The Marlboro Flaming County Seaters held the 5th annual Schoolhouse Pond Big Sit on October 10, 2010.  The team was stationed at the observation platform at the rear of the pond, which affords good views of the pond, flyover birds heading towards Brown Station Road or Jug Bay, and the woodland edge at the back of the pond.  The weather was spectacular, with temperatures warming to the mid 70’s, low humidity, and clear skies.  A total of eight birders participated and the location was birded by one or more people from approximately 7:10 am until 4:00 pm.

	Highlights from the day included many flyover raptors (including four falcons!), large numbers of flyover gulls, a large group of migrating Double-crested Cormorants high overhead, a Wilson’s Snipe, large numbers of Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers, and a Red-breasted Nuthatch.  The number and diversity of raptors was impressive and included one Red-tailed Hawk, five Red-shouldered Hawks, five Bald Eagles (of a variety of ages), two American Kestrels, one Merlin (plus one identified falcon), ten Sharp-shinned Hawks, two Cooper’s Hawks, and large numbers of both Black and Turkey Vultures.

	The first hour or so of the day was particularly active, with many Yellow-rumped Warblers working the trees at the rear of the pond.  A Wilson’s Snipe flushed from the near the platform, calling as it flew over the pond and out of view.  Another highlight of the morning was when a group of 53 Double-crested Cormorants flew high overhead,  Other birds in the immediate area of the platform included two Swamp Sparrows, Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, and Common Yellowthroats.  Blue Jays flew over in small groups throughout the day.  All of the usual woodpeckers were seen except for Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  At mid-day, a nearby calling Red-breasted Nuthatch added a little variety to the birding.  However, overall songbird diversity was low at this year’s sit, with several relatively common resident and migrant species being missed.  

	As usual, flyover gulls were a constant throughout the day, with birds heading towards the Brown Station Road landfill in the morning and back towards Jug Bay in the mid afternoon.  Although no rarities were seen, there was a fairly large number of Herring Gulls, particularly for this early in the fall.  Total gull numbers for the day included 388 Laughing Gulls, 79 Herring Gulls, 11 Ring-billed Gulls, and 2 Great Black-backed Gulls.  A small group of Laughing Gulls loafed on the pond briefly in the afternoon. 

	Other birds of note included one Eastern Phoebe, a close Pileated Woodpecker, and a noisy Belted Kingfisher.  Unfortunately, the afternoon slowed considerably.  After several hours of little activity and no new species to add to the list, I decided to call it a day at around 4:00 pm.  As the wind was beginning to pick up, few additional song birds were anticipated.  A total of 56 species were seen during the count, which is a respectable number, but the lowest of the five years that the big sit has been done at Schoolhouse Pond.  The flyover raptors were exciting, but songbirds were very slow.  Both Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets were bad misses, as was Cedar Waxwing.  And, no warblers were seen other than Yellow-rumped and Common Yellowthroat.  As I was the only one present early in the morning, I suspect that I may have missed a few species mixed in with the very active flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers.  Still, it was a very enjoyable day and the most successful of the Schoolhouse Pond Big Sits for flyover raptors.  Highlights from the day included the Wilson’s Snipe, the large group of Double-crested Cormorant flyovers, the vocalizing Red-breasted Nuthatch, and the flyover Kestrels and Merlin.  Participants were also pleased with the spectacular views of several of the flyover Bald Eagles, as well as the close Great Blue Heron perched statuesquely atop the closest wood duck box.  And, the weather and the company couldn’t have been more pleasant.  


Fred Shaffer

Crofton, Anne Arundel