I had good walks around Schoolhouse Pond both this morning and at lunchtime today. This morning's highlights included a flyover American Kestrel (which made an unsuccessful pass at a Red-winged Blackbird), a Field Sparrow mixed in with a group of Song Sparrows, and a small group of newly arrived Northern Shovelers.
At lunchtime, I found a fall female Rusty Blackbird near the rear observation platform. The bird perched low in a shrub and gave me some good views before flying into some nearby vegetation out of sight. Also present near the platform was a very active group of 10+ Yellow-rumped Warblers. Other birds present included a flyover Red-tailed Hawk, as well as some Mallards and one female Gadwall. No gulls were on the water at noon today, but there were small numbers of flyover Laughing, Ring-billed, and Herring Gulls both in the AM and at noon.
Fred Shaffer
Patuxent MOS
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