Hi Everybody:

On Tuesday I spent the morning birding in Baltimore County. I visited Miami Beach (no highlights), Gunpowder Falls St. Pk., Marshy point Nature Center and Fort Armistead Park.  I then went to Swan Creek off of Kembo Road and Fort Smallwood Park in Anne Arundel County. I finished with several stops in Howard County on my way home. Abridged highlights of the day follow:

Gunpowder Falls St. Pk. (My first visit here) ---Most sections off of Ebeneezer Road were closed but after talking to a ranger she said that it was OK to park at the archery range and walk into the Dundee Creek fishing area. Along a path through some high reeds I heard and then saw 2 MARSH WRENS. One of them was most cooperative and was bouncing around near the edges and gave me fantastic looks from only about 6 feet away. It also was very visible while preening for several minutes as well. One of the best sustained looks I have ever had at this bird.  Also seen in this area were 11 CANVASBACKS and 2 HERMIT THRUSHES. 

The HAMMERMAN AREA of the St. Pk. was open and I spent about one hour here. Waterfowl here included:

    COMMON MERGANSER     34
    BUFFLEHEAD    12
    COMMON GOLDENEYE     26  (a county bird)
Also seen were 2 SWAMP SPARROWS.

MARSHY POINT NATURE CENTER
    MUTE SWAN    2
    GADWALL    14
    RING-NECKED DUCK    19

FORT ARMISTEAD PARK: there were no ducks visible except for 2 flyby Bufflehead. I picked through the gulls but no surprises; 30 Ring-billed, 52 Herring and 6 Grt. Black-backed. There were a number of double-crested Cormorants sitting on adjacent abutments near the bridge over the Patapsco River. I counted 63 total. Sitting on one of the abutments with the DCCO was a single immature GREAT CORMORANT (a county bird).

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY --- SWAN CREEK---There was nothing notable here and I was in and out in 30 minutes.

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY --- FORT SMALLWOOD PK.   Fairly quiet here as well.
    BUFFLEHEAD    18
    COMMON GOLDENEYE    8
    LONG-TAILED DUCKS    3
I also had the pleasure of finally meeting Matt Gray who works there as a ranger. Very nice guy. 

My remaining stops were in HOWARD COUNTY. Since I was not too far from Race Road Wetlands and GADWALL had eluded me last week I figured that I would give it another shot. As I scoped from under the power lines I saw a total of 3 drake GADWALLS (a county bird and closeout #91). also in the mix were 2 MALLARDS, 2 BLACK DUCKS and I HOODED MERGANSER.

I then drove over to Daisy Road to look for the N. Pintail reported last week and again on Sunday (also my second try) 
but found the area covered with CANADA GEESE (77). The only ducks seen were 2 BLACK DUCKS, also 2 KILLDEER.

I  then checked several places on the Howard County side of Tridelphia Reservoir but found no waterfowl whatsoever (Still lots of ice but beginning to melt in patches. I checked for the gull flock near Ten Oaks and Brighton Dam Rd. at about 4:15 PM and found the Lesser Black-backed Gull in with approx. 130 Ring-billed Gulls which Joe Hanffman had previously reported. After scoping what I could see, the entire flock picked up and scattered at about 4:40 PM. The LBBG was a county bird.

It was a great day to be out and despite the new county birds my memory of the day will most definitely be the up and close encounter with the MARSH WREN at Gunpowder Falls St. PK. Many thanks to Joe Hanffman for keeping me up on Gadwall sightings in Howard County as well as finding the Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Jim Green
Gaithersburg, MD

Work in Moderation, BIRD IN EXCESS!!!