Hi Folks,

I was birding at Bachman Sports Complex off Ordnance Rd. in Glen Burnie this
morning, and heard a western-type pewee song.  It had the cadence of
"giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, peee-yerrr; in other words, the song started
out like that of a Western Wood Pewee, or a Greater Pewee, but did it three
times before ending with the "peee-yerrr."  I saw the bird, and it looked
like any other eastern pewee that I've seen.  So the question is, is this
western-type song diagnostic of western pewees?  I ask this, because I
recall hearing snippets of this western-type song here in Maryland, but
never to the extent that I heard it this morning.  Do the eastern pewees
sometimes make this introductory song?

Now, Swan Creek.  The teal that I found late last week was a Blue-winged.
The photos showed a line across the eye that was not visible in the field,
and I thank Bill Hubick very much for his input on this.  Though the bill
seemed large to me, it was probably within the normal range for Blue-wings.
One thing that threw me was the pale patch on the face being only below the
eye (as in Cinnamon Teal) and not above the eye as well (forming the
crescent) as would be expected in a male Blue-wing.

I visited Swan Creek both Saturday and Sunday this weekend.  On Saturday I
found my first rail of the season there, a VIRGINIA RAIL in the mitigated
wetland which responded to my clapping.  Also had my first YELLOW-RUMPED
WARBLER of the season, and while surveying the power line, a flock of what I
thought would be Red-winged Blackbirds popped up from a large patch of
phragmites, but they weren't blackbirds, they were BLUE GROSBEAKs, all
female/immature plumaged.  I came up with the astounding number of 34 of
them!  Funny, but I did not find a single one today.

Today's best finds were a TENNESSEE WARBLER, in the exact same place that
Matt Hafner found a Mourning Warbler a couple weeks ago, along the wooded
road that goes down to the wetlands, on the west side where it's somewhat
open.  Also, along the power line was my first ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK of the
season, a beautiful female, showing her significant yellow underwings as she
flew over, calling.

Shorebirds both days were the same:  Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater
Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, and
Pectoral (five of them today), and the waders were all of the four common
species here (Great Blue, Great, Little Blue and Snowy).

*** NOTE: Swan Creek/Cox Creek is an active industrial site and mitigation
project in northern Anne Arundel Co. Access is at the end of Kembo Road off
Fort Smallwood Road near 695. The site is open ONLY Monday through Friday,
7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please be in your car and leaving at 3:30 p.m..
Remember to always sign in at the office, to be on your best behavior
(people have worked hard to coordinate this access), and to stick to
permitted areas. This Swan Creek map linked here details where you are and
aren't allowed to walk. http://www.billhubick.com/docs/swan_creek_map.jpg.
***

Stan Arnold
Ferndale


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