2024 Trips Reports

Sunday, November 17, 2024. Pop Up Walk at Gunners Lake, Gaithersburg, MD. Leader: Lauren Carey and Assistant Mary Singer, plus 19 participants. Weather: Sunny and calm, temperatures starting in the high 30s and rising to 50F. Species: 35. The lake showed a good spectrum of wintering waterbirds, including Ring-necked Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Ruddy Ducks, and a Pie-billed Grebe. Highlights along the shoreline included a Great Blue Heron, Belted Kingfisher, Cooper’s Hawk, Yellow-bellied sapsucker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and multiple Brown Creepers which did a great job of showing how well they blend into the bark.  The eBird list can be found here.

November 11 (Monday) Redgate Park: Seeking Sparrows  Leaders: Josephine Cox, Angela Moore and Deborah Hanley. Participants: 14 including the leaders. Weather: sunny, low to mid 60’s. We walked toward the sparrow triangle when someone spotted a merlin in flight. It perched on the far side of the cherry tree, but most folks were able to see it. A life bird for some folks. Our luck continued with another 4 raptor species.  However, the merlin may have scared the sparrows who were hunkering down. We eventually got 7 species of sparrows with some good looks at several field and chipping sparrows. 37 species observed. The eBird list can be found here.

Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Lois Green Conservation Park. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 13 plus leader. Weather: Exceptionally nice, sunny, near 70 degrees. Species: 28. We probably should have started this trip earlier due to the “fall back” time change causing an effective 9 a.m. start. It was a while before we even saw our first bird, as they were not active in the balmy weather. But, we did see some close Ring-necked Ducks and Green-winged Teal in the first pond, and we had a scoped back view of an injured immature Red-tailed Hawk with fresh blood on its right wing–a puzzling sight! Songbirds were chipping and calling around us but proved hard to see, though we did find a small group of Fox Sparrows. There were no waterfowl in the second pond, but Stephanie Mason helpfully guided us through the fine points of basking turtle identifications. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, November 3, 2024. Youth trip to Lois Y. Green Conservation Park. Participants: 12 including 5 youth as well as mentors Lauren Carey and Andy Martin. Weather: Sunny, low 40’s to low 50’s. Over the course of this 2 1⁄2 hour trip, we walked 2.5 miles, finding 41 species. Five species of ducks were observed during the trip: Gadwall, Mallard, American Black Duck, Green-winged Teal and Hooded Merganser. Other highlights include a Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2 Purple Finches, a Belted Kingfisher and 2 Common Ravens. Our most surprising bird was an escapee Budgerigar on the airport side of the second pond. Lauren, who is a veterinarian, tried luring the bird down with a snack, but the budgie, who was unfortunately not trained to come to the hand, just looked down at us, then eventually flew away. The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday, November 2nd, 2024. Rock Creek’s North Branch Stream Valley. Leaders: Josephine Cox, Kathy Reitz and Deborah Hanley. Participants: 14 including the leaders. Weather: sunny upper 40s to low 60, occasional breezes. We walked nearly 3 miles in 3 and 1/2 hours, first along an easy path and then across the meadow and upper Rock Creek. Our first bit of luck was a Raven flyover at the parking lot. We spent several minutes at the intersection of the woods and the smaller meadow where we were tracking a flock of Pine Siskins, suddenly a Merlin flew by, and the siskins flew off. There were well over a hundred bluebirds flitting along the large meadow as well as dozens of sparrows.  We had good looks at Savannah and Field sparrows, a total of 8 species of sparrows were seen. In the wooded section highlights were a couple of sapsuckers and a hermit thrush. 42 species observed.  The eBird list can be found here.

Tuesday, October 29, 2024. Pop-Up:  Blue Mash Nature Trail. Leader: David Powell. Participants: 2. A total of 37 species were seen during the walk. Highlights were good looks at Green-winged Teal and Northern Pintail on the ponds, an  early Fox Sparrow and a getting late Brown Thrasher.  The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, October 20, 2024. Little Bennett Regional Park – Wilson Mill Trail. Leaders: Paul Orsinger & Katie Moore. Participants: 13 including the leaders. Weather: clear in the low 40s, warmed up as the sun came out. We spent 3 hours birding, mostly near the parking lot and the edge of the woods. Highlights included good looks at 3 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, 2 Hermit Thrushes, and about 30 beautiful Eastern Bluebirds. 39 species observed. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, October 13, 2024. Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville, Md. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 18 including leader. Weather: Perfect for a bird trip, sunny in the 60’s with little wind! Species: 44 for most of the group. We headed our car caravan toward the pond but got sidetracked when an American Kestrel was seen perched on the fence around the solar panels array. We never got a good look at the kestrel but did see three Northern Harriers in the air at the west end of the landfill hill. We had a good variety of raptors on this trip, including perched Cooper’s and Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawk, a distant Merlin, a scope-view kestrel, and another look at a N. Harrier, much closer than before. Two Common Ravens were also heard. The morning light was poor for viewing waterfowl, but we made out 4 Green-winged Teal, and singleton Wood Duck female, American Black Duck, Ruddy Duck female, and an American Coot, along with resident Mallards. We enjoyed some good sparrow sightings, particularly very close Savannah Sparrows, and a juvenile White-crowned Sparrow flanked by two Lincoln’s Sparrows, which Scott Young got a good picture of in the second eBird list linked below. We heard or saw a total of 8 sparrow species, plus Dark-eyed Junco and Eastern Towhee (heard only). One participant saw a close Winter Wren, but we could not relocate it.  A very cooperative yellow Palm Warbler was the only warbler of the day, but the landfill is better known for hosting sparrows, raptors, and sometimes waterfowl. The eBird list can be found here and here.

Wednesday, October 9, 2024. Great Falls Maryland. Leaders: Gene Murray and Susan Higginbotham. Participants: 8 including leaders. Weather: Clear day with temperature starting in high 40s and quickly warming. Species: 36. We started the morning from the Observation Deck where we saw a single Solitary Sandpiper, a perched male Belted Kingfisher and a Great Egret in flight. We were greeted by several Chipping Sparrows as we started off on the towpath, walking downriver. We came upon a small group of Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, the first of several sightings throughout the morning. We heard White-throated Sparrows and Swamp Sparrows but they did not come out into the open. On our return trip upriver we spotted a distant Sharp-shinned Hawk and a newly-arrived Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. As the trip was winding down a beautiful Red-tailed Hawk soared overhead. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, October 6, 2024. Youth trip to Wheaton Regional Park. Participants: 18 including 8 youth as well as mentors Andy Martin and Bob Cantilli. Weather: Sunny, starting at 50℉ and ending at 65℉. Over the course of this 2 1⁄2 hour trip, we walked 1.3 miles from the Shorefield Road parking lot along the mini train tracks to Pine Lake. 40 species were observed during the trip. Highlights include: A Broad-winged Hawk seen near the end of the trip soaring with a Sharp-shinned Hawk and an American Kestrel, 3 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, 2 Swainson’s Thrushes, a Black-throated Blue Warbler, and a Palm Warbler. Another surprising find was a tree with about a dozen Ruby-crowned Kinglets and a Golden-crowned Kinglet with them. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday October 6, 2024. Hughes Hollow, Poolesville, MD. Leader: Lauren Carey plus 11 participants. Weather: sunny and calm, temperature 50s to upper 60s. Species: 50+. A good migration push overnight brought five species of passing warblers, with Palm Warblers especially prevalent. Other exciting migrants included Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and a Lincoln’s Sparrow. Winter birds were also starting to show up, including Swamp Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. As usual at Hughes Hollow, the woodpecker sightings were good with Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers back in town and multiple Red-headed Woodpecker including one young bird still in dark plumage. Birders who were able to stick around long enough to see if a flock of mystery ducks had landed in the far water were also treated to a distant adult Bald Eagle riding thermals over the Potomac River.  eBird lists is here.

Saturday, October 5, 2024. Wheaton Regional Park. Leaders: Rob Hilton and Lisa Shannon. Weather: On this foggy morning which became partly sunny, 12 people joined Rob and Lisa on a walk to Wheaton Regional Park, where we saw or heard 43 species. We walked from the parking lot by the carousel, through the orchard, and to the shore of Pine Lake. Standout birds include two Merlins flying low over the group near the beginning of the trip, a Green Heron scrunched on a branch just above Pine Lake looking like a football with a beak, and some warblers: Northern Parula, Magnolia, Black-and-white providing the best views.  eBird lists is here.

Wednesday, September 25, 2024. Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville, Md. Leaders: Mark England and Angela Atwood-Moore, 14 total participants. Weather: Overcast with light rain all morning, low 60’s with little wind. Species: 37-40, depending on who saw what. While driving toward the pond, we were diverted when two Bald Eagles and the first of several American Kestrels seen during the trip, flew out of the woods and over our cars. We had good scope looks at a cooperative female Blue Grosbeak and headed to the top of the landfill, where we had some nice finds, including a Northern Harrier, Savannah and Vesper Sparrows, another kestrel or two, and an American Woodcock that flushed up nearby. At the tarp-lined leachate pond, we found three Lesser Yellowlegs, one quite close which provided a great look. At the big pond, some Mallards flushed up with a speculum-showing Blue-winged Teal among them. On a final pass over the top again, we had a Common Raven, another harrier, a distant juvenile White-throated Sparrow, and a beautiful perched American Kestrel unperturbed by two Blue Jays inches below.  eBird lists are here and here.

Saturday, September 21, 2024.  Croydon Creek Nature Center, Rockville, MD.  Leader: Emily Huang.  11 participants.  Weather: 60’s to 70’s, overcast to partly sunny.  Species: 41.  Considerable activity at the feeders behind the Nature Center provided most of our species count, but we also traveled up to the mansion to see the bird-attracting Kousa dogwoods and hiked through the woods along the Heritage Trail.  We had 9 warbler species, Veery, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and a solitary Broad-winged Hawk overhead.  A second walk for wait-listers on Sunday, Sept. 22 added Swainson’s Thrush, Wood Thrush, Nashville and Blackburnian Warbler.  Plus a flyover Great Egret!  eBird lists are here and here.

