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Western Maryland highlights 5/29

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Ross Geredien

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Mon, 31 May 2010 20:03:48 -0700

Sorry for the delay in posting, as I've been swamped catching up on my gardening at home.  I did manage to get out for 1/2 day on Saturday after overnighting at Carey Run Sanctuary.  Had a calling BARRED OWL at the sanctuary upon arrival at 11:15 Friday night.  
Birded Finzel Swamp in the morning, followed by a brief stop at New Germany Rd. and then back to Old Legislative Road.  Interestingly, there were two GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS singing from the reclaimed mine itself.  This habitat, with its scrubby black locust (it appears to be locust, but I actually haven't walked out to ID it), is perfect, but I've never heard the GWWA's singing out there.  This year (my third annual visit to the site) was different, however, and the two birds were giving distinct, clear GWWA songs.  There was also a blue-winged/Brewster's/Lawrences's hybrid type singing down at the bottom of the mine as well.
The place where I've had GWWA's in the past has been over the South side of the mine, down along the corner of Old Legislative and Squirrel Neck Run Rd.  Here again, no GWWA's were singing, but there was a Blue-winged type song.  The stream running through here was quite high, and the habitat is very blue-winged like with the adjacent wetland.
Below are a few eBird highlights.  Also had two HENSLOW's SPARROWS calling from the mine at Old Legislative.  On an environmental note, the new surface mine above Carlos appears to have grown drastically, and it almost looks like there is a Valley Fill being constructed.  I was able to get photos.
 
Good Birding,
Ross Geredien
Annapolis/Edgewater
 
Location:     Finzel Swamp
Observation date:     5/29/10
Number of species:     53

Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos     2
Ruffed Grouse - Bonasa umbellus     1
Green Heron - Butorides virescens     1
Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura     1
Red-shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus     1
Virginia Rail - Rallus limicola     1
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura     2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Archilochus colubris     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus     1
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens     1
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus     1
Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus     2
Pileated Woodpecker - Dryocopus pileatus     2
Alder Flycatcher - Empidonax alnorum     1
Willow Flycatcher - Empidonax traillii     2
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe     2
Great Crested Flycatcher - Myiarchus crinitus     4
Eastern Kingbird - Tyrannus tyrannus     1
White-eyed Vireo - Vireo griseus     1
Blue-headed Vireo - Vireo solitarius     1
Red-eyed Vireo - Vireo olivaceus     13
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata     5
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos     7
Common Raven - Corvus corax     2
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus     4
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor     1
House Wren - Troglodytes aedon     1
Eastern Bluebird - Sialia sialis     2
Veery - Catharus fuscescens     2
American Robin - Turdus migratorius     4
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis     7
Brown Thrasher - Toxostoma rufum     4
Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum     6
Yellow Warbler - Dendroica petechia     2
Chestnut-sided Warbler - Dendroica pensylvanica     7
Black-throated Green Warbler - Dendroica virens     4
Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia     2
American Redstart - Setophaga ruticilla     1
Ovenbird - Seiurus aurocapilla     7
Northern Waterthrush - Seiurus noveboracensis     1
Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas     11
Hooded Warbler - Wilsonia citrina     1
Eastern Towhee - Pipilo erythrophthalmus     7
Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina     8
Field Sparrow - Spizella pusilla     8
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia     5
Swamp Sparrow - Melospiza georgiana     3
Scarlet Tanager - Piranga olivacea     4
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis     4
Indigo Bunting - Passerina cyanea     6
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus     8
Brown-headed Cowbird - Molothrus ater     2
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis     2

 
Location:     New Germany Road
Observation date:     5/29/10
Notes:     Bobolinks very active, perching on wires and flying across road, also very vocal.  Three Savannah sparrows perched on wires, and one sang regularly.  
Number of species:     12

Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus     1
Red-eyed Vireo - Vireo olivaceus     1
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos     2
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica     3
American Robin - Turdus migratorius     3
European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris     3
Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas     1
Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina     1
Savannah Sparrow - Passerculus sandwichensis     3
Bobolink - Dolichonyx oryzivorus     18
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus     6
Eastern Meadowlark - Sturnella magna     2

 
Location:     Old Legislative Road
Observation date:     5/29/10
Number of species:     27

Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura     1
Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis     1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - Coccyzus americanus     1     Top of hill along mine on Old Legislative Rd.
Chimney Swift - Chaetura pelagica     2
Willow Flycatcher - Empidonax traillii     4     Singing from perches throughout reclaimed mine.  Two up near the top, another two toward the bottom of the hill.
White-eyed Vireo - Vireo griseus     1     One at the N. end of mine in scrub.
Red-eyed Vireo - Vireo olivaceus     5
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos     4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea     1
American Robin - Turdus migratorius     2
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis     1
Brown Thrasher - Toxostoma rufum     1
European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris     9
Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum     5
Golden-winged Warbler - Vermivora chrysoptera     2     Two singing on the reclaimed mine site itself.  This is the first time in three years that I have had them in this area, whereas normally I find them down by Squirrel Run. This year there was only Blue-winged at that location. The GWWA's were toward the N. end of the mine, out in the scrub Black Locust across the mine.  Two could be heard giving classic GWWA songs in different areas.  There was also one BWWA-like song with some vibrato, which could have been a hybrid.
Yellow Warbler - Dendroica petechia     3
Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas     4
Eastern Towhee - Pipilo erythrophthalmus     2
Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina     1
Field Sparrow - Spizella pusilla     4
Grasshopper Sparrow - Ammodramus savannarum     4
Henslow's Sparrow - Ammodramus henslowii     2     Two toward the center of the mine.
Scarlet Tanager - Piranga olivacea     3
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis     1
Indigo Bunting - Passerina cyanea     3
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus     20
Eastern Meadowlark - Sturnella magna     2