Hi all --

Barry was off banding at Patuxent today so I went to Brookside Gardens and
Wheaton Regional Park on my own, Not expecting much but actually, not too
bad a morning. Highlight was an obvious YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER in the
Park, in a mixed flock near Pine Lake. Obvious (yellow eye-ring, belly and
throat with grayish wash across upper breast) but as many adult Y-Bs are in
autumn, pretty ragged looking. This species molts on its wintering grounds
and is often scruffy-looking in autumn, in contrast to many other
flycatchers. Only 6 species of warbler, again headed by Redstarts. Numbers
of hummers, catbirds and robins decidedly down although the latter two
species were still most abundant birds.

Birds of interest:

Green Heron - 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1
Eastern Wood-pewee - 4
Acadian Flycatcher - 1 (calling)
"Traill's" Flycatcher - 1 (maybe same individual as yesterday's, in same
location, probably Willow.)
YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER - 1, adult
Red-eyed Vireo - 8
Yellow-throated Vireo - 3 (all singing)
Scarlet Tanager - 1
House Wren - 6
Black-and-White Warbler - 1 male
Chestnut-sided Warbler - 1 immature
Magnolia Warbler - 2
Northern Parula - 2
American Redstart - 9 (4 adult males)
Common Yellowthroat - 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 1

plus the usual, including 5 species of woodpecker.

Gail Mackiernan
Colesville, MD