Hi Everyone,

My wife Becky and I spent most of the day driving around in the rain looking for waterfowl. We started the day at Big Pool in Washington County and worked back roads east to Little Seneca Lake. Dabbler numbers appeared to have dropped since recent reports, but I thought diversity was still pretty good. 

The Potomac River is very seriously flooded, and many of the C&O Canal access roads are underwater. I won't forget the scene at Dam #5, where the dam was completely overflowed, whole logs getting tossed about in the powerful torrent. We saw many homes, especially looking into West Virginia, that were surrounded by water. I'm used to seeing rapids, but I've never seen crashing waves along the shores of the Potomac before. Many roads have "High Water" signs, and with no exceptions, they were actually impassable. It was an interesting day to be out!

Here are the abridged eBird lists:

Fort Frederick SP---Big Pool

Canada Goose--23
Wood Duck--41
Gadwall--6
American Wigeon--2
American Black Duck--35
Mallard--13
Northern Pintail--1 hen
Green-winged Teal (American)--1
Ring-necked Duck--21
Bufflehead--2
Hooded Merganser--3
Common Merganser--11
Killdeer--1
Hairy Woodpecker--3
Eastern Phoebe--1
Golden-crowned Kinglet--1
Song Sparrow--1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)--3
Spring Peepers quite vocal at both ends of the lake. 

Hagerstown Mall Ponds

Did a cursory check for the Loggerhead Shrike, but didn't see it.
Expected species.
Sit-down lunch and a Bloody Mary. 

Kershner's Pond

Cackling Goose (Richardson's)--1
Canada Goose--1900
Gadwall--6
American Wigeon--9
American Black Duck--110
Mallard--84
Northern Pintail--2
Green-winged Teal (American)--13
Canvasback--7
Redhead--3
Ring-necked Duck--57
Bufflehead--4
Hooded Merganser--5
Common Merganser--14
Red-breasted Merganser--9. Departed as a flock soon after we arrived.
Ruddy Duck--5
Great Blue Heron--1
Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern)--1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)--1

Greenfield Road

Canada Goose--45, northbound flock
Red-shouldered Hawk--1
Ring-billed Gull--1
Brown Creeper--1
Golden-crowned Kinglet--1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--1
Song Sparrow--2
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)--9
American Goldfinch--12 (most that I've seen since the blizzards)

Sugarloaf Mountain--Comus Road

HERMIT THRUSH--1. Coveted county closeout (#118). 
(Yes, they're all coveted.) 

Black Hill RP--Little Seneca Lake

Canvasback--4
Bufflehead--16
Common Goldeneye--3
Hooded Merganser--11
Common Merganser--113
Pied-billed Grebe--2
Ring-billed Gull--5
Pileated Woodpecker--1

For anyone interested, I've posted two pages of new photos from a recent trip to southern Florida, birding mostly around the Everglades with Matt Hafner and Adam Kent. Hope you enjoy!

http://www.billhubick.com/photos/updates/20100310.php

Good birding!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com