I sandwiched a day at the office with good birding in PG County. As has already been mentioned, I enjoyed the two Long-tailed Ducks at the Patuxent Research Refuge's South Tract/Visitor Center area, found by Holly Vaughn yesterday. 

After work, I stopped by Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary, which is rapidly becoming my favorite shorebirding spot in the county. It was very busy this evening with the best bird being two PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, my first in the county in the Spring. Other shorebirds present:

Killdeer     12
Greater Yellowlegs     31 - A very good total. The new high count in eBird for PG, besting the previous mark by 5.
Lesser Yellowlegs     5 - A typical count. Short of the eBird PG high count by 115, set by Jim Stasz at BARC in 1998. 
Wilson's Snipe     4

All the shorebirds were seen from the visitor center's balcony, in front of the big pond.

On the way out of Merkle, on Nottingham Rd., there were 8 Wild Turkeys feeding in a field.

I finished the evening at Selby's Landing, where there are still a bunch of Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal. The teal, and just about every other bird you see from Selby's Landing, are always on the Anne Arundel side of the river. I guess that's ok.

Full lists:

Location:     Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary
Observation date:     3/31/10
Number of species:     15

Canada Goose     34
Black Vulture     9
Turkey Vulture     4
Osprey     1
Killdeer     12
Greater Yellowlegs     31     All on the big pond. 
Lesser Yellowlegs     5     
PECTORAL SANDPIPER     2     http://www.flickr.com/photos/35144142@N04/4479969297/
Wilson's Snipe     4
Tree Swallow     10
Northern Mockingbird     3
European Starling     15
Red-winged Blackbird     1
Brown-headed Cowbird     2
House Finch     2

Location:     Patuxent River--Selby's Landing
Observation date:     3/31/10
Number of species:     20

Canada Goose     25
Wood Duck     2
Great Blue Heron     1
Osprey     2
Bald Eagle     1
Killdeer     1
Wilson's Snipe     15     
Mourning Dove     1
Barred Owl     1
Belted Kingfisher     1
Downy Woodpecker     1
Horned Lark     2
Tree Swallow     2
American Robin     1
Pine Warbler     2
Eastern Towhee     3
Northern Cardinal     2
Red-winged Blackbird     20
Rusty Blackbird     4
Brown-headed Cowbird     10

Location:     AACO as Observed from Selby's Landing
Observation date:     3/31/10
Number of species:     14

Canada Goose     61
Wood Duck     26
American Black Duck     6
Blue-winged Teal     10
Green-winged Teal (American)     107
Hooded Merganser     2
Common Merganser     14     
Osprey     6
Bald Eagle     1
Killdeer     1
Wilson's Snipe     30
Barred Owl     1
Belted Kingfisher     1
Tree Swallow     2

Robert Ostrowski
Crofton, MD