Wednesday, September 18, 2024. Pennyfield Lock to Violette’s Lock, MD. Leaders: Josephine Cox and Angela Attwood-Moore. Plus 5 participants. Weather: The remnants of tropical storm Helene threatened to derail this trip, luckily our hardy group put up with a few showers and toward the end of the trip, the sun even came out.  Total Species: 47. While the group was assembling at Violette’s Lock, we were very lucky to have excellent views of a Merlin that was chasing kingfishers up and down the river near the big log jams. On our ~2.5 mile walk from Pennyfield to Violette’s, we had 6 warbler species; Magnolia Warblers and Northern Parulas seemed to be everywhere. We were able to observe a very cooperative bay breasted warbler gleaning insects off the bark. Other highlights included hundreds of chimney swifts, several brown thrashers and a couple of bald eagles snacking on fish while the crows waited for the leftovers. The eBird list can be found here and here.

Sunday, September 15, 2024. Woodstock Equestrian Park, Beallsville, MD. Leaders: Scott Young and Dave Roberts. Plus 7 participants. Weather: Beautifully sunny with temperatures rising from upper 50’s to low 70s.  Species: 40. We were able to spot 6 warbler species with good looks. Other nice species observed included brown thrashers, ruby-throated humming birds, and cedar waxwings. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, September 8, 2024. Wheaton Regional Park. Leaders Cheryl Hogue and Lisa Norwalk accompanied 10 participants. This was the first bird walk ever for 3 new club members. Weather was cool and cloudy as we started but cleared up and became warmer. Species: 27. Most birds were quiet as we started, in part due to a man training his dog off-leash using a whistle for a training prompt. Nonetheless, we honed our skills in identifying Gray Catbirds by sight and sounds. These mimids were plentiful, feeding on ripening porcelain berries. Most participants got good looks at Brown Thrashers and American Redstarts and several saw a Chestnut-sided Warbler. As the trip ended, we got great looks at two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds chasing each other and a Red-Shouldered Hawk wheeling and calling in the blue sky above us. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, September 1, 2024. Youth trip to Meadowside Nature Center and Lake Frank. Participants: 20 including 8 youth as well as mentors Mark England and Bob Cantilli with help from Stella Tea. Weather: Low 70’s, mostly cloudy, 65% humidity.  Over the course of this 2½ hour trip, we walked 1.6 miles from the nature center, along the creek to Lake Frank, finding 38 species. Highlights include 2 Double-crested Cormorants, 13 Wood Ducks most of which were perched on a log, 2 adult Bald Eagles, 2 Belted Kingfishers fighting, plus 3 heron species: Green Heron, Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret that flew over the parking lot at the beginning of the trip. The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday, August 31, 2024, Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville, Md. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 8 including leader. Weather: low 80’s and extremely muggy! Species: 34. This was a 1 1/2 hour late-afternoon trip that had been rescheduled from August 17th, when water levels in the landfill pond were too high for shorebirds. The water levels remained high for this trip, but some people wanted to attend anyway, and the trip exceeded expectations despite few shorebirds. Entering the front gate, an adult Red-headed Woodpecker flew in front of us and we also had a Prairie Warbler near the guard booth. Driving toward the pond, we noticed songbird activity on the hillside, and started seeing  a number of Blue Grosbeaks (likely migrants) flying low and perching. We totaled 15, including a good number of warm brown plumaged juveniles. We found three Northern Shovelers at the pond near some Mallards, and then had a flyover Common Nighthawk. Scott Young pointed out some distant Common Nighthawks flying above the landfill hill, and we quickly drove up to get a better look. We then enjoyed watching for 15 minutes a large group of about 60 nighthawks erratically swirling above as they devoured unknown masses of insects. After that we found a different group of about 60 on the highest part of the landfill, and agreed on a total count of about 120 birds in the air at one time–quite amazing to see! Other highlights included a female American Kestrel seen several times, and a few shorebirds in one of the tarp-lined leachate ponds, including 5 well-seen Lesser Yellowlegs.  The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, August 11, 2024. Youth trip to Blue Mash Nature Trail. Participants: 18 including 8 youth as well as mentors Dave Powell and Andy Martin. Weather:  Cloudy, upper 60’s. Over the course of this just over 2 hour trip, we walked 1.8 miles observing 46 species. We saw 3 species of herons: Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, and 2 Little Blue Herons, as well as 4 warbler species: Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, 2 Black and White Warblers, and 3 Prairie Warblers. Other highlights include 2 female Scarlet Tanagers, as well as a heard-only Blue Grosbeak and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, August 4, 2024. Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville, Md. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 16 including leader. Weather: Mid-80’s and hot, with no wind. Species: Around 35, depending on who saw what! This was a late-afternoon trip aimed at seeing shorebirds in the landfill pond with the sun behind us, and was largely successful with 9 shorebird species seen, many quite close.  Before we got to the pond there was a walkie-talkie report of two Red-headed Woodpeckers seen in flight, one adult and one juvenile. We all got out and relocated the juvenile, but not the adult. We also briefly saw a Blue Grosbeak at this spot. We then went on to the tarp-lined leachate ponds where I had seen a juvenile Little Blue Heron while scouting before the trip. It was still there along with a pair of Wood Ducks, a Spotted Sandpiper, and 12 Killdeer. At the big pond, we first looked at close shorebirds including a Semipalmated Plover, several Least Sandpipers, two Pectoral Sandpipers, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, and at least two Semipalmated Sandpipers. In the well-lit scope view, it was noticed that the SESA’s legs were not black as most guides say, but more of a dark olive green. At the other end of the pond, we found 3 Solitary Sandpipers at separate locations in the shadows of the edge to complete our shorebird sightings for the day. eBird lists and photos can be found here, here and here.

Sunday, July 7, 2024. Youth trip to Patuxent Research Refuge–North Tract. Participants: 14 including 6 youth as well as leader Laura Wolf and mentor Stella Tea. Weather: Sunny, starting at 87°F and ending at 95°F. over the course of this 3 hour trip, we drove along Wildlife Drive observing 48 species. Highlights include a heard-only Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a Great Egret, 4 Wood Thrushes, 3 mostly heard Hooded Warblers, and 2 male Summer Tanagers. Some of us also saw a female Orchard Oriole. A few of us continued birding for an additional hour to Lake Allen, seeing more Summer Tanagers and a very close up male Scarlet Tanager, just several feet from the road. Laura provided a fun overview of Patuxent North Tract, giving great information on the birds of the park.  Laura also generously created TaBird, a Taboo-based bird game and provided one to each family! The eBird lists can be found here and here

Saturday, June 8, 2024.  Patuxent River at Browns Bridge, Silver Spring, MD.  Leader:  Paul Orsinger.  Participants:  12 including the leader.   Weather:  low humidity & mostly sunny with occasional light breezes; temperature started around 65 and got to 75 by the end of our walk…everyone agreed it was ideal weather.  We saw 10 Cliff Swallows with good views of activity at one of their nests on the bridge.  Good looks at a perched Bald Eagle, Osprey and Baltimore Oriole.  37 species observed. The eBird list can be found here. Eight of us then drove upriver to Brighton Dam spending 90 minutes there.  We saw 20 Cliff Swallows from the backside of the dam, and then birded the recreation area below the dam.  We saw a Kingfisher, Phoebes, and Kingbirds, to name a few.  31 species observed at Brighton Dam. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, June 2, 2024. Youth trip to Hughes Hollow. Participants: 21 including 9 youth and mentors Dave Powell and Lauren Carey. Weather: 60’s overcast skies. Over the course of this 2 hour trip, we walked 1.5 miles observing 42 species. Highlights include: 2 American Wigeons, a juvenile Pied-billed Grebe, 4 Prothonotary Warblers, 2 Yellow-throated Vireos, a Least Bittern(heard only), and nice looks at a Common Gallinule. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, May 19, 2024. Youth trip to Rachel Carson Conservation Park. Participants: 17 including 7 youth and mentors Mark England and Lauren Carey. Weather: Partly sunny, low 70’s. Over the course of this 2 ½ hour trip, we walked just over 2 miles, observing a total of 47 species. Highlights include 2 Swainson’s Thrushes and a Veery, as well as 6 warbler species. The eBird list can be found here.

Thursday, May 16, 2024, Rachel Carson Conservation Park and Oaks Landfill half-day trip, Laytonsville, Md.   Leaders: Mark England and Lauren Carey. Participants: 13 including leaders. Weather: Clear and sunny, temperatures from 55 to 73. Species: 51 at Rachel Carson, 41 at Oaks Landfill. With the bright sun hitting the tree line near the parking lot, leader Lauren Carey got us on some nice birds including Orchard Oriole, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-eyed Vireo, Indigo Bunting, and a male Scarlet Tanager relatively low down and glowing red. We walked the meadow area for some time before entering the woods. In the meadow we had many looks at expected species like Field Sparrows, Common Yellowthroats, and Indigo Buntings, but the few warbler species were mostly heard only, though Scott Young briefly glimpsed a Blue-winged Warbler near some brush. In the deep woods, we consistently heard resident Ovenbirds, Wood Thrushes, and Acadian Flycatchers, but surprisingly did not find the usual Louisiana Waterthrush near the Hawlings River. A closely-seen Swainson’s Thrush was a nice consolation however. At the Oaks Landfill, we carpooled around on newly-paved asphalt roads, a welcome infrastructure improvement! Our best birding was at the big pond, where, though there was little shoreline, we were able to look down at close Solitary, Least, and Spotted Sandpipers. While viewing these shorebirds, we also had two Eastern Kingbirds at their nest, a pair of Common Ravens, and an American Kestrel seen by a few. Other raptors included an Osprey spotted by Lauren Carey, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks. Despite many invasive bushes having been removed last winter, we still saw 3 pairs of nesting Brown Thrashers, a Blue Grosbeak, and a Savannah Sparrow, though a Grasshopper Sparrow seen on a scouting trip the day before could not be relocated.   The eBird report can be found here and here.

Sunday, May 12, 2024, Woodstock Equestrian Park, Beallsville, MD.  Leaders: Scott Young and Dave Roberts. Additional participants: 5. Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny in mid-60s. We birded the west side where we found 52 species. Some highlights included prominent views of a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, a Green Heron in the woods (!), an Eastern Towhee, Common Yellowthroats, Brown Thrashers, Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, a Bald Eagle, and multiple Field Sparrows. We found 5 warblers, including 2 Northern Waterthrushes. After several of the participants left, the remaining birders heard a wild turkey.   The eBird report can be found here.

