Hi all,
Blue Mash Nature Trail in Montgomery County was hopping today, with both
birds and birders. I arrived early to find the parking lot already half full,
as Mark England was leading an ANS walk there today. I got out ahead of them,
but then Tom Marko and John Pangborn eventually caught up with me, and all of
us birded together off and on all morning.
I got 3 birds new to my park list and Tom got 2 including one lifer which
he and John saw before they caught up with me (Golden-winged Warbler). We got
great looks at a fairly cooperative PHILADELPHIA VIREO (new for my park
list), which may have been a lifer for some of Marks group, in the log stretch of
woods at the back. I also saw a lone Pectoral Sandpiper on the pond (new for
my list) along with Least and Semipalmated Sands, Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer,
a pair of Great Egrets, and a trio of juvenile N. Harriers coursing over the
landfill and strafing the pond, putting up all the sandpipers. Later I had
another adult male Harriew over the landfill.
Other nice finds included many migrating and low-flying Broad-winged Hawks
(about 50), mostly adults, 3 Red-shouldered Hawks, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, a flyby
A. Kestrel, and a low flying juvenile Peregrine Falcon, which zipped by me at
eye level heading down the gravel entrance road towards the entrance, as I
went around a second time. I also had a single skulking Warbling Vireo in a
tree right at the gate near the landfill, another new bird for my park list. We
had at least 3 Osprey flying over, as well as large numbers of both vultures,
particularly Blacks. While I was heading around again, I got caught up to my
rear in mile-a-minute vine in the large field on the left of the road, and
that is when I had a flyby adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, flying north inside
the fenceline. We also saw at least a pair of accipiters, one of which was an
immature Cooper's Hawk, chasing after a Mourning Dove.
Warblers were rather scarce (except for the notable Golden-winged), but we
had Redstarts, Magnolias, Black&White, as well as a single Yellow, and Mark
had a Palm or two, as well as lots of Yellowthroats. I had a flyover
Rose-breasted Grosbeak and 3 Blue Grosbeaks (male and 2 young) were seen, but Indigo
Buntings were scarce.
I counted 63 species by myself, and I didn't see some of the stuff others
had, so it was a pretty good morning there.
Rick Sussman
Ashton,MD
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