Hi Everybody:
I spent Wednesday birding in western MD. I started just before 7 AM in Green Ridge St. Forest and accessed it off the 15 Mile Creek Rd exit off I-68. It was somewhat quiet initially until about 8 AM when the sun was high enough to "warm up" the trees. At that point I had several small pockets of birds. I primarily birded Green Ridge Rd (the entire stretch from north to south - about 8 miles) and then Daileys Rd. There was not alot of diversity but I had some very nice birds.
Here are the highlights:
GREEN RIDGE ROAD: Common Raven (1), Magnolia Warbler (11, 7 of which were in the same small area of brush and trees), Black-throated Green Warbler (2), Scarlet Tanager (6 - all females), Yellow-throated Vireos (3) and PHILADELPHIA VIREO (1).
DAILEYS ROAD: Eastern Screech Owl (1), Pine Warbler (4), Palm Warbler (1 - a western) and WILSON'S WARBLER (1).
I then went to North Branch where I was hoping for some shorebirds. Other than a handful of Killdeer I saw one distant peep of which I did not get good looks. I was leaning towards Semipalmated Sandpiper but could not be sure. I did see Blue-winged Teal (1), Green-winged Teal (5) and Northern Shoveler (5). I also heard then briefly saw a flyover adult Red-headed Woodpecker, only my second one for Alllegany County. The first one was earlier this year courtesy of the one that Danny Bystrak found in Green Ridge St. Forest.
I then headed east and contemplated where to stop in Washington County. My first stop was Little Pool and there was nothing notable there. I then headed to Clear Springs and went up to the lake at Blair Valley and parked in the lot below the lake. I was hoping for some edges of the lake to be visible and looking for shorebirds. I only found one Spotted (which other than Killdeer would be the only shorebird I would find in Washington County for the day).
As I walked back to my car I heard some chip notes coming from the vegetation (trees and bushes that was on my left as I enterd the parking lot). I ended up staying there for over 45 minutes starting about 1:20 in the afternoon. Birds kept popping up and then moving on only to be replaced my new species constantly during that time. Below is the complete list:
House Wren (1)
White-eyed Vireo (2)
PHILADELPHIA VIREO (2) including unforgettable looks at eye level about 15 feet away of one of them
Red-bellied Woodpecker (1)
Gray Catbird (3)
Brown thrasher (2)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (2) which put on a constant show off and on for 30 minutes
Black and White Warbler (1)
Ovenbird (1)
Magnolia Warbler (2)
Common Yellowthroat (1)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1)
After leaving the parking lot I drove east across Broadfording Road to Hagerstown. My best birds were 3 Horned Larks. Once I was in Hagerstown I checked several locations but did not find any shorebirds (due to time constrictions I did not check the airport). Near the Hagerstown shopping center in a small drainage pond at the beginning of Bartow Dr. I did find a Pied-billed Grebe.
Jim Green
Gaithersburg, MD
work in moderation, BIRD IN EXCESS!!!
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