Well, it certainly has been an interesting week.  Last Tuesday I went to Triadelphia Reservoir to see if an Caspian Terns were present.  They were, and they had some friends - 3 American Avocets!

Today I went to Western Regional Park in Howard County to see if any Buff-breasted Sandpipers were present.   On the way into to park I glanced at the entrance pond but it was flooded, as it has been most of the summer, so wasn't tempted to stop and look for shorebirds.  Instead, I drove to the back soccer fields and scanned them for interesting grass-pipers.  Saw 8 Killdeer but nothing else of interest.  Decided it was time for a brisk walk so did a circuit around the park.  When I got to the park entrance area I did a casual scan of the flooded pond and immediately saw what appeared to be a phalarope working along the edge of the pond nearest to the road.  Unfortunately, my scope was in the car, which was on the other side of the park, so I hotfooted it back back to the car.    

After getting some scope looks I was debating between Red-necked and Red Phalarope, and thought it might be the former so started the calls.  I subscribe to the philosophy of a bird guide in Maine - "call it wrong fast."  In one of his posts, he said that he would rather make sure everyone got on the bird, even if it was subsequently re-identified as something mundane, rather than spending a lot of time studying the bird but not getting any of clients to see it.   Anyway, after moving a lot closer to the bird we (my wife Gayle, who had joined me) concluded that it was a Red Phalarope after noting the yellow at the base of the bill, its faded red breast and neck, and predominately white underwings.  And this was a good thing since this was the only phalarope we still needed for our life list.  The bird was still present at 7 PM with many admirers present.

Thanks to Joe Hanfman for providing timely posts for both the American Avocets and the Red Phalarope!

I will check the pond early (~ 7 AM) in the morning and post whether or not the phalarope is still present.  For those not familiar with the park, directions can be found here:
http://www.howardbirds.org/birdinghowardcounty/WesternRegional/western_regional_overview.htm

Cheers,

Bill Hill
Glenwood, Md.