Hi --

The three Uppies were still there at 2:30 when we arrived, directions as in
Jim's post. They seemed to be feeding actively at the far edge of the longer
grass, sometimes one or the other completely out of view.

We then drove down River and turned up Elmer School Road looking for
grassland birds in the unmowed area of the NIH property. Quite a bit of bird
activity considering the time of day, most frustrating a close-to-the-road
BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO that called continuously but could not be located!

Other birds of interest seen/heard:

Yellow-billed Cuckoo (calling in response to BB)
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Phoebe
Yellow Warbler
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW (one on fence beyond unmowed area)
Indigo Bunting

However the unmowed grass was less active than the mowed areas -- go figure!

Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper
Colesville, MD


on 08/02/2009 2:41 PM, James Moore at  wrote:

> Just got back and all three birds were there at 1:15 PM (Sunday). Thanks
> for spotting these Clive! I had not seen any since they were called
> Upland Plover.
> 
> For those unfamiliar with the area, this is on the unpaved portion of
> River Road, about 2 or 3 miles east of White's Ferry. There is a fairly
> large wooden sign in front of a house that says Patton's & Sons Turf
> Farm (or words to that effect) on the right side of the road if you're
> traveling east from White's Ferry. The birds were in a field to the
> right (the river side) about a 10th of a mile further east of that sign,
> in a depression in a short grass turf field where the grass is slightly
> longer. Even in the taller grass, you can see their heads poking above
> the top of the grass. There were also several meadowlarks in the same area.
> 
> Good birding!
> Jim Moore
> Rockville, Maryland
> 
<snip>