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Subject:

Whips in PG & AA Co.; HoCo LISP; AA Co MIKI; etc.

From:

stanley arnold

Reply-To:

stanley arnold

Date:

Thu, 20 May 2010 21:25:07 -0400

Hi Folks,

I spent an enjoyable afternoon and evening of birding in PG and AA
counties with Bill Hubick yesterday (Wed., 19 May).  The highlight was
a late evening visit to the Fran Uhler Natural Area north of Bowie in
PG Co. where we were successful in finding WHIP-POOR-WILL in both PG
and AA counties.  We arrived with some daylight and hiked down to the
river, then followed the river as darkness consumed us, and were
rewarded with a distant whip across the river in AA Co.  About 90
minutes after our arrival we made it back to the old parking area
along the RR tracks, and here heard at least two more whips on the
other side of the power lines, these in PG Co..  This is where I had
whips eight years ago while atlasing this area.

Bill and I had met during the mid-afternoon at Governor Bridge Natural
Area in PG Co.and birded here for a while, finding a LEAST FLYCATCHER
which Bill photographed.  Our only other migrants were Magnolia and
Blackpoll Warblers, though I had three Chestnut-sided Warblers nearby
on the AA side of the river before meeting Bill, and also had a
Yellow-throated Vireo there.

Our other stop was Davidsonville Park, where we found no Alder
Flycatcher, but had a few migrants including a beautiful female
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, along with CHESTNUT-SIDED, BLACKPOLL and
NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH.  More than half a dozen YB CHATs called as we
hiked around.  It was just an excellent afternoon and evening to be
out.

Today (5/20) I met Joe Hanfman for a late-morning walk to the MIddle
Patuxent River at the end of Eden Brook Rd. near where I teach school
in Howard Co.  Highlight was a LINCOLN'S SPARROW exactly where I saw
it a week ago.  This after telling Ross Geredien that these birds
don't stick around in the spring.  Other migrants seen by Joe and me
included SWAINSON'S THRUSH, BLACKPOLLs and a delightful CANADA WARBLER
which was very vocal.  We also enjoyed the female HUMMINGBIRD sitting
on her nest.

After work today I did a routine survey of the Swan Creek Wetland with
Ed Carlson, with nothing new for us, but the variety of waders
continues to be good and an adult BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON has been
sticking around for a while.  After returning home, I plopped down in
a chair in our front yard and within five minutes, at exactly 5:28
p.m., a MISSISSIPPI KITE came sailing directly over our house, exactly
as one had done on the last day of May last year.  I shouted for
Elaine, and she made it out just before the bird disappreaed over the
trees.  This is my second MIKI in AA Co. this month.  This is insane!
Also over the yard we had an excellent COMMON NIGHTHAWK show, which
ran non-stop from 6 to 7 p.m., starring at least five birds, all seen
together at one time.  We had nearly 40 species in the yard today, but
our high for the year was 48 species this past Sunday during
Maryland's terrific fallout.  We had 10 species of warbler that day,
highlighted by a male BLACK-THROATED BLUE following us around the yard
as we did various chores, and serenading us constantly with his buzzy
little song.

We are finding that some of the formerly scarce birds that normally
visit our yard for one day a year have been much more inclined to
stick around this year.  Birds such as OVENBIRD, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT,
and SCARLET TANAGER have now been with us for a week, whereas in some
years we've missed them completely.  We would like to think that this
is due to the wonderful offerings of our yard and garden, but I
suspect in reality it may have to do with weather patterns.

Time for a little sleep before another day of birding (interupted by
work); it's a good thing migration doesn't last all year.

Stan Arnold
Ferndale (AA Co.)