We had a nice mid-morning walk at Hughes Hollow/McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area in Montgomery County this morning.  We had the place to ourselves and enjoyed lots of first of year birds for us.  

Highlights were two Sora, one seen and both heard in the northwest impoundment in the dead cat-tail reeds about 40 feet west of the place where the side levee leaves the main levee (the only other recent eBird reports are from Ft. Smallwood Park in Anne Arundel Cty. and Huntley Meadows in northern Virginia), a single Great Egret hanging out with 11 Great Blue Herons (looks like the Egrets have been showing up in the last few days along the Potomac west of DC according to eBird reports), and an Osprey hunting over the eastern impoundment.  The water levels in all the impoundments are pretty low, and the water lilies already have large flower buds (should bloom soon!).  

We also had a pair of Blue-winged Teal, some Wood Duck, lots of American Coot, calling Pied-billed Grebe, Tree Swallows involved in courtship and checking out the nesting boxes, and Red-winged Blackbirds on territory.  Pretty quiet in the fields and hedgerows south of the impoundments.

My complete list from eBird is below.

Jim Nelson
Bethesda, Maryland

Hughes Hollow - McKee Beshers WLMA, Montgomery, US-MD
Apr 4, 2012 9:50 AM - 12:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
33 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose 4
Wood Duck 5
Blue-winged Teal 2
Pied-billed Grebe 3
Double-crested Cormorant 6
Great Blue Heron 11
Great Egret 1
Turkey Vulture 4
Osprey 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Sora 2
American Coot 29
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Downy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 1
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 1
Fish Crow 2
crow sp. 1
Tree Swallow 20
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 6
Eastern Bluebird 1
American Robin 1
Brown Thrasher 1
Song Sparrow 5
Swamp Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 6
Red-winged Blackbird 15
Common Grackle (Purple) 8
American Goldfinch 2

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