Once a month the Montgomery Bird Club and the Montgomery County Chapter of the Sierra Club hold an invasive species removal project at the Blue Mash Nature Trail in Montgomery County.  Before the removal work, we have a beginners bird walk.  I led the walk with 5 folks this morning, Sunday.  We weren't able to do the full circuit because of standing water and some folks not having the right footwear.  Nevertheless we had a productive morning.  Highlights were at least two Wild Turkeys heard gobbling in a brushy area close to the parking lot, a Barred Owl calling from the woods on the south side of the gravel road, a singing Field Sparrow, and singing and calling Eastern Towhees all over.  The large pond was unproductive but the small pond inside the landfill fence held Canada Goose, Northern Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, and Pied-billed Grebe.  A distant swallow inside the fence moved too fast to be identified specifically.  The complete species list from my eBird report follows below.

After the walk, we had a very satisfying time cutting down non-native multi-flora rose plants.

Jim Nelson
Bethesda, MD

Location:     Blue Mash Nature Trail
Observation date:     3/28/10
Notes:     Bird walk before invasive species removal project, joint Sierra Club/Montgomery Bird Club effort.
Number of species:     27

Canada Goose     22
Northern Shoveler     1
Ring-necked Duck     12
Wild Turkey     2
Pied-billed Grebe     2
Turkey Vulture     1
Red-shouldered Hawk     1
Mourning Dove     8
Barred Owl     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)     1
Eastern Phoebe     2
Blue Jay     12
American Crow     8
crow sp.     4
swallow sp.     1
Carolina Chickadee     2
Eastern Bluebird     2
American Robin     42
Northern Mockingbird     2
European Starling     6
Eastern Towhee     14
Field Sparrow     1
Song Sparrow     1
Northern Cardinal     8
Red-winged Blackbird     8
Common Grackle     1
Brown-headed Cowbird     3
House Finch     1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)