Hi Everyone,

I spent yesterday afternoon (7/28) birding Upper Marlboro, Jug Bay, and North Beach with Rob Ostrowski and Ed Carlson. We met up with Jim Stasz for most of the stops we made, and the Fallons were among our North Beach sightings. Scoring my highest number of county birds for a weekday afternoon in several years (7!), I supported the local economy with a round of beers at Beach Cove in North Beach. 

Highlights (aside from the beer):

- COMMON MOORHEN continuing at Schoolhouse Pond, well-hidden in the spatterdock near the middle of the far side of the pond. Also present were a Mute Swan, a DC Cormorant, and 11 Wood Ducks.

- Small numbers of shorebirds at Brown Station, including one PECTORAL SANDPIPER, a Lesser Yellowlegs, and several Solitary Sandpipers. Also one Great Egret.

- At Mount Calvert, no surprises, but Marsh Wrens continue to sing enthusiastically.

- At Jackson Landing there were two TRICOLORED HERONs and a SNOWY EGRET, certainly the same group noted by Danny Bystrak later in the afternoon. Stasz saw both Tricoloreds, but when we caught up, we had excellent scope views of just one of the individuals.

- When we arrived at North Beach, Stasz walked down to the creek inlet and pointed out an amazingly cooperative immature YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, which posed for close-up photos in the late afternoon light in Anne Arundel. It politely waited until we were finished to fly across to the Calvert side. There were three TRICOLORED HERONs in the late afternoon, down from the surprising SIX that Stasz had in the morning. Two adult CATTLE EGRETs flew in among the 25+ SNOWY EGRETs working the mudflats. Shorebird numbers were decent (~90), but little was picked out among the peeps except three SEMI-PLOVERs, as well as a PECTORAL SANDPIPER that I claim but we couldn't refind despite a long stay. FORSTER's and LEAST TERNs were both very active, and I especially enjoyed watching adult Leasts feeding juveniles on the largest mudflat. My count was 11 Least Terns, including no fewer than 5 juveniles. One choked down a minnow that appeared to be the size of its torso.

Miscellany

- On 7/23, I saw my first juvenile RING-BILLED GULL of the season at Sandy Point State Park.

- For at least the last week, dozens of WANDERING GLIDERs (dragonflies) are seen relentlessly ovipositing their eggs on the hoods of light-colored and/or reflective cars in my work parking lot. (Off Route 32, Anne Arundel)

Good birding,

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com