Saturday, May 11, 2024.  Little Bennett Regional Park – Wilson Mill Trail. Leaders:  Katie Moore & Paul Orsinger.  Participants: 12 including the leaders.  Weather:  Mix of clouds & sun, temperature started at 47 and got to 57 F by the end of our walk; virtually no wind.  A Red Headed Woodpecker flew fairly low over our group as we began the morning.  We spent 3.5 hours birding the meadows & woods of Wilson Mill Trail.  Highlights included good looks at a Prairie Warbler, Kentucky Warbler and a Bay Breasted Warbler.  And a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers nesting in a tree cavity.  45 species observed. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, April 28, 2024, Occoquan Bay NWR.  Fifteen persons joined co-leaders Gerry Hawkins and Emily Huang on a field trip to Occoquan Bay NWR on Sunday, April 28, 2024. The morning was an active one, with a Prairie Warbler, White-eyed Vireo and a conspicuous Blue Grosbeak singing upon our arrival in the refuge parking lot. Shortly after we started our walk we encountered the first of numerous Yellow-breasted Chats, whose irregularly-spaced whistles, rattles, scolds, squawks, mews and other unmusical sounds were heard throughout the morning, often by birds perched in the open. Prairie Warblers were no less conspicuous and were repeatedly heard singing a distinctive rapid series of buzzy zee notes that ascend evenly up the chromatic scale, often from prominent perches. After we reached Deephole Point Road we heard our first Prothonotary, Yellow-throated and Yellow Warblers, each of which species turned out to be very cooperative for the photographers in our group. Perhaps somewhat less exciting but no less conspicuous were the Common Yellowthroats singing throughout the refuge. Songbird highlights also included numerous Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, which were encountered throughout the walk, several Indigo Buntings, which provided a nice contrast with Blue Grosbeak, numerous Purple Martins at martin houses along the shore of Occoquan Bay, and several Eastern Kingbirds, Orchard Orioles and Northern Parula. Raptor highlights included the numerous Ospreys that breed at this location and a photogenic perched adult Bald Eagle by a massive nearby nest. Migratory waterfowl had largely moved out of the area, but we did see a solitary male Bufflehead and over 20 Red-breasted Mergansers in a distant, tight raft in Occoquan Bay. A nearby Solitary Sandpiper also was enjoyed by all. We ended a very enjoyable morning with 65 species.  The eBird report can be found here.

Saturday, April 20, 2024, Croydon Creek Nature Center.  Trip leaders Anne Mytych and Emily Huang and 16 participants met for a spring walk at Croydon Creek Nature Center.  We spent almost 3 hours at the feeders, in the fields, and on the wooded Heritage Trail and Woodland Trail, observing 39 species.  Highlights included a handsome male Rose-breasted Grosbeak at the feeders, Hermit and Wood Thrush, and many Eastern Towhees singing and calling along the trails.  Weather was overcast with moderate temperatures, clearing toward 10 am.  After the walk, Emily added several birds, including a Brown Thrasher, Blue-headed Vireo, and a Red-tailed Hawk.  The eBird report can be found here.

Hughes Hollow, Sunday, April 14, 2024.  Leader: Jim Nelson. Participants: 14, including leader.  Weather:  The morning was clear, with temperatures started at 41 and rising to about 70 F by the end. We had a nice variety of bird species with a total of 42.   We had a typical mix of resident species and winter visitors with a handful of arriving migrants.  The biggest hit was the two or three Sora that were remarkably tame and cooperative, allowing good views by everyone.  A Wild Turkey was heard by a couple of participants, four Great Egret decorated trees well to the west across the large impoundment, and a beautiful Osprey was perched near the levee in a sycamore tree.  We had good views of three Red-headed Woodpeckers.  Waterfowl were sparse with only Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, and American Coot.  We had lots of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, as well as a few Chipping, Field, and Swamp Sparrows.  Our only warblers were 6 singing Common Yellowthroat and a singing Pine Warbler, all of which managed to avoid our prying eyes.  We heard a Ring-necked Pheasant, an intrepid survivor of the fall release of this species by the MD Department of Natural Resources for hunting, not eBird coutable. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, April 14, 2024. Youth Trip to Blue Mash Nature Trail. Participants: 28 including 12 youth and mentors Stephen Davies and Stella Tea. Weather: Sunny, starting in the low 50’s then going into the upper 60’s. Over the course of this 2 ½ hour trip, we walked just over 2 miles, observing 45 species total. Some highlights include a Common Raven, a Hermit Thrush, and 7 species of raptors, including two soaring Broad-winged Hawks. The eBird list can be found here.

Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Violette’s Lock. Leaders: Karen Cyr and Moira Davenport.  Participants: 12 including leaders.  The morning started out with drizzle but sunny conditions soon prevailed.  This was a combination wildflower and birding trip.  We ambled downstream, exploring the side paths towards the river, looking for flowers in bloom.  Highlights included abundant bluebells, golden groundsel, woodland phlox, solomon’s seal, Dutchman’s breeches, mayapples and cutleaf toothwort.  We also found many trillium (wake robin), wild ginger and yellow trout lilies.  Shrubs and trees were also noted, especially spice bush, bladdernut, paw paw and hickory.  Birding was not neglected, with 29 species seen.  Highlights included a northern parula in the osage orange tree near the parking lot and a red-headed woodpecker in the snags across the canal.   Many sparrows were foraging in the mud along the canal, including  swamp, song and white throated,  The morning ended with good looks at another taxa, namely a group of very active green frogs, in the shallow waters of the canal.     The eBird list can be found here

Saturday, March 24, 2024.  Brookside Gardens. Leader: Karen Cyr. Participants: 7.  This trip was postponed from Saturday due to rain.  On Sunday, we had sunny weather, but starting temperatures in the upper 20s.  The hardy group walked the perimeter of the garden, with stops also at nearby Brookside Nature Center and Pine Lake.  We saw 29 species with great looks at a female Eastern Towhee, a pair of Eastern Phoebes checking out potential nesting sites, three Northern Flickers engaging in territorial behavior, two Hooded Mergansers, and several close encounters with three Golden Crowned Kinglets actively feeding on budding shrubs.   The eBird list can be found here

December 15, 2023 to March 17, 2024, Oaks Landfill Summary. Leader:  Mark England.  Between December 15 and March 17, there were nine late-afternoon group trips by car caravan for the Montgomery Bird Club, one for the YMBC youth group, and one joint trip for both MBC and Nature Forward, a total of eleven (11) trips involving 168 people, not including me. On most of the trips we saw overwintering Short-eared Owls, often three or four in the air at one time, especially on days with light winds.  On those days particularly, the SEOWs would often fly as early as an hour or so before sundown, providing great opportunities to photograph both the owls and, usually, Northern Harriers. On a windy afternoon on February 21st we did not see any owls till after sunset, but some of the then-disappointed birders were able to see four owls on a “makeup” trip later. One or two of the owls often perched on the fence surrounding the new solar array, and the county’s midwinter bush-hog mowing of mostly invasive Himalayan Blackberry bushes did not affect the owls, though it much reduced the usual habitat for overwintering sparrows like Fox, Savannah, and White-crowned. The Short-eared Owls (three males and one female) were first seen by me on November 24th and continued till at least April 10th when three were seen by me and one other person, along with some Vesper Sparrows in the short grass near the new solar array fencing. In retrospect, I should not have assumed that the owls had headed north by March 17th, when we did not see any on the last scheduled trip for the winter. Our thanks to the county Department of Environmental Protection for allowing MBC access for these 11 trips, and to the many birders who joined in.

Saturday, March 16, 2024. Wheaton Regional Park. Leaders: Josephine Cox and Evelyn Ralston.  Eleven of us set off on a bright sunny day where we saw 35 species. Temperatures started off in the low 40’s at 8.30am and ended in the mid 50’s at the end of the trip at 11am. There were lots of opportunities to learn bird songs and sounds as the morning chorus was in full swing as we waited for the group to assemble near the Carousel. We took our time walking along the train tracks, looking for sparrows and other skulking birds in the brush. We were rewarded with nice views of towhees, bluebirds, 5 species of woodpeckers and a hard to see hermit thrush. It blended in very well with the leaves on the forest floor. Golden-Crowned kinglets and Dark-eyed juncos were still around.  At Pine Lake, we all had good views of red-shouldered hawks both perched and flying. Hooded mergansers, Canada geese, red-winged blackbirds and frogs were making sounds at the lake, sometimes making it hard to distinguish the mergansers from the frogs.   The eBird list can be found here

Sunday, March 10, 2024. Rock Creek’s North Branch Stream Valley. Leaders: Josephine Cox and Anne Mytych.  Thirteen of us set off on a partly sunny but breezy day where we saw 31 species. Lots of male red-winged blackbirds were noisily staking their territories around the meadow. A flock of female red-winged blackbirds and many robins were feeding on the bountiful worms and other insects. Turkey and black vultures were up early taking advantage of the windy conditions. Two pairs of Red-shouldered hawks and one red-tailed hawk were seen. The large meadow had been mowed so there was not much cover for sparrows, though a couple of field sparrows were heard. Some folks turned around at the end of the paved path while a few of us followed Rock Creek through the woods and skirted back along a scrubby cedar plantation. Highlights in the woods were a couple of fox sparrows, a small flock of yellow-rumped warblers and 5 species of woodpeckers. We found a box turtle trying to warm up in the sun, lots of wood frog eggs in a couple of vernal pools and peepers could be heard at a distance. The eBird list can be found here and  here.

