Last eve when I got home from work, I got out of the car and heard a Blue-headed Vireo.  I didn't recognize it at first, since it was not really singing and all I heard was a short snippit.  I knew it was a vireo though, and tried to tell where it was coming from.  I narrowed the source down to a group of pines and thankfully it sang again twice.  The notes were short again and soft, but I was confident it was a Blue-headed.  At that point I ran inside to get a camera (new!) and hoped to get its picture.  But when I came back out it had moved, and did not sing any more.  I looked around briefly in the yard for about 3 or 4 minutes with my bins, but had no luck and figured it flew off somewhere else.

Then I decided to try for the Glossy ibis that Mikey saw at Merkle.  I had no luck with it, but was impressed with the number of Purple Martins, and wondered if Mikey saw any  since he did not mention it.  They were so busy and vocal, it was very challenging trying to estimate the number.  I conservatively estimated at least 25-30 were present.  They were all over and some were occupying three different martin houses, while many more were coursing the fields with the Tree and Barn Swallows, plus I kept seeing some high up but couldn't tell if they were newly arriving, or had just went up high for whatever reason and were coming back down.  Their calls filled the site so much it was hard to hear other birds!

Other highlights I saw 2were Lesser Yellowlegs and a Least Sandpiper with 2 Killdeer at the pond below the VC (where the ibis was).  I saw a E. meadowlark in the field in front of VC, and despite the racket from the martins could hear it singing.  I also heard 2 Louisiana Waterthrushes singing on the way out.

I looked but saw no White-cerowned Sparrow, has any one seen it recently?

Cheers!
Jeff Shenot
Croom MD 

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