
Gaithersburg, MD
WORK IN MODERATION, BIRD IN EXCESS!!! |