Sunday, March 10, 2024. Youth trip to Lois Y. Green Conservation Park. Participants: 19 including 8 youth and mentor Andy Martin. Weather: Partly cloudy low 40s with light wind. During this 2 hour trip we walked 2 miles finding 41 species along the way. We saw 4 species of ducks:  American Black Duck, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck and Mallard. Three species of hawks were seen: Red-tailed Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and a few Red-shouldered Hawks. A Barred Owl was briefly seen in the pine forest. Some of us went into the pine forest and saw an American Kestrel. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, March 10, 2024. Lake Artemesia Park, College Park. Leaders: Rob Hilton and Lisa Shannon. Participants 4.  On this breezy and partly cloudy morning, two people joined Rob and Lisa on a walk to Lake Artemesia, where we saw 38 species. Standout birds include a pair of Wood Ducks circling over the lake several times, a female Hooded Merganser, close Pied-billed Grebes, 2 close Yellow-rumped Warblers, and 2 singing Fox Sparrows.  The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, March 1, 2024. Gunners Lake, Germantown Md. Leader: Andy Martin. Participants 9. Weather: Perfectly sunny, very light winds and in the 40s. A leisurely 3 hour stroll on a beautiful morning around the entire lake produced 40 species including great looks at 10 species of waterfowl, closeup spotting scope views of an immature Bald Eagle preening on the shoreline of the mid lake island and for many in the group our “first of the season” Tree Swallows. Also, furtive views of a Brown Creeper and a Hermit Thrush and interesting to observe a male Redhead, Canvasback and Ring-necked Duck with an accompanying female of the species.  The eBird list can be found here.

Thursday, February 22, 2024. Lois Y. Green Conservation Park, Gaithersburg, Md. Leader: Mark England and 12 participants. Weather: Overcast, 34-45 degrees, little wind. Species: 31. We were very dismayed to see that the entire park had been mowed flat with only a few bushes or thickets still remaining, mostly along the stream. Consequently, there were few sparrows and even “usual suspects” to be found, though woodpeckers and bluebirds were quite numerous. There was only one raptor seen, an adult Red-shouldered Hawk, but a diversity of waterfowl provided excellent views, including 3 American Wigeon, 3 Hooded Mergansers, 13 American Black Ducks, 4 Ring-necked Ducks, 2 Bufflehead, and a spiffy male Northern Pintail, likely the favorite bird of the morning. eBird list and excellent pictures from Ed Vigezzi can be found here.

Sunday, February 18, 2024. Pop Up Walk Wheaton Branch Stormwater Ponds, Silver Spring, Md. Leaders: Paul Orsinger and Katie Moore. Participants 19. Weather: Partly clouds, light winds and in the 30s. Species: 28. A short walk to explore the ponds and wooded area with several individuals new-to-birding. We had great looks at a few killdeer near the ponds and a dozen female hooded mergansers swimming and diving together. One of the resident female kingfishers flew around, calling and diving for fish. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, February 11, 2024. Youth trip to Gunner’s Lake. Participants: 17 including 7 youth and mentors Dave Powell and Stella Tea. Weather: Cloudy, 50℉ with some light rain. Over the course of this approximately 2 hour trip, we walked around Gunner’s Lake, observing 38 species in total. We saw 9 species of waterfowl including American Wigeons, Ring-necked Ducks, Ruddy Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, Redheads, a Bufflehead, and a leucistic Gadwall. Some of the other birds we saw were 2 Bald Eagles, a Hermit Thrush, and a Brown Creeper. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, February 11, 2024. Hughes Hollow. Leaders: Roy Howard and Kathy Brown. Participants: 7 plus leaders. Roy and Kathy led a bird walk around Hughes Hollow in slightly drizzly rain and cloud covered sky. In addition to the leaders, there  7 other participants, with 4 who described themselves as beginning birders. All are current members of the Montgomery Bird Club. The highlights included good sightings of three immature Red-headed Woodpeckers and two Winter Wrens. An unusual sight was thirty-seven Ring-billed Gulls flying in formation. Even the sparrows were relatively quite this morning. The water was quite high, which may have deterred the familiar Wilson’s Snipe from appearing.  Nevertheless, a good time was had by all.  The eBird list can be found here

Wednesday, February 7, 2024. Great Falls Maryland. Leaders: Gene Murray and Susan Higginbotham. Participants: 8 plus leaders.  Weather: Clear day with temperature starting in high 20s and quickly warming. Species: 29. We started the morning from the Observation Deck where we saw Buffleheads, Common Mergansers, and Ring-necked Ducks.  We then eased our way downriver on the towpath and, though the birding seemed fairly quiet at first, we got good looks at Song Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Golden-crowned Kinglets.  As we started our return, we watched a long line of American Crows high overhead flying noisily toward Virginia.  Later we saw two Brown Creepers and were treated to scope views (thanks Bob) of a beautiful male Pileated Woodpecker.  A final check of the Observation Deck provided us with views of eight American Black Ducks huddled together.  The eBird list can be found here

Sunday, February 4, 2024. Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville, MD. Leader: Mark England, plus 17 participants. Weather: Perfect! Sunny with little wind, 41-51 degrees. Species: 31. We started as usual at the big pond and found both Canvasbacks and Bufflehead. At one of the leachate ponds we added 20 Lesser Scaup, and an oily-appearing American Black Duck. Raptors seen included at least one N. Harrier, one each Cooper’s, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks, and a late-hunting Merlin not seen by all. Scouting before the trip, the leader found a perched male American Kestrel. A group of 8 White-crowned Sparrows in the grass was a good find, as it included both immatures and adults for comparison. Swamp and Savannah Sparrows were also found, and a flight group of 40 Brown-headed Cowbirds was notable. The trip high point was viewing (and hearing) 3 Short-eared Owls that started flying about 35 minutes before sundown, and were watched till well into twilight. The eBird list can be found here.   Warning: The Oaks Landfill is a private facility operated by the Montgomery County Dept. of Environmental Protection, and trespassers will be prosecuted!

Sunday, January 27, 2024. Youth trip to Oaks Landfill. Participants: 20 including 9 youth led by Mark England with help from mentor Lauren Carey. Weather: Upper 50’s with clouds and a light breeze. Species: 33. During this 2 hour 40 minute trip starting at 3:20pm, we drove around the landfill seeing many birds, especially raptors. The raptors we saw included: 1 Short-eared Owl, 3 Northern Harriers, 1 Bald Eagle,1 Cooper’s Hawk, 2 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 Red-shouldered Hawks and 1 Red-tailed Hawk. We also saw Buffleheads, Ring-necked Ducks, 2 White-crowned Sparrows as well as 2 owl pellets and 2 large mammal skeletons. The eBird list can be found here.  Warning: The Oaks Landfill is a private facility operated by the Montgomery County Dept. of Environmental Protection, and trespassers will be prosecuted!

Sunday, January 14, 2024. Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville, Md.  Leader: Mark England, plus 12 participants. 35 degrees with partly cloudy skies and 16-19 mph. winds. Species: 20. Due to the winds, this was not the birdiest of trips, as there were only two waterfowl species– 28 Bufflehead and 4 Lesser Scaup, much less than usual here. Sparrows were mostly staying out of the wind, but we did have close looks at Savannah Sparrows from our cars. Raptors included one juvenile Northern Harrier, a Red-shouldered Hawk, a close flyby Merlin, and a well-seen male Short-eared Owl that started flying well before sundown, providing fine looks. eBird lists are here, here, and here. Warning: The Oaks Landfill is a private facility operated by the Montgomery County Dept. of Environmental Protection, and trespassers will be prosecuted!

Wednesday, January 10, 2024, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.  Despite rain & high winds the night before that led to the Bay Bridge closure and cancellation of this trip, 8 birders showed up Wednesday morning in Cambridge, MD.  Weather was mostly sunny; temps in the 40’s with winds 15-25mph.   The group logged 29 species.  Paul Orsinger stepped in as trip leader (having gone through the recent MBC class on leading bird trips by Mark England & Cheryl Hogue)  There was a great collegiality & humor as we worked to ID ducks & scoters on the Choptank River.  Great looks at Buffleheads, Ring Neck Ducks, Long-Tailed Ducks, Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Greater Scaup, Surf Scoter & Black Scoter.  Then went to the Blackwater NWR Visitors Center to eat lunch in our cars followed by time in the upper level viewing area…which was warm and offered better views of the wetlands than from the ground.  Also studied the taxidermy exhibits upstairs of raptors to see actual size comparisons & field marks up close.  Observed our first Tundra Swans of the day.  No shorebirds seen likely due to the high water.   Walked parts of the Marsh Edge Trail that wasn’t flooded and observed Brown-headed Nuthatches & Bluebirds.  By late afternoon we looked for light & dark morph Rough Legged Hawk on Egypt Rd.  Neither was sighted, but nice views of 3 Northern Harriers.  We ended our day before sunset heading to Maple Dam Rd to look for Short Eared Owls.  We were stopped by high water. So we watched a magnificent sunset and saw our first Great Egrets of the day.

Sunday, January 7, 2024. Black Hill RP and Gunners Lake. Leaders: Gerry Hawkins and Emily Huang, plus 17 participants. We started at the Visitors Center at Black Hill RP, and from there we went to the boat ramp area in this park and then to the nearby Route 121 bridge to get different views of Little Seneca Lake. The field trip concluded with a visit to nearby Gunners Lake. Notwithstanding recent unseasonably warm weather, we saw a nice selection if not large numbers of waterbirds during the field trip. Waterbird highlights at Black Hill RP and the Route 121 bridge included small numbers of Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers and Buffleheads, a dozen Pied-billed Grebes and a single American Coot. Highlights here also included a Barred Owl that was roosting in the open to soak in warm sunlight. At Gunners Lake there was the usually-excellent selection of waterbirds, which included a single male Canvasback, American Wigeon, Gadwall, Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks and an impressive 38 Hooded Mergansers, in addition to a single Pied-billed Grebe and the expected Mallards and Canada Geese. During the morning we also saw many other bird species, including Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Bluebird and Cedar Waxwing.

Thursday, January 4, 2024. Blue Mash Nature Trail. Leader: Mark England, plus 12 participants. Weather: Overcast with temperatures from 35-42 degrees. Species: 37. This was an unusual “two-phase trip”, with some of the group arriving at 6:50 am. to get to the fence line by 7 am. in hopes of seeing reported Short-eared Owls over the landfill, Cackling Geese in the pond, and a rare Greater White-fronted Goose that had also been seen for a few days. We had a very brief look at a distant SEOW with its rounded wings, short tail, and floppy flight, and also a Northern Harrier and hovering Red-tailed Hawk over the landfill. A Barred Owl called while we tried with great difficulty to separate any Cackling Geese from the hundreds of Canadas in the pond, but Stephen Davies expertly helped us see at least two. We met the rest of the group at 8:30 and toured Blue Mash in reverse. Cedar Waxwings and American Robins were ubiquitous through the walk, flying about searching for berries. A group of six White-crowned Sparrows feeding on a grassy path was a nice sighting near the end. The eBird list can be found  here.

