Went out for a short check in the yard for new species, and swamp behind the house from about 8-8:40. It was pretty uneventful except for a single Purple Martin, a first of season for my 2012 yardlist, plus a singing winter wren and singing Rusty Blackbird.  Then I did some barn and other chores for about an hour, and around 9:35 finished and looked up at the sky (which was absolutely beautiful nearly all day).  The wind had really picked up in the last hour, and I thought it was going to be a good raptor day (and guess it was, based on the report I just read from Sue R. et. al. at teh Hawkwatch!).  The highlight of my day was not raptors though ... over the next 20 minutes I saw 24 Common Loons (four groups), a new property high count!

Later in the day (around 4 pm) I had another fos species - Caspian Tern.  There were 3 flying around here, making passes from the Billingsley Marsh area, flying down the channel to Jackson Landing, and then over to the top part of Jug Bay.  They went up and back at least twice, and I heard them calling three times.  Also present were several Forster's Terns, 3 Coots, 2 Horned Grebes and a Pied billed Grebe.  plus a handful each of Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs.

Cheers!
Jeff Shenot
Croom MD 

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