Greetings.  Yesterday afternoon I was in the area briefly around 1:00 pm, and stopped to check out the pond and Bay area at North Beach on Bay Ave, and saw a few nice birds.  This may be same as where Joe was, but I don't know.  In addition to the BWTE, SNEG and BOGU's mentioned, there were many Horned Grebes (Bay only), 2 Common Loons (Bay), 2 (adult) Northern Gannets (Bay - easily viewed with bins; great view in my scope!), plus a flock of Green-winged teal (pond), Northern Pintail (pair on Bay), Mallards (pond), many Bufflehead (Bay), Black Scoters (Bay), Surf Scoters (Bay), Ringers and Herring Gulls.  The gulls were moving back and forth between Bay and the pond (all 3 spp. above; I was surprised no Laughers were here yet).  I looked carefully through the Bonies for anything else but it was solid Bonies while I was there.

I was out of town much of March and noticed a few changes this weekend.  At our house (PG Co), I saw the first of season Chipping Sparrow at our feeders on Friday evening.  By Sunday two more joined it, and at least two were singing around the yard for much of the day on Sunday.

Nearly all the Osprey nest platforms on the Patuxent River (around Jug Bay) are occupied now.  I counted the ones in view at Jug Bay Park (PG Co) and Wetland Sanctuary (AA Co) - only counting those from the railroad crossing and above (many in Western Branch and Billingsley Marsh).  At least one Osprey was sitting on 12 of 14 platforms in view; I counted 23 Ospreys!

I saw about ten FOS Yellowlegs (looked mostly like Greaters, but I wasn't certain) feeding on the mudflats (once the flood tide receded!), and heard a Greater Yellowlegs calling.  Also many Wilson's Snipe.

Some of the large late-winter flocks of juncos usually found along Mt Calvert Road have dispersed, although we still have about 7-8 individuals at our feeders.  The Fox Sparrow seen daily at our feeders has left.

The over-wintering Black-capped Chickadee/s may have left, since I did not see it this weekend.  Of course it is also possibly still here but not feeding as regularly at the feeders and I could have easily missed it since I was not watching very much so I wouldn't know.

Many Wood Ducks are here now, as well as a few Blue-winged Teal.  We are also inundated with Phoebes now!

Cheers-
Jeff Shenot
Croom Md

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