Monday, January 1, 2024.  Pop-Up Trip: Lois Y. Green Connservation Park.  Participants:  6.  Leader:  Dave Powell.  Species: 40.  Five people joined Dave Powell on a New Year’s Day pop-up walk at Lois Green Conservation Park. A total of 40 species were seen on the walk. Highlights of the walk were a single Northern Pintail and Green winged Teal on the lakes, and great views of Cedar Waxwings.  The eBird list can be found here.

2023 Trips Reports

Sunday, December 3, 2023.  Youth trip to Pennyfield Lock.  Participants: 15 including 6 youth and mentors Jo Cox and Lisa Wilcox Deyo with help from Stella Tea.  Weather: Low 50’s with fog and mist. Species: 34. During this two hour, 1.6 mile trip, we walked north on the towpath and down to the river. The river was foggy so we could not see very far. One highlight was a Barred Owl watching us from a tree. A few of us then saw two Winter Wrens. The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday, December 2, 2023. Cambridge Waterfront and Blackwater NWR, Dorchester County, Md. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 17 plus leader. Weather: Foggy and overcast, but little wind and mild temperatures in the mid-50’s. Species: 56. We met at the Sailwinds Visitor Center as usual, but our best optics could not penetrate the dense fog over the Choptank River. At the marina, we saw on a pier a Lesser Black-backed Gull next to a Great Black-backed Gull, which was a great size comparison of the two gulls. At the Oakley Street seawall we had lots of close American Wigeon, but none of the usual expected ducks as yet. At Hambrooks Bay, we finally had some good looks at waterfowl, including many Surf Scoters, Ruddy Ducks, and Lesser Scaup. We headed out to Rt. 16, the Cambridge “Beltway”, where we looked for the Western Kingbird that had been seen for over a week, but it was gone. We had better rarity luck on Egypt Road, where we spent a good forty minutes watching harriers and meadowlarks, before finally seeing the dark-morph Rough-legged Hawk that had been reported for days. The RLHA was a life bird for many, and gave us good views as it hovered, soared, and then perched in some short pine trees viewable through scopes. At several stops at the Blackwater refuge and wildlife drive, our highlights included a heard King Rail, several Brown-headed Nuthatches, Tundra Swans, a Snowy Egret and 21 Great Egrets, but waterfowl were mostly absent this trip, except some Northern Pintails. We got to Maple Dam Road just before sundown (though there was no sun to be seen!), and had a Wilson’s Snipe, three more Northern Harriers, and a very distant fog-shrouded Short-eared Owl, mostly just a silhouette. Three of us had seen a much closer female SEOW at the same location the previous evening while scouting. The eBird reports are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Saturday November 11th. Veterans Day Sparrow Walk at Redgate Park, Rockville, MD. Leader: Josephine Cox with assistance from Marta Wagner and Kathy Reitz. We had 7 participants. Weather: A chilly start at 38 degrees going up to 49 by the end of the trip. Cloudy to partly sunny. Species: 34. We headed north toward the ‘Sparrow Tangle,’ where we spent a lot of time trying to ID sparrows. They were typically flitting around, with lots of white throated, song and house sparrows as well as a surprisingly large number of chipping sparrows. The highlight was a good view of a fox sparrow. The north pond was fairly active with a handful of mallards, a great blue heron, a kingfisher and a pretty male wigeon. We were lucky on the way back, Kathy glimpsed some meadowlarks which dove into the long grasses of the old driving range. I walked around the back of the range, and 2 meadowlarks flew to a nearby tree. Everyone got a good look; this was a life bird for many. The eBird report is here.

Tuesday, November 7, 2023, Lois Green Conservation Park, Gaithersburg, Md. Leaders: Mark England and Lauren Carey, plus 10 participants. Weather: Cloudy but warm, 56-63 degrees, no wind. Species: 40. Songbird activity was very slow early on, but we found a nice variety of waterfowl at the first pond, including a handsome Northern Pintail, American Black Ducks, a pair of Hooded Mergansers, and female Bufflehead. Walking toward the back of the park, we had a brief glimpse of a Sharp-shinned Hawk and a distant Cooper’s Hawk, its white tail tip very noticeable. At the second pond we added Green-winged Teals, one Ruddy Duck, a Pied-billed Grebe, and a perched female Belted Kingfisher. On the meadow hill return loop, we had some foraging Yellow-rumped Warblers, lots of bluebirds, and a few Field Sparrows. A Hermit Thrush showed well on a bare branch in front of us near the end of the trip.  The eBird report is here.

Sunday, November 5, 2023.  Youth trip to Black Hill Regional Park.  Participants:  15 including 6 youth and mentors Lauren Carey and Dave Powell.  Weather:  Sunny, upper 40’s going into the mid 60’s.  Species: 34. During 2 hours of this 3.5 hour trip, we walked 2 miles from the Black Hill Visitor Center. Highlights include a Purple Finch, a Brown Creeper, some Golden-crowned Kinglets, as well as some Bufflehead and Ring-necked Ducks. Many of us then drove to the boat ramp where we saw a Pied-billed Grebe, three female Bufflehead, and a Great Blue Heron. A few continued to the 121 bridge to see what was on that side of the lake. We saw a few more Bufflehead and Ring-necked Ducks, two more Pied-billed grebes, and some Double-crested Cormorants.  The eBird lists can be found here, here, and here.

Saturday, November 4, 2023. North Branch Stream Valley Park, Derwood, MD. Leaders Kathy Reitz and Deborah Hanley guided 16 participants through parts of the North Branch and Kengla trails beginning at Bowie Mill Local Park. Winds were calm with frost at the start. As the sun hit the meadows, they became alive with many species of sparrows. We saw a crowd thrilling giant flock of bluebirds on the recently mowed gas line. The first recorded bird was a bald eagle flyover in the parking lot. There were glimpses of a merlin and northern harrier by some. All in all, we had 41 species. It was a great group with many knowledgeable birders. There were many enjoyable discussions about sparrow markings. We hoped this was of use to the novice birders.  The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, October 22, 2023.  Youth trip to Oaks Landfill. Participants:  16 including 6 youth led by Mark England with help from mentors Becky Cromwell and Stella Tea.  Weather:  Partly cloudy, in the upper 50’s with wind.  Species:  49.  Over the course of the 3 ½ hour trip, we saw many different birds, especially raptors, sparrows and waterfowl.  The raptors we saw included two Northern Harriers, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, an American Kestrel and a Merlin.  One of our most surprising birds was a Vesper Sparrow on the north side of the landfill.  We also saw a variety of waterfowl including many duck species, as well as two American Coots.  Near the side of the road, we saw a Palm Warbler bobbing its tail.  One of our most tricky identifications was a Greater Yellowlegs.  The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday, October 21, 2023, Night Owling Trip:  Black Hill Regional Park. Leader: Mark England, plus 11 participants and Montgomery Parks issued “Scientific Research Permit.” Unlike the very windy and owl-less trip two weeks earlier, we had on this second trip calm weather and some helpful light from a half moon. We had a calling Barred Owl early on, which came in to a nearby tree and was easily seen, a life bird for a few. We had no luck finding Eastern Screech Owl until nearly 9 pm. when we took a break to observe Jupiter and three of its moons in the spotting scope. While doing that, a distant screech owl gave its “whinny” call, and eventually came closer and was briefly seen by some in our group. Great Horned Owls were again “missing-in action”, though we were located where a mated pair had been found in August for the Maryland Breeding Bird Atlas. Trip findings will be sent to Montgomery Parks, per their request and scientific interest.

Sunday, October 15, 2023, Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville, MD. Leader: Mark England, plus 16 participants. Weather: Sunny and breezy, high in mid-50s. Species: 44. This trip was what a mid-October trip should optimally be–lots of raptors, sparrows, and even a few waterfowl. In a 15-minute pretrip scouting run, I had noticed good raptor activity, including a Merlin, that of course had vanished later during the actual trip. So, we headed up the landfill hill immediately in our car caravan and picked up a juvenile Northern Harrier, Cooper’s Hawk, and a distant adult Bald Eagle perched on a power pole. We later added an immature Bald Eagle directly overhead, another harrier, two Sharp-shinned Hawks, two more Cooper’s Hawks, and three each Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks, for a really good raptor morning. There were lots of sparrows hopping around at various stops, but they were mostly skulking in the blackberry bushes due to the wind. We did record seven sparrow species plus Eastern Towhee, as well as both Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Waterfowl included two Ruddy Ducks, two American Coots, female N. Shoveler and Hooded Merganser, and about twenty Green-winged Teal, all backlit unfortunately. There was also a Common Raven and a few Eastern Meadowlarks called out by Bob Cantilli as they flew quickly across the landfill hill. The eBird list can be found here.

Monday, October 9, 2023, Pop-Up Trip:  Blue Mash Nature Trail. Four people joined David Powell for this morning’s pop-up walk to Blue Mash. A total of 40 species were seen during the walk. Highlights were a cooperative Yellow-breasted Chat, Tennessee and Black-throated Green Warblers. Along the fence, we saw Lincoln’s, Swamp, Field, Song and White-throated Sparrow. In the pond, an early pair of Gadwall and two Coots were with the more common waterfowl. In the other pond, a Wilson’s Snipe was seen. The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday, October 7, 2023, Wheaton Regional Park. Leaders:  Rob Hilton and Lisa Shannon.  Participation:  7 participants.  The weather was sunny and somewhat breezy, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s. We found five species of warblers, including two Cape May Warblers. Some 30 Chimney Swifts graced our presence, as did a Sharp-shinned Hawk.  The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday, October 7, 2023, Night Owling Trip:  Black Hill Regional Park. Leader: Mark England, plus 13 participants, and “Scientific Research Permit”. Weather: mid-50’s, but quite windy! Owls detected: None! This owling trip was less than a hoot, as none the three owl species known to be in the park vocalized or flew by. The leader could only attribute it to the blustery conditions, as the group had dressed in dark clothes and was uniformly quiet and patient at the several locations visited. Headed home, however, Mark Ross and family had an Eastern Screech Owl fly in front of their car on West Old Baltimore Road. We will have a second owling trip on October 21, hopefully with better results.

