Hi Everyone,

John Hubbell and I met up yesterday morning to check some locations in northern Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties. After spending an hour counting at the hawk watch at Fort Smallwood, we visited Fort Armistead, Fort Howard, and North Point SP in Baltimore County. At all sites, small numbers of migrating vultures and Tree Swallows were easily spotted. Especially evident were Red-breasted Mergansers, Horned Grebes, and Red-throated Loons.

At Fort Armistead, counts of all species were reduced from recent totals. A PEREGRINE FALCON was perched below the Key Bridge. Just east of the Key Bridge, a pair of OSPREYs were interacting over 695.

At Fort Howard, we found no scoters, but did have seven RED-BREASTED MERGANSERs, one PIED-BILLED GREBE, eight HORNED GREBEs, and a RED-THROATED LOON. In addition to a small flock of distant scaup, we had two nearby LESSER SCAUP and one GREATER. Passerines included a WINTER WREN and two GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETs (the latter double the total found by 13 observers covering all of Dorchester Co. on Saturday).

At North Point SP we counted seven RED-THROATED LOONs, one HORNED GREBE, an impressive count of 36 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERs (22 in one flock), three REDHEADs, and a flyby MERLIN.

In the afternoon, my wife Becky went for a Sunday drive and spent the afternoon on the Potomac River. On a tip from Jared Fisher, we started at Sycamore Landing, where we enjoyed the variety of waterfowl flying up river and then floating quickly back down. Among these were GREATER SCAUP (1 hen), BUFFLEHEAD (6), AMERICAN WIGEON (4), GADWALL (7), WOOD DUCK (2), GREEN-WINGED TEAL (4), and NORTHERN PINTAIL (4; 2 pairs). The latter were my county closeout. Woohoo!

Hughes Hollow in early spring was a pleasure as always. We stepped out of the car to the sound of singing RUSTY BLACKBIRDs (4). As Paul mentioned, they were mixed in with Red-winged Blackbirds in the tree tops. A nice collection of RING-NECKED DUCKs (68) was supplemented by REDHEADs (3; my first ever in the impoundments here), GADWALL (6), HOODED MERGANSERs (8), and AMERICAN COOTs (4). TREE SWALLOW numbers have increased, as one would expect, since my visit last week.

Good birding!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com

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