This morning I found a COMMON MOORHEN at the Marlborough Wetland off Brown Station Rd. in Upper Marlboro.  This wetland has amazing habitat which has hosted Purple Gallinule in the '70s and more recently, an American Bittern, which Fred Shaffer found this year. The biggest problem is accessibility. The vegetation is abundant and hip-waders are useless due to waste-high mud. If the birds aren't vocalizing, you have to get very lucky to see them. I was just that when the Moorhen emerged from some thick skunk cabbage (or a similar plant) out into a small muddy area with just enough open water in front to allow for a viewing angle.  I was able to get some poor but diagnostic photos of it before it disappeared back into the vegetation.

Part of me wishes that these wetlands were more accessible, but in the end I'm glad they aren't, so long as they are protected.

Full list:

Location:     Marlborough Wetland
Observation date:     5/31/10
Number of species:     33

Canada Goose     2
Wood Duck     13
Great Blue Heron     2
Great Egret     3
Green Heron     3
Black Vulture     1
Turkey Vulture     2
Red-shouldered Hawk     1
COMMON MOORHEN     1     
Mourning Dove     1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo     1
Chimney Swift     2
Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
Downy Woodpecker     1
Pileated Woodpecker     1
Great Crested Flycatcher     1
Eastern Kingbird     1
Red-eyed Vireo     1
Blue Jay     1
American Crow     1
Fish Crow     3
Northern Rough-winged Swallow     1
White-breasted Nuthatch     2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     1
Eastern Bluebird     2
Wood Thrush     2
Northern Parula     2
Prothonotary Warbler     1
Common Yellowthroat     1
Eastern Towhee     1
Northern Cardinal     4
Red-winged Blackbird     50
Common Grackle     2


Robert Ostrowski
Crofton, MD