Wednesday, October 4, 2023, Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville, MD. Leader: Mark England, plus 15 participants. Weather: Sunny, cloudless skies, no wind, 57-76F.– very warm! Species: 39. We started at the big pond and then on to the three black rubber-lined leachate ponds, as Stephen Davies and I had seen some noteworthy species there on an early scouting run. The rising eastern sun made viewing less than optimal, but at the big pond we picked up the Gadwalls that had been around for a few days, one Lesser Yellowlegs,  one Solitary Sandpiper, a mix of Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal, all in either immature, female, or possibly eclipse plumage, identifiable mostly by speculum color only. At the leachate ponds we had at least two Semipalmated Sandpipers on the black rubber berm, a Hooded Merganser, and many Killdeer, all backlit, unfortunately. As we drove around and made many stops, we repeatedly saw American Kestrels, Northern Harriers, and Red-shouldered Hawks, probably at least three of each species. We had great looks at both western and eastern (Yellow) Palm Warblers in the gravel road, multiple perched Savannah Sparrows, and surprising late-migrant Bobolinks in their ochre fall plumage. On the landfill entrance road, we had Brown Thrasher, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, though some were not seen by all. The usual October sparrow diversity was way down this trip, very likely due to the persistent warm weather holding back migrants.  The eBird list can be found here and here.

Saturday, September 30, 2023, Croydon Creek Nature Center. Trip leader Emily Huang and 10 participants met for a rain delayed walk at Croydon Creek Nature Center, one week after originally scheduled.  We spent two hours at the feeders, in the fields, and on the wooded Heritage Trail, observing 30 species.  Highlights included Cape May Warblers, Cedar Waxwings, Scarlet Tanagers and Northern Flickers flashing their yellow underwings.  Weather was variable, from overcast with poor visibility to windy to partly sunny at the very end.  After the walk, the trip leader added several birds, including a pair of screaming Red-shouldered Hawks and a flock of Cape Mays in the Kousa dogwoods by the mansion. The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday, September 30, 2023, Pop-Up:  Wheaton Branch Stormwater Ponds. A pop-up (no reservation) field trip to the Wheaton Branch Stormwater Ponds on Sept. 30 drew 11 participants. Undeterred by a cloudy morning with temperatures in the low to mid-60s, the group was treated to long looks at two female Belted Kingfishers, both perched and flying. The two swooped and rattled across the ponds, which held shallow water and are just beginning to refill after a dry summer. A Solitary Sandpiper showed nicely on an exposed mud flat, and the group got good looks at a male Wood Duck in eclipse plumage. The wind picked up mid-walk, keeping woodland birds out of sight, but the group still logged 24 species. The trip was co-led by Cheryl Hogue and Paul Orsinger. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, September 17, 2023, Woodstock Equestrian Park, Beallsville, MD. Leaders: Scott Young and Dave Roberts. plus 12 participants. Weather: Partly sunny for the early part, then overcast and finally raining at the end; temperature rising from low 50’s to low 60s.  Species: 36. We were able to spot 8 warbler species, including Magnolias, Cape Mays and Blackburnian. Other favorites were American Redstart, White-Eyed Vireo, and subsequent photo-ID’d Grasshopper Sparrow.  The eBird list can be found here.  Dave pre-scouted the pond across the street before the trip began and also found Canada Geese, Killdeer and a Green Heron but the weather prevented our venture there.

Wednesday, September 13, 2023, Pennyfield to Violette’s “Bird Stalk”. .  Leader:  Jim Nelson.  Participants: 11, including leader.  Weather:  Mostly cloudy at first with gradual clearing, 67-73 F.  Total species: 41.   We met at Violette’s Lock at 8:00, carpooled down to Pennyfield Lock, and walked upstream along the C&O Canal towpath back to Violette’s, ending at noon.  The total species count was up nicely from the numbers of the last two years of this trip.  After the very dry July and August weather, the second impoundment was a water-free meadow with no birds, keeping our waterfowl species count low, and the Canal itself had narrow stream of water down the center with heavy plant growth in the bed of the Canal. We were too late to see the Limpkin that was being reported regularly eating snails in the Canal upstream from the Pennyfield lockhouse until two days before this trip. Highlights of the trip were a Solitary Sandpiper and two Lesser Yellowlegs out in the river, Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks flying overhead, a Bald Eagle, an Osprey, a cuckoo seen too quickly to identify as to species, an unidentifiable Empidonax flycatcher, several warbler species (Nashville, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided, and Black-throated Green), and a conservative count of at least 30 Indigo Buntings feasting on ripening grass and flower seeds in the bed of the nearly dry canal. The eBird trip report can be found here

Sunday, September 10, 2023, Hughes Hollow. The trip leader Clive Harris and 10 participants met on a warm morning at Hughes Hollow for this walk, which is targeted at newer birders.  We spent two hours at McKee Besher’s.  The weather was not favorable for migrant songbirds, but we picked up 42 species of which the highlight was glimpses of one, or possibly two, of the Soras that had been present for several days.  We then moved on to the end of Sycamore Landing Road.  The fields were quiet but a short time on the river gave us a fairly close Bald Eagle catching a fish and two Great Egrets.  Finally we moved to view the Polo Grounds on Hughes Road where a close-in adult Horned Lark was a life bird for some of the participants. We ended the morning with a total of 49 species. The eBird trip report can be found here

Saturday, September 9, 2023, Wheaton Regional Park. The first MBC field trip of the autumn season attracted 12 participants to Wheaton Regional Park. Co-led by Lisa Norwalk and Cheryl Hogue, the group  observed 34 species. Highlights included a pair of American Redstarts, Green Herons, and good looks at a perched Black Vulture and several Northern Flickers . Cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 70s gave way to sun and warmer, humid weather by the time the 2-hour 20-minute trip ended. The eBird list can be found here

Sunday, July 9, 2023, Youth trip to Croydon Creek. Participants: 25  including 12 youth (ages 3-17) and mentors Jo Cox and Andy Martin with help from Nathan and Stella Tea. Weather:  Partly sunny, 80 degrees with 80% humidity.  Species:  34. During our 1.5 mile walk led by Jo, we explored the pine forest, the cemetery, the trail to the creek & the mansion grounds. Highlights included good views of Brown Thrashers, Chipping Sparrows and Eastern Bluebirds.  The eBird list can be found here

Sunday, June 18, 2023, Youth trip to Riley’s Lock. Participants: 22  including 11 youth and mentors Dave Powell and Nathan Tea with help from Stella Tea. Species:  46  The group walked across the Seneca Creek Bridge, down to the river bank then to the Seneca Mill Ruins and continued along Tshiffley Mill Road.  During this 1.2 mile walk, we saw and/or heard Double-crested Cormorants, Great Blue Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons, an Osprey, Bald Eagles, a Prothonotary Warbler, a Warbling Vireo and Yellow-billed Cuckoos. The eBird list can be found here

Friday, June 2, 2023, Pop-Up Trip: Blue Mash Nature Trail. Leader:  David Powell. Participants: 7.  Seven people joined me on a nice morning walk at Blue Mash this morning. Highlights included great looks at a singing Willow Flycatcher and Orchard Oriole. A total of 40 species were seen during the walk. The eBird list can be found here

Saturday, May 27, 2023, Pop-Up Trip: Lake Whetstone, Montgomery Village, MD. Leader:  Lauren Carey. Participants: 7. Weather: Sunny, temps starting in the mid-50s and rising into the 60s. The boat dock and the viewing platform provided excellent views of the heron nests on the island including multiple black-crowned night-heron nests with chicks and a great blue heron nest with three chicks, along with six great-blue herons fledged into the trees. Participants also spotted wood ducks, spotted sandpipers, a Baltimore oriole, a warbling vireo, and a green heron, with a total of 32 species for the trip. The eBird list can be found here.  The eBird list can be found here

Wednesday, May 24, 2023, Blue Mash and Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville, Md. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 16. Weather: Party sunny, low 60’s to low 70’s at the end, with very little wind. Species: 54 at Blue Mash, 35 at Oaks Landfill. This trip was not quite as birdy as the same trip on May 10th, but we had an enjoyable walk in nice weather. At Blue Mash we had excellent looks at both orioles, including a singing first-year male Orchard Oriole, Prairie Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Eastern Towhee, and Indigo Bunting, among others. We saw the continuing late American Black Duck male in the Zion Road pond, and later also at the landfill. Brooke Levey called out a surprising flyover Red-headed Woodpecker, but most everyone missed it, unfortunately. We also had a quick flyby Yellow-billed Cuckoo. At the landfill, we saw a parent American Wood Ducks with only one duckling in tow. We had scope looks at a Spotted Sandpiper, great looks at Eastern Kingbirds and Willow Flycatchers, and finished with a Blue Grosbeak male in a leafless tree in great light. There were no hoped-for Dickcissels or Grasshopper Sparrows this trip, but there is still ongoing solar panels installation work on the landfill hill, likely affecting some birds.

