Yesterday my brother Mike and I birded the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in 
Anne Arundel County as part of the Jug Bay CBC. We started in the marsh 
before sunrise and ended at the same spot after sunset, spending an 
excellent and full-day on the property.

This is an awesome place to bird, especially for dabblers, which an 
impressive amount of spend their winters in the marshes north of the 
bay. Black Ducks were the most numerous but a few other species were 
also well-represented:

American Black Duck - 250
Mallard - 110
Northern Pintail - 150
Green-winged Teal - 60

Some other highlights:

Virginia Rail - 2
Sora - 1 - rare in the winter anywhere in the state. Called twice in the 
lower section of Glebe Marsh, by the blind.
American Coot - 1 - One of the most surprising birds of the day. We saw 
this bird FLYING north at dawn - with determination and purpose. We did 
not see it take off nor land. This is the first time either of us have 
ever seen this species in prolonged flight and we were both impressed by 
its grace.
Red-headed Woodpecker - 3 - Two Run Branch
Horned Lark - 2 - flying across the river, probably from Mt. Calvert, at 
dawn
Rusty Blackbird - 25 - Roosting with Red-winged Blackbirds in the marsh 
near the blind.

Rob Ostrowski
Crofton, MD


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