Hi all --

Barry and I led a bird walk for Montgomery Bird Club today, visiting Oland
and New Design Rds., Lilypons and the Claggett Center. It was a lovely day,
certainly the best weather in quite a while and the birds were pretty
active.

All in all, we had 48-49 species, highlights being:

3 LAPLAND LONGSPURS with about 35 Horned Larks along Oland Rd. There were a
number of other Lark flocks, the fields look very good this year (for a
change)
2 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, 4-5 FOX SPARROWS and a single WHITE-CROWNED
SPARROW in Lilypons. The Tree Sparrows were along the edge of the first
ponds/wet areas you come to walking in from the road.
6 to 8 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS at the Claggett Ctr, along the hedgerow
towards the hiking trail.

Other nice birds included Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Brown Creepers,
Wilson's Snipe, Swamp Sparrows and a late GRAY CATBIRD at Lilypons. We had
some very large blackbird flocks, mostly Grackles, but few waterfowl.

Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper
Colesville, MD