Hi everybody:

     I had Tuesday and Wednesday off and decided to hit the road with the binoculars and scope. I arrived on the Anne Arrundel side of Governor's Bridge Road about an hour before daylight. After a ten minute wait I first heard and then saw a BARRED OWL fly across the road. This was the bird that I was hoping to start the day with.  I next made several stops along Patuxent River Road. The best bird at one of these stops was a calling Red-breasted Nuthatch.

    I then headed south in A.A. County to try my luck at Sands Road Park and see if any of the sparrows reported last week by Hans Holbrook were still around. After this I headed towards Paris Glendening Natural Area off of Plummer Lane. After this I made stops in Prince George's County at Schoolhouse Pond, Brown Station Rd. and the Jug Bay area. My last stop was the marsh in North Beach. 

   Below is an abridged list of what I saw:

SANDS ROAD PARK (Anne Arrundel County):
     This was my first visit here and the park has some great sparrow habitat. There was no sign of either the Vesper or Savannah Sparrows previously reported:

     Red-shouldered Hawk     1
     Ruby-crowned Kinglet     5
     N. Flicker     6
     Pileated Woodpecker     1
     Song Sparrow     11
     Swamp Sparrow     2
     Field Sparrow     9
     Lincoln Sparrow     1  (a County Bird) - FOY
     White-crowned Sparrow     2   (both imm. - FOS)
     White-throated Sparrow   2   (FOS)
     E. Towhee     8
     Palm Warbler     1  (yellow race)
     Yellow-rumped Warbler     2
     Common Yellowthroat     1 

PARIS GLENDENING NATURAL AREA  (A.A. Co.)

     Cooper's Hawk     1
     Winter Wren     1  (FOS)
     Ruby-crowned Kinglet     1
     Swamp sparrow     2
     Savannah Sparrow     (3)   (a County Bird)

SCHOOLHOUSE POND  (PrInce Georges County)
     
     Great Egret     1
     Black Vulture     9 kettling overhead
     Bald Eagle     1
     Laughing Gulls     40     mostly overhead

BROWN STATION ROAD   (Prince Georges County)

     Lesser Yellowlegs     1
     Great Egret     1
     Laughing Gulls     45
     Ring-billed Gulls     15
     Herring Gulls      5

JACKSON LANDING -  Patuxent River Park
     Black Duck     11
     Ruddy Duck     1

Wildlife Loop
     Yellow-belliesd Sapsucker     1
     Blue-headed Vireo     1   (a County bird)
     Yellow-rumped Warblers   30+   (they seemingly were everywhere)
(There was nothing of note at Selby's Landing) 

NORTH BEACH wetland     (CALVERT COUNTY)

     Snowy Egret     2
     Killdeer     2
     Semipalmated Plover    4
     Lesser Yellowlegs     7
     Least Sandpiper     2

The Barred Owl and the Savannah Sparrow in Anne Arrundel County were my 87th and 88th closeouts respectively. When I left Calvert County I headed across the Bay Bridge and drove to Rock Hall in Kent County where I spent the night. My Wednesday report on Eastern Neck NWR and other spots in Kent County will be posted tomorrow.

Jim Green
Gaithersburg, MD

work in moderation, BIRD IN EXCESS!!!