Sunday, May 14, 2023, Occoquan Bay NWR, Prince William County, VA . Leaders:  Gerry Hawkins and Mike Bowen. Participants:  18.  Weather:  Sunny and clear, delightful, 60’s – 70-plus.  Species count:  60.  Highlights:  Simply terrific views of singing Yellow-breasted Chats, Prairie Warblers, Indigo Buntings, Baltimore Orioles and Yellow-throated Warblers, giving photographers a very rewarding morning, with chances at Blue Grosbeak, Prothonotary Warbler and Ruby-throated Hummingbird, too. The refuge offered its customary excellent opportunities to see Bald Eagles and Ospreys in flight and on nests – and at one point, in an aerial tussle for a fish.  Unfortunately, the closure of several roads to protect nesting eagles prevented us from exploring the marshy area that often offers a chance for King Rail. In the warbler department we had Yellowthroat, Blackpoll, Parula, Yellow, and Northern Waterthrush in addition to Prairie and Prothonotary.  The eBird list can be found here

Sunday, May 14, 2023, Woodstock Equestrian Park, Beallsville, MD. Leaders: Scott Young and Dave Roberts. Additional participants: 6. Weather: Partly cloudy in mid-60s to start but sunny in 70’s at end. We started on the west side where we found 46 species. Some highlights included prominent views of Eastern Towhee, Common Yellowthroat, Brown Thrasher, Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, and multiple Field Sparrows. We only found 4 warblers however. On the east side, we found 37 species and added a Black-and-White Warbler and an Eastern Meadowlark.   The eBird list can be found here, here and here

Wednesday, May 10, 2023, Blue Mash and Oaks Landfill half-day trip, Laytonsville, Md. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 17 plus leader. Weather: Overcast and 46 degrees at the start, gradually warming into the 60’s, little wind. Species: 60 at Blue Mash, 47 at Oaks Landfill–68 individual species. We got off to a very quiet and warbler-less start on the gravel road, probably due to the chilly/overcast conditions. Things picked up at the fence line viewing the landfill pond, where we had two Blue-winged Teal, American Wood Duck parents with two young, Lesser Yellowlegs, a very low and close Baltimore Oriole, and an Osprey soaring over the landfill. Further along, we had good looks at  Yellow-breasted Chat, Prairie Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Brown Thrasher, and several Indigo Buntings. At the back gate of the landfill, we watched a hovering male American Kestrel for some time, and at the Zion Road pond, we had Least, Spotted, and Solitary Sandpipers, Green Heron, and a Cooper’s Hawk. Later, we carpooled around the Oaks Landfill, seeing many of the same species, but also some different ones, including a female Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Eastern Kingbird, a surprising female Lesser Scaup, and a mated pair of Blue Grosbeaks to end the trip on a high note.   The eBird list can be found here and here.

Sunday, May 7, 2023, Izaak Walton League, B-CC Chapter, Conservation Farm. Leader:  Jim Nelson. Participants: 10.  Weather: Mostly cloudy but becoming sunnier, starting at 49  and rising to upper 60s F.  Species: 60.  Thanks to the IWL-BCC, our group once again enjoyed access to this prime private property near Poolesville with a great mix of habitats.  IWL-BCC member Larry Anderson acted as our escort.  Many of our birds were heard only, and not everyone got to see or hear each species.  We had only 4 species of warblers – Black and White, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, and Yellow-rumped. Among the specialties at this site, we had at least 40 Purple Martins at the martin housing complex on site, and in the fields several singing Grasshopper Sparrows with a number sitting up for relatively good views.  A nice surprise was an apparent pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers that gave us a nice, quick view (this is only the second-ever eBird report of RHWO at this site, the first being another MBC field trip on May 8, 2011!).  Other good birds included a perched male Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Great Blue and Green Herons, Osprey, a very distant Barred Owl calling, White-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireos, several singing Wood Thrushes (one of which we were finally able to locate as it posed for great views by all of us), abundant singing Chipping and Field Sparrows, three Savannah Sparrows, numerous stealthy Eastern Towhees and Yellow-breasted Chats singing, cooperative Orchard Orioles, and singing male Indigo Buntings. We also had Eastern Phoebe, Great-crested Flycatcher, and Eastern Kingbird.  One participant saw a quick flyover Killdeer.  We tallied 60 Blue Jays and probably missed others as groups were moving through, probably migrants.   The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, May 7, 2023, Youth trip to Little Bennett Regional Park. Mentors:  Brooke Levey and Andy Martin. Participants:  15 including 7 youth, plus 2 mentors. Species: 45. During our 2+ hour walk starting at the Wilson Mill Trail, the group heard several warblers and vireos.  The warblers included Chestnut-Sided, Ovenbird, Black & White, Northern Parula, many Common Yellowthroat, and Blackpoll.  We got very good views of singing Prairie Warblers.  Other highlights included singing Wood Thrush, Indigo Bunting, White-Eyed & Red-Eyed Vireos.  Near the end of the trip, we saw a Red-Breasted Nuthatch. The eBird list can be found here.

Friday, May 5, 2023, Birding by ear at Hughes Hollow. Leader: Paul Woodward.  Participants: 6 including leader.   Unlike most recent years, it was not raining nor was there any rain in the forecast, so the trip when off as scheduled.  As usual, we walked around the impoundments and had a composite list of 40 species.  Recent unseasonably cold weather has slowed migration, so we saw fewer migrants than usual.  Highlights included one of the local Sandhill Cranes flying overhead, a calling Least Bittern, two Great Egrets, and a singing Marsh Wren in plain view.  We heard the flight call of a nesting female Hooded Merganser, which is unfamiliar to most birders.  We had time to study the songs of Gray Catbirds, Orchard Orioles, and Prothonotary Warblers. The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday, April 15, 2023, Rachel Carson Conservation Park, Olney, Md. Pop-up trip. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 15 plus leader. Weather: Overcast and very humid, mid-60’s. Species: 35 (plus an immature Bald Eagle seen by Lauren Carey, and possibly two distant Red-tailed Hawks.) We made a big circuit of nearly 2.7 miles, starting on the north side along the gravel road with the open fields to our right. We saw singing Field Sparrows, two Yellow-rumps, and a cooperative male Eastern Towhee out in the open. We also picked up a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a small flock of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and the expected Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds. Entering the mature woods at the Hidden Pond trail, we were too early for the usual nesting vireos, Wood Thrush, and Scarlet Tanager, but eventually heard two Ovenbirds, and then at least two Louisiana Waterthrushes, which kept moving ahead of us. Finally, we got a scope look at the elusive warbler high above the Hawlings River, a life bird for some in the group. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, April 8, 2023, Hughes Hollow. Leader: Jim Nelson. Participants: 16, including leader.  Weather:  Due to threatened storms on the originally-scheduled April 1, the trip was moved to April 8.  The weather was better, starting as overcast, then gradually clearing, with temperatures started at 39 and rising to about 50 F by the end. We had a nice variety of bird species with a total of 46.   We had a typical mix of resident species and winter visitors with a handful of arriving migrants.  Waterfowl were sparse with only Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Pied-billed Grebe, and American Coot.  Birds of note included three immature Bald Eagles soaring and aggressively interacting over the large impoundment, a calling Barred Owl, a Red-headed Woodpecker, 2 Northern Rough-winged Swallows, quite a few Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, four Brown Thrashers, two Purple Finches, Chipping and Swamp Sparrows, three Eastern Towhees, and a noisy flock of Rusty Blackbirds.  There were no warblers. The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday March 25, Wheaton Regional Park. Leader: Evelyn Ralston. Participants: 4. Species: 19. Miserable weather (drizzle, then rain, temperature in the 40’s and poor light) shortened the walk  but did not prevent 3 hardy souls led by Evelyn Ralston from birding. Practically nothing on Pine Lake; who knew that geese and ducks don’t like rain? But good numbers of blackbirds and of common birds, including Pileated woodpeckers, Towhees, a few Sparrows, and a Bald Eagle majestically flying above and across the “orchard”. This was a repeat of the March 11 trip, geared towards those who had been waitlisted or who had not been able to join. The eBird list can be found here.

Tuesday, March 14, 2023, Pop Up Trip:  Lois Green Conservation Park  Leader: David Powell. Participants: 6 including leader. Species: 28. A total of 28 species were seen with the highlights being lingering waterfowl and sparrows. Great views of Green-winged Teals, Ring-necked and Black Ducks.Good number of sparrows, with a single Swamp and seven Field Sparrows being the highlights. Great views of an Eastern Towhee capped off the trip. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, March 12, 2023, North Branch and Kengla Trails. Leader: Josephine Cox. Participants: 6 including leader. Species: 25. Weather: low 30s and cloudy. The delightful Ada and Calla came with their parents and they were able to spot some good birds. In particular, they spotted a field sparrow that looked like a song sparrow in the poor light. The girls were also the first to spot the turkeys near the gas line on the big meadow. Luckily, they trotted across our path, and we were able to see that all 8 were males. We had a big flock of female red winged blackbirds and otherwise we saw the usual small songbirds along with several robins and raucous American Crows. The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday, March 11, 2023, Wheaton Regional Park.  Leaders: Evelyn Ralston and Martha Morris. Participants: 12 beginners. Species: 30.  Despite a stiff northwest wind and temperatures in the thirties, our group of 12 beginners had no trouble spotting/hearing 30 species over a 2 ½-hour walk starting at 9:00. Most winter and year-round residents were encountered (although oddly, no European Starlings or House Sparrows), including lingering Brown Creepers, both species of Kinglets, and White-Throated Sparrows. A lone Female Hooded Merganser entertained us paddling around Pine Lake, followed by the squawking of a nearby Common Raven. Five species of woodpeckers were present. Highlights included a brief glimpse of a Fox Sparrow that quickly disappeared into a thicket and two Red-shouldered Hawks perched side-by-side, after which one flew off to eat its captured prey, on a nearby branch, affording everyone excellent views.  the eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, March 5, 2023, North Branch and Kengla Trails.  Leader: Anne Mytych. Participants: 8 including leader. Species: 25. Weather: low 30s to upper 40s and sunny. We started the walk off on a high note when one of the participants spotted 3 Eastern Meadowlarks in the open grass behind Sequoyah Elementary School. Along the way, we saw a large group of Ring Billed Gulls fly over, dozens of Red-Winged Blackbirds, Blue Jays  Carolina Chickadees, several Eastern Bluebirds and we heard a Fox Sparrow singing, but we could not get our eyes on him despite a lengthy search search. At least a couple of birders heard a killdeer, but we were unable to locate him.  The eBird list can be found here.

Thursday, March 2, 2023, Gunners Lake.  Leaders: Mike Bowen and Anne Cianni; Participants:  9. Species: 31. Weather:  Cloudy but in the 40’s with little or no wind.  Sun stayed hidden most of the time but visibility over the lake was very good.  Highlights:  Many of the ducks that spent most of the winter on Gunners Lake in 2022-23 had left by the time this trip got under way.  Nevertheless, we managed to see a few species very well indeed.  Gadwall and American Wigeon showed very well, as did a handful of Ring-necked Duck, a species that earlier in the season was far more abundant here.  Fortunately for the group, small numbers of Ruddy Duck and a single male Bufflehead also gave us good looks.  But no Redhead or Canvasback showed up.  The relative lack of waterfowl was compensated for by 4 species of woodpecker and by an enormous number of singing birds, including Red-winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows and Carolina Wrens. Two Red-shouldered hawks, one on the ground being hounded by crows, started out the morning. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, February 26,2023, Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville.

