Hi all --

Barry and I thought a trip to the National Arboretum might find some B-C
Chickadees or other birds "good" for DC. However, despite wonderful habitat
and lots of fruit and seeds on trees and vines, we did not see ONE Chickadee
and only heard a few distant Carolinas. In fact the NA was remarkably quiet
-- Asian Garden, zip, Hickey Hill, almost zip (two Red-breasted Nuthatches),
Fern Valley - zip, Conifer Collection - 2 more R-B Nuthatches, otherwise zip
and so on. We did run into a flock of sparrows which contained 3-4 Field
Sparrows and other than 6 R-B Nuthatches, it was very quiet. Even "the usual
suspects" were thin on the ground.

Birds of interest:

Red-tailed Hawk - 3 (flyover)
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 1 (flyover)
American Robin - 20+
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 6
Field Sparrow - 3
White-throated Sparrow - 12
Song Sparrow - 6
Junco - 1 (!)

We did have four butterfly species along the Anacostia below the Asian
Garden:

Variegated Fritillary - 1
Pearly Crescent - 1
Cabbage White - 1 or 2
Common Buckeye - 1

Still, a beautiful day out and the colors in the Arboretum are wonderful!

Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper
Colesville, MD