Dear All

Apologies for the late post - I have been unable to get to email since Friday.

After dipping out on the great morning on Friday in RCP I joined other hopefuls in the Ridge and 'Yard areas of RCP on Saturday.  It was not the day that Friday was, that's for sure but with some persistent birding with Paul Pisano and Jack Tordoff we eeked it to 20 warblers.  For the sake of the record we added the following to Wallace's post on Saturday:

Nashville - 1 Eq Field
Hooded - 1 singing Nature Centre Car Park
Canada - 1 possibly 2 Dog Run and Nat Centre Car Park
Worm-eating - 1 heard once Nature Centre Car Park

Also of note David A. heard what he thought was Prothonotary at first light, but it went silent on us. It was certainly an enjoyable morning in RCP, the only downside being the-day-before syndrome: on meeting any birding acquaintance one of the first questions was "were you here yesterday?"

I returned home (Van Ness DC) mid-morning and was enjoying a drink on our deck, reading a book to the kids when to my great surprise a White-crowned Sparrow piped up from a shrub about ten feet away.  I was able to get a couple of good looks as it fossicked around sheepishly in our garden.  That evening I was also treated to a nice fly past of feeding Nighthawks.

I wasn't able to go out yesterday morning but I needn't have worried, Rock Creek came to Van Ness instead.  I was woken up by a singing Swainson's Thrush and then treated to six spp of warbler in our garden including Yellow, Magnolia, Blackpoll, a nice Canada and, on the other side of the deck this time, a beautiful Chestnut-sided Warbler singing at full volume.  Tremendous.

I wasn't able to get out and try for the Dunlin at Hains but am hoping it might stick around today.

Cheers

Gary Allport

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