Gerry et al,

You're right that Governor Bridge is a great place for warblers - I
think it's one of the best in the state right now. That being said, I
think it's overrated, or rather, it's rated too high at the expense of
other parks.

Coverage is the most important thing. It's true some places just don't
have good habitat and they're likely to get no unusual birds despite
persistence from the most skilled birders. Conversely, there are
always going to be real environmental reasons why some places are
better than others, like true vagrant traps, but I think both extremes
are in the minority and many locations are put in those categories
when they shouldn't be.

If you were to ask birders what are the best warbler spots in the area
right now, what would they say? I think Rock Creek Park, Governor
Bridge, and Middle Patuxent Environmental Area would turn up in most
of the answers. But is this because these places are truly that much
better than other nearby parks, or is it because they have the best
coverage? I strongly believe it's the latter. For instance, for all
the good warblers I've seen at Governor Bridge, I've barely seen fewer
at the small park behind my parents' home in Bowie (30 warblers vs 25
and I'm missing some easier ones like Chat). I think this is solely
due to the fact that I took regular walks there years ago, not that it
too was a good warbler spot.

I think Howard County is the best example of this idea. Howard County
is one of the smallest counties in the state, is heavily suburbanized,
and its major bodies of water, well, aren't very major, yet they still
produce great finds on a regular basis. It's because they have a large
group of dedicated and able birders.

So yes, I do think Governor Bridge is a great place for warblers, but
perhaps not as good as the Osprey is making it out to be.


Robert Ostrowski
Crofton, MD




On Thu, Sep 9, 2010 at 8:50 PM, Gerald & Laura Tarbell
<> wrote:
> This morning from 8:30-9:25, I stopped by Governers' Bridge Road Natural
> Area, which until recently was a secret known mostly to AA and PG county
> birders... :-)
>
>  Warren,
>  One only needs to read a post like the one today from Robert Ostrowski to
> understand why Gov Bridge has become so popular:
>
> "I just heard from Mikey Lutmerding who found an adult CONNECTICUT
> WARBLER at Governor Bridge Natural Area in PG County this morning."
>
> Jerry Tarbell
> Wishing we had a place like this in Carroll County
>