I had a good morning walk around Schoolhouse Pond today.  The highlight was when an immature Cattle Egret flew relatively low overhead.  The dark, short legs, stocky build, and relatively short wide wings were evident, making the bird appear more like a night heron than a juvenile Little Blue.   Cattle Egrets turn up at the rear of the pond every few years, but this one did not set down.  Also present was one adult Black-crowned Night Heron (there have been two on and off the past few weeks), 3 Green Herons, 5 Great Blue Herons, and 2 Great Egrets.  A group of 21 Laughing Gulls also flew overhead heading in the direction of Jug Bay.

I also had a nice pocket of songbirds at the rear platform, with birds including a female Black and White Warbler, Indigo Bunting, 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Parula, and Common Yellowthroat.  There are also a large number of Catbirds around the edge and rear of the pond.

Fred Shaffer
Patuxent MOS