I imagine that some of you have frantically been working inside and out--as I have been--in order to mitigate or prevent water problems. I have never seen the rain fall harder. The Fallston tornado (just reported on local news) passed very close to here. Fortunately, the two hummingbirds in my yard seem to have been little affected; they continue to come to the feeders. More rain coming...must monitor basement....

Kye Jenkins and I made a trip to western MD today--my first trip there since I moved here 4 years ago. Kye has been there a number of times; we had a great time. We got to Old Legislative Rd. at 6:45 and birded there and then Finzel Swamp. After that a big and steady rain forced us to end our birding day (we had plans to visit 2-3 other cool spots), but we found a lot of good stuff in those 2 locations. What incredible TREASURES: Old Legislative Rd. and Finzel Swamp.

We birded one section of L. Rd. and stopped briefly at another section. Highlights:

GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER (8--lots of singing. About 90% of the singing was the first song, with enough second songs to present a real treat. It would be interesting to know approximately the total number of GW Warblers in that general area--so much excellent habitat, most of which we didn't cover. We saw 5 of the ones we heard. Gorgeous bird--as good a place to find them as perhaps any place I'd been in MN.)

About a half dozen each of the following:
HENSLOW'S SPARROW 
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
EASTERN MEADOWLARK
WILLOW FLYCATCHER

The half dozen figure also applied to ALDER FLYCATCHER at Finzel Swamp.

Also: 11 other warbler species combined at the 2 locations (Yellow [many], Redstart [numbers], Black-and-White [1], Black-Throated Green [1], Ovenbird [2], Northern Waterthrush [2], Common Yellowthroat [many], Chestnut-Sided [several], Prairie [1], Hooded [2], Chat [several]).

Yellow-Throated Vireo (1)
Brown Thrasher (2)
Hairy Woodpecker (1)
Swamp Sparrow (several, singing)
Virginia Rail (1)
possible cuckoo species (a bad spring for me re cuckoos)
Wood Thrush (1-2)
Black-Capped Chickadee (1)
Cedar Waxwing (tons, this spring they seem everywhere)
Scarlet Tanager (1-2)

Special props to Kye for introducing me to this rich area.

Tim Houghton
(Glen Arm)

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