Upper Watts Branch Park for 5/16: 
The birds were scattered today but the highlights were TWO Olive-sided Flycatchers interacting at the beaver dam (dead trees just off the intersection of Nelson St. and College Parkway) and two Gray-cheeked Thrushes (just upstream) of the Newfoundland minimus subspecies.  One sang and gave a typical contact note.  They were noticeably different in appearance from the nominate in having warm brown upperparts and a blush of buff in the throat and in the weak eyering.  These birds can be mistaken for Bicknell's Thrush, but Bicknell's has warm brown only in the tail and primary edges contrasting with flat gray-brown above.  Both show buff in the throat as a rule.  So beware.

The migrants:

Olive-sided Flycatcher 2
Acadian Flycatcher
Veery
Gray-cheeked Thrush 2
Swainson's Thrush 4
Wood Thrush 6
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler 2
Black-throated Blue Warbler 2
Bay-breasted Warbler 2
Blackpoll Warbler 5
American Redstart 6
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager 4
Baltimore Oriole
Indigo Bunting

Paul O'Brien
Rockville, Mont. Co., MD