Location:     Blue Mash Nature Trail (MoCo)
Observation date:     10/31/10
Notes:     Walked blue mash for a while this morning. Did not run into any other birders. Highlight were several (still determining how many) BC chickadees. I fully admit to taking range for granted on these guys and not really having experience using field marks, so I post photos w/ some trepidation. But I did get on several calling birds today that I feel  good about. The first was a lone bird that I tracked down after hearing the much slower dee dee dee call.  Jagged bib, extensive white on wing, bright cheek patch. The second was another calling bird that eventually sang (phoe-bee song - recorded), which I think is bird #2 in the photos below. About the time I had the second bird, another group of chickadees flew in (probably 5 or 6). Unfortunately this was a bit of a chaotic moment and I was handling the camera (not the bins). But I got a look at two more that I felt were decent ( #1 in photo set - did not hear), did not see/hear any obvious carolinas at this time. Throughout the morning I also heard 6 carolina chickadees, tracked down 2 to get a good look and make sure I was sane. Saw clean short bib, not nearly as much white on wing. 

  Three separate birds are photographed here http://www.flickr.com/photos/55350646@N04/  - comments appreciated. 


Number of species:     45


Canada Goose     150
Gadwall     1
American Black Duck     1
Mallard     6
Green-winged Teal     X
Ruddy Duck     2
Turkey Vulture     2
Northern Harrier     1
Red-shouldered Hawk     1
Red-tailed Hawk     1
Killdeer     2
Mourning Dove     3
Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     1
Downy Woodpecker     2
Blue Jay     10
American Crow     X
Fish Crow     X
crow sp.     60 (fly overs at 7:30 heard several am, one fish)
Carolina Chickadee     8
Black-capped Chickadee     X
Chickadee sp    5
Tufted Titmouse     3
White-breasted Nuthatch     2
Carolina Wren     1
Golden-crowned Kinglet     6
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     3
Eastern Bluebird     10
American Robin     80
Northern Mockingbird     5
European Starling     4
Cedar Waxwing     10
Yellow-rumped Warbler     20
Palm Warbler (Western)     1
Palm Warbler (Yellow)     1
Chipping Sparrow     5
Field Sparrow     8
Song Sparrow     20
Swamp Sparrow     6
White-throated Sparrow     35
White-crowned Sparrow     4
Dark-eyed Junco     15
Northern Cardinal     8
Common Grackle     2
Brown-headed Cowbird     2
Purple Finch     1
American Goldfinch     15

Jared Fisher
North Bethesda, MD