I ran into Ruth Bergstom and her dog Ginger and birded with them for a little while. Ruth had birded earlier in the morning and found some really nice birds that I didn't get. Maybe she'll choose to post what she saw.

I'm aware of the difficulties of identifying a female blackpoll, but spring is easier than fall, and I got some good looks. When I first saw it, I noted its drab appearance and white wings bars and called out pine warbler--but I knew something was wrong. Other looks made it clear that pine was out of the question. The streaking above and below, the gray color, the wing bars--it could only be a female blackpoll.  (I neglected to note the color of the legs.)

Good activity in several spots today. Some of the birds:

BLACKPOLL (1, female)
Palm (1, western)
Black-and-White (3)
Common Yellowthroat (widespread)
Ovenbird (1)
Yellow (5)
Yellow-Rumped (lots)

Blue-Headed Vireo (1)
Red-Eyed Vireo (2)
Warbling Vireo (5)
White-Eyed Vireo (1)

Great Egret (3)
Orchard Oriole (2, male, female)
Solitary Sandpiper (1)
Coot (1)
Pied-Billed Grebe (1)
RC Kinglet (1)
Green Heron (1)

And the famous large goose "Big Daddy." I'm surprised not to have heard a single parula and not a single phoebe. Lots of swallows, dive-bombing.

Tim Houghton 
(Glen Arm) 
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