Tim has to do a lot of travel this spring and has been worried about migration. Until Saturday, I was reassuring him that he wasn't missing much. I'd been at Roosevelt Island on Friday morning and it was a sad experience. Apart from the Warbling Vireos at the parking lot end of the bridge, a couple of Gray Catbirds, it was a slow, quiet morning. Then on Saturday I birded naked (no nocs) on the Ridge and Valley trails in Rock Creek park, partly because I wanted to hike for exercise and partly to tune up my ears. Not much diversity, but lots of birds, including Red-eyed Vireos, Scarlet Tanagers, Orchard Orioles, Baltimore Orioles. So Tim returned yesterday and we headed down to Flag Pond State Park this morning. It is about 10 miles south of Prince Frederick on Route 4, for those who have never been there.

The park itself doesn't open until 9 but there is great birding outside the park. When you make the left turn (if coming south on Rte 4) off the highway and onto the entrance road, there is a dead end to your left. Park there and walk into the fields under the power lines. This area is always quite birdy, especially the large ditches. We had numerous Prairie Warblers, Indigo Buntings, Summer Tanagers, one Yellow-throated Warbler, one Yellow-breasted Chat, a Common Yellowthroat, and numerous Blue Grosbeaks. 

Heading down the entrance road, as it goes around a bend and across the power line easement, we had a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a Worm-eating Warbler, Eastern Kingbirds, more Common Yellowthroats.

Red-eyed Vireos and Northern Parulas were abundant everywhere. 

Once in the park, we had Orange-crowned Warbler (just by the parking lot), Black-throated Blue Warbler, American Redstart, White-eyed Vireo, Black-and-White Warbler, numerous Ovenbirds, and several Scarlet Tanagers. 

We had hoped to go to Battle Creek Cypress Swamp but it now opens only at 1 p.m. on Sundays! In the past, we'd found it closed, but at an earlier hour, and we'd left the car on the road and walked in. Will have to talk to talk to TNC about that because according to the website, it is a TNC property. Who knew?

So all in all, a day that started with rain turned out to be an excellent birding day.

Ellen Paul
Tim Boucher
Bethesda