I went kayaking along the Patuxent River this afternoon, putting in at the MD 4 bridge and going south to Mt. Calvert and back.  I saw a good variety of gulls, shorebirds, waterfowl, and a few early terns.  Highlights included 11 Bonaparte's Gulls, 1 Caspian Tern, 1 Forster's Tern, both species of yellowlegs, several Bald Eagles, and lots of Green-winged Teal.

There was a sizable group of gulls off Mt. Calvert, which I was able to kayak around and through.  Highlights here were 11 Bonaparte's Gulls.  Other gulls present included 152 noisy Laughing Gulls, 29 Ring-billed Gulls, and 30 Herring Gulls.  This is also where I saw the flyover Forster's Tern, noting the pattern of the wings above and below.  I also had a Caspian Tern fly overhead just south of MD 4 heading north along the river.  Osprey were on virtually all of the available nesting platforms, several Bald Eagle flew overhead, 2 Red-tailed Hawks flew over, and one Northern Harrier worked the marsh on the Anne Arundel side.  Waterfowl included 6 Wood Ducks, 10 Mallards, 17 Green-winged Teal, and 2 Black Duck.  I also heard and got close views of both Greater Yellowlegs and Lesser Yellowlegs on a stretch of exposed mudflats north of Mt. Calvert.  Other birds included two Pied-billed Grebes, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, several Swamp Sparrows, and a group of Tree Swallows.

Fred Shaffer

Crofton, Anne Arundel   

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