I birded Overbrook Park and the former Bowie Landfill this afternoon. The
highlight undoubtedly was as I was hiking along one of the trails immediately
behind the Overbrook Section of Bowie and a sub-adult Goshawk flew
overhead and landed in a tree almost directly overhead. I got a brief look at
the bird before it flew a short distance into another tree, where I got better
views. I probably wouldn't have even spotted the bird except that I saw a
large shadow pass in front of me, and when I looked up, the bird was landing
in the tree. It looked huge as it flew powerfully among the trees.
Otherwise, it was a fairly quiet afternoon. But, other birds included a
Savannah Sparrow on one of the grassy mounds of the old landfill, a flyover
Sharp-shinned Hawk, and a flyover immature Bald Eagle. Large numbers of
Juncos and White-throated Sparrows worked the tangles and hedgerows.
Fred Shaffer
Patuxent MOS
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