Leader: Mark England. Participants: 18 plus leader. Weather: Mostly sunny, mid-50’s, little wind–excellent! Species: 30. We started as usual at the big pond, observing and photographing the various waterfowl. We had over 40 Bufflehead, 5 Northern Shovelers, 6 Gadwall, 10 Hooded Mergansers, 4 Ruddy Ducks, 2 American Black Ducks, and a lone female Canvasback. At the center leachate pond, we counted 34 Ring-necked Ducks. We did see two Northern Harriers this trip, an orangish juvenile and a probable sub-adult male. Sparrows were elusive as always, but we found six species plus E. Towhee. The sparrow highlight was a cooperative American Tree Sparrow that perched in the open long enough for anyone who wanted to get a scope view.  We found White-crowned Sparrows at two “stakeout” locations, where they have been reliable all winter. In a pre-trip scouting run, the leader had seen an American Kestrel, but we could not relocate it later.  The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday, February 26^th, 2023, Youth Trip at Gunners Lake.  Leaders: Brooke Levey and Ed Vigezzi.  Participants: 27 total (12 youth plus adults).  Species: 34.  The group completed a two hour walk around Gunners Lake seeing a variety of waterfowl, woodpeckers, sparrows and other species.  Highlights included four Double-Crested Cormorant and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  A good variety of ducks were seen including:  Gadwall, American Widgeon, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, and Ruddy Duck.  Thanks to the twelve youth birders who joined this trip ranging in the ages of five to seventeen.  The eBird list can be found here.

Thursday, February 23, 2023, Lois Green Conservation Park. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 10. Weather: Overcast in the 40’s early, with clear skies and mid-60’s later on. Species: 36. We started the trip with at least two resident Red-shouldered Hawks calling to each other repeatedly, and we viewed both perched and flying RSHA’s throughout the trip, but no other raptors. Waterfowl diversity was good, including American Black Ducks, Green-winged Teal, Hooded Mergansers, and an elegant male Northern Pintail in the second pond. Other highlights included two Fox Sparrows, well-seen Field Sparrows and an Eastern Towhee, and a Yellow-rumped Warbler that we looked down on as we returned to the parking lot on the upper trail. Thanks to Tara, Ada, and Calla for keeping the list.  The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday, February 18, 2023, Pop-Up Trip:  Wheaton Branch Stormwater Ponds. Leaders:  Cheryl Hogue and Paul Orsinger.  Participants 12. the group observed 22 species. Highlights included a female then a male Belted Kingfisher individually flying back and forth along the length of the westernmost ponds then perch for a few moments affording good views. The group also saw an immature Sharp-Shinned hawk glide overhead then observed it perched high on a tree branch. Few songbirds were observed in the cold and wind. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, February 12, 2023, Riley’s Lock. Leaders:  Dave Roberts and Scott Young.  Participants 12, including 3 YMOS members, plus 2 leaders. Weather: Mid-30’s with sleet beginning at 9:00 AM. Species: 36. The group met at 7:30 under cloudy skies with, thankfully, little wind. Scans of the river revealed mostly hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls. A couple of Herring Gulls and several Buffleheads were also seen. Some Wood Ducks flew by as well as a 4th year Bald Eagle that flew over us into Virginia. Further up the towpath, we came across three Eastern Phoebes, numerous White-throated Sparrows and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. A couple of Belted Kingfishers were heard, one seen. The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday, February 11, 2023, Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 15. Weather: Partly cloudy, mid-50’s, little wind–excellent! Species: 26. We entered the landfill a little after 3:30 and went first to the big pond, where it was nice to view a variety of ducks without a chain link fence in front of us. We had over 30 each Ring-necked Ducks and Bufflehead, and small groups of Hooded Mergansers, Ruddy Ducks, and Northern Shovelers. There was also a lone female Canvasback actively diving. We spent a good amount of time searching for sparrows, and eventually had good looks at very close Savannah Sparrows and more distant juvenile and adult White-crowned Sparrows. Raptors were very scarce as they have been all winter at the landfill, possibly due to the still-incomplete solar panels installation; we had only a well-seen Red-tailed Hawk and also a Red-shoulder. The trip highlight occurred after we exited about six p.m. and pulled over outside the landfill fence gates, hoping to hear early woodcock displaying. We did not find them, but a Short-eared Owl came through the trees and crossed above the entrance road where we stood, as it headed over the Blue Mash Golf Course. At least some in the group were able to follow the surprising SEOW in our binoculars, even in the near-dark.  The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday, January 21, 2023, Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 16. Weather: Overcast but dry, 41 degrees, little wind. Species: 23. This trip was moved up to Saturday due to the forecast of cold rain on Sunday. We spent a good while at the large pond looking at good numbers of Bufflehead, Ring-necked Ducks, and two male Green-winged Teal, then flushed a Sharp-shinned Hawk as we drove toward the leachate ponds, which held only some more Bufflehead. We spent a while on the east side of the landfill hill hoping to see White-crowned or American Tree Sparrows, but had to settle for Song, White-throated, and a single Swamp Sparrow. Going up toward the top we saw a juvenile Northern Harrier, and we repeatedly glimpsed this same bird later, once while it chased a young Red-shouldered Hawk. We were in position near sunset for hoped for Short-eared Owl appearance, but as has been the case so far this winter, none appeared, unfortunately. eBird list is here.

Wednesday, January 18, 2023. Carderock Recreation Area. . Leaders: Gene Murray and Susan Higginbotham. Participants: 7 plus leaders.  Weather: Mild, clear day with slight breeze. Temperatures in mid-30s to mid-40s.  Species: 30.  While still in the parking lot, we saw the first of several Brown Creepers that we would see on the day. As we headed upriver on the towpath, our congenial group was treated to eye-level views of Golden-crowned Kinglets. White-throated Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Dark-eyed Juncos were very active.  We walked as far as Marsden Bridge, where we got good looks at 2 Pileated Woodpeckers and 1 Northern Flicker. Three Bald Eagles (2 mature and 1 immature) flew close above us, and some in our group could hear them vocalizing.  As we returned to the parking lot, a Red-shouldered Hawk flew over the towpath and settled into a tree across the Potomac. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, January 8, 2023. Black Hill RP and Gunners Lake. Leader: Gerry Hawkins. Participants: 15 plus leader. We started at the Visitors Center at Black Hill RP, and from there we went to the boat ramp area in this park and then to the nearby Route 121 bridge to get different views of Little Seneca Lake. The field trip concluded with a visit to nearby Gunners Lake. Notwithstanding recent unseasonably warm weather, we saw a nice selection if not large numbers of waterbirds during the field trip. Waterbird highlights at Black Hill RP and the Route 121 bridge included a Horned Grebe at close range at the boat ramp area, a single male Canvasback and small numbers of Common Mergansers, Buffleheads, Hooded Mergansers and Ruddy Ducks. Highlights here also included several Pied-billed Grebes and 13 American Coot together at close range. At Gunners Lake there was the usually-excellent selection of waterbirds, which included a couple of male Redheads, several American Wigeon, Ring-necked Ducks and Ruddy Ducks, a large number of Gadwall and an impressive 71 Hooded Mergansers, in addition to the expected Mallards and Canada Geese. Other avian highlights included Eastern Bluebirds at both locations, a Brown Creeper at Gunners Lake and a kettle of Black Vultures at Gunners Lake.

Thursday, January 5, 2023. Blue Mash Nature Trail. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 14 plus leader. Weather: Partly cloudy, little wind, temps. 52-61 degrees. Species: 38. In unseasonably nice weather, we enjoyed a slow walk around Blue Mash. We spent a long time at the fence line viewing the landfill pond, which held a nice variety of waterfowl, including 10 Gadwall, 3 American Black Ducks, 66 Ring-necked Ducks, 10 Bufflehead, and a single male Green-winged Teal and Canvasback. A female Common Merganser flew in as well, very rare on this shallow pond. Unfortunately, there had been a group of Cackling Geese on the pond earlier, but we missed them in the huge geese liftoff just as we got to the fence line. Other highlights were immature and adult Bald Eagle just inside the landfill, a close juvenile sapsucker, and a distant flying Sharp-shinned Hawk spotted first by one of the two youngest birders on the trip. The ebird list is here.

Sunday, January 1, 2023. Black Hills Regional Park – Pop Up Trip. Leader: David Powell.  Participants:  12.  Highlights of the 38 species were seeing the continuing Red-necked Grebe and a Cackling goose. Eleven species of waterfowl were found and most of them provided good looks to the group. The ebird list is here.

2022 Trips

Saturday, December 10, 2022. Cambridge Waterfront and Blackwater NWR., Dorchester County, Md.  Leader: Mark England. Participants: 11. Weather: Sunny and clear, 32-45 degrees, with light winds all day–excellent!  Species: 62, plus Cackling Geese and Blue-winged Teal reported by one other who left early.  As before, we started along the Choptank waterfront, with much better visibility than the week before when it rained all morning. Consequently, we had better looks and slightly greater numbers of the usual waterfowl: Surf Scoters, Common Loons, Long-tailed Ducks, and Bufflehead. We found the same three species at Oakley Street as the previous Saturday:  American Wigeon, Mallards, and Lesser Scaup, this time in superb light. At Great Marsh Park, we saw about 500 Snow Geese lift off the river, always a thrill. We scoped 6-10 meadowlarks, fairly close out, at our first stop on Egypt Road, and enjoyed a close and fast Merlin flyby. (There were no American Kestrels for the third straight trip, a bit of a surprise.) At the Blackwater pollinator garden, we amazingly relocated the continuing Orange-crowned Warbler, again right at eye level, and a lifer for some. We again had all three nuthatches,  plus two singing Fox Sparrows, and two Brown Creepers early on the Wildlife Drive tour, followed by very satisfying looks at a sleeping gray-form Eastern Screech Owl, though not without an assist by a photographer. We got to the vast and peaceful marsh on Maple Dam Road just before sundown where Jim Green had tipped us to a newly-arrived Short-eared Owl two days before, but it did not appear, at least where we stood. We heard calling Greater Yellowlegs and a Virginia Rail after sundown to