HI all,
There are plenty of Wood Thrushes this year both at Wheaton Regional
Park and adjacent upper Sligo Creek Park. Even a couple of pairs within
Brookside Botanical Gardens. Of interest, this facility has a deer-proof
fence and it encloses some native woodland. The difference in
undergrowth is obvious, perhaps an attractant for the thrush.
We did some of this area for the most recent BB Atlas and the number of
pairs is about usual, in fact, somewhat above normal. Sligo seems to
have 2-3 pairs of nesting Veeries, again about usual. However the
number of Ovenbirds in the latter area is way down compared to previous
years. It has lost, for at least a decade, its previously nesting Kentucky
Warblers. They, and many native wildflowers (including 5 species of
native orchids) are gone except for a few pathetic Ladyslippers hanging
on within an deer-exclusion compound.
Northwest Branch Park no longer has nesting Wormeating Warblers, at
least I have not found any for some years in once-reliable areas. Below
the Rt. 29 Bridge in the "canyon" there are still La. Waterthrush, Veery,
and
(somewhere -- never found the nests) Yellow-crowned Night-herons. The
part of that park nearest to our home has Parula and Wood Thrush,
Red-eyed Vireo, Great Crested and Acadian Flycatchers, Scarlet Tanager
but few other neotropicals. The part of the park that hosted Chat,
Redstart,
Willow FC and other nice birds has disappeared beneath the ICC.
Some of these changes are due to forest succession (loss of many pine
groves in last 30 years) or development but most due to the impacts of
deer overpopulation.
Gail Mackiernan
Colesville, MD
Original Message:
-----------------
From: Eileen Wise
Date: Wed, 25 May 2011 05:17:09 -0400
To:
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Prettyboy woodthrush
Hi, I have been reading that many Md. birders are missing the wood
thrush this year.
I am happy to say I heard one or two calling or singing this morning as I
was putting out my bird feeders.
The herons are still "Barking" in the neighborhood too.
Eileen
Prettyboy
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