Hi Folks,

After nearly three weeks without internet service at home, I'm back online 
again, and able to post once again.

I have been visiting Swan Creek in northern Anne Arundel Co. once or twice a 
week since Spring, with some rather marvelous outcomes.  Yesterday was no 
exception.  It was very unbirdy during the entire outing, but I hit a little 
pocket of passerines at the concrete barrier beyond the wetlands finding a 
single Magnolia Warbler and three House Wrens.  I always scan the large 
dredge cells before visiting the wetland and then again after returning from 
the wetland.  Yesterday there were a handful of shorebirds consisting 
entirely of Semi Plovers and Least Sandpipers in the north cell at the 
beginning of my visit, and the same birds were still there as I was 
preparing to leave around 4:30 p.m.  While scanning, I heard my first 
Killdeer of the day calling from the south cell, so decided to look for it 
in case there were more.  A second Killdeer popped into view, and then a 
third, and then a........whoa......a buffy colored shorebird somewhat 
smaller, but just as tall as the Killdeer.  I was exstatic (sp?) to be 
looking at this BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER because I had made nearly a dozen 
trips to sod farms around the county specifically looking for this bird. 
When I moved to get a better look at the bird it and the killdeers flew down 
into the dry south cell into some green vegetation (of which there is 
little).  I attempted to digiscope and get video of the bird, but it was 
rather distant and I haven't downloaded my images yet to see how they look. 
An absolutely splendid new county bird, and in fact my 17th new AA county 
bird for 2009, many of them coming from Swan Creek.

After leaving Swan Creek I birded along Kembo Rd. (just outside Swan Creek) 
and found a few warblers, specifically Parula (2), Black-and-white (1), 
Redstart (2) and Ovenbird (1).

The day prior, on Wed., 16 Sep, I left work to visit Piney Orchard Preserve 
near Odenton.  I had already visited this place six or eight times in the 
past two months hoping for migrants but only finding the really common 
birds.  This visit, however, produced my first good AA County migrants of 
the season.  Early on I found my first notable bird, a GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, 
my earliest ever in the fall.  There were a few common warblers found during 
the walk, but as I was nearing the end I found the best group which included 
an imm CAPE MAY WARBLER and BAY-BREASTED WARBLER.  Other warblers seen were 
Magnolia (3), Pine (1) and Redstart (1).  There were also three Solitary and 
three Least Sandpipers in the largest pond, and I was able to call in three 
different Barred Owls, my high count for this venue.

After leaving Piney Orchard I headed to Severn Run Envirnomental Area near 
Millersville, a place I had not visited in nearly ten years.  It looked like 
it hadn't been maintained in the past ten years, too, but there were still 
some distinguishable paths through the place.  Here I found a few common 
warblers to include Parula (3), Magnolia (2), Black-and-white (1) and 
Redstart (3).  A single Barred Owl serenaded me during much of my stay.

So, the quest for migrants continues, and I plan to keep the visits to Swan 
Creek going.  It's pretty urban, and the neighborhood is fairly trashy and 
industrial, but the birds sure seem to like this place.

Stan Arnold
Ferndale (AA Co)