Hi Everyone,

My wife Becky and I enjoyed our first COMMON NIGHTHAWKs of the year as they called and hunted just south of Fort Smallwood early this morning (5/8). Becky said she had two of them at dawn yesterday (5/7) as well. 

Our yard in Rockwood Beach at dawn:

COMMON NIGHTHAWK--2
Chuck-will's-widow--1; singing to south
House Wren--1
Gray Catbird--3
Common Yellowthroat--1
Song Sparrow--1
White-throated Sparrow--1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak--1
Indigo Bunting--1
Baltimore Oriole--1

Yesterday afternoon I couldn't resist a visit to Fort Smallwood Park to hear the Eastern Spadefoot Toads noted by Sue and Hal. The toads had certainly quieted down, but I did get to hear one calling in the wet area south of the pond. The closest I'd ever had them to this area was Parris Glendening Park in southern Anne Arundel Co. Great find! Fort Smallwood was loaded with migrant songbirds last night, with catbirds and yellowthroats being particularly abundant. My highlights were a PROTHONOTARY WARBLER and a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT in the central woodland area, both firsts for me at Fort Smallwood. I'm sure I could have come up with more if I'd spent more time. Here's the abridged list:

Double-crested Cormorant--1
Killdeer--4
Solitary Sandpiper--1
Great Crested Flycatcher--1
Eastern Kingbird--1
Barn Swallow--1
House Wren--2; one was making snake-like hissing calls at a COYE that had approached too closely
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher--2
Eastern Bluebird--1
Gray Catbird--13
Brown Thrasher--1
Cedar Waxwing--3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)--3
Black-and-white Warbler--1
American Redstart--2
Prothonotary Warbler--1; singing in central puddle area; my first at Fort Smallwood
Common Yellowthroat--14
Yellow-breasted Chat--1; my first at Fort Smallwood
Field Sparrow--1; migrant
Savannah Sparrow (Eastern)--1; migrant; uncommon here
Song Sparrow--1
Swamp Sparrow--2
White-throated Sparrow--2
Baltimore Oriole--1

I then met up with Jim Brighton and Ron Gutberlet for a few late afternoon birding stops. I believe Ron will post about those in the near future.

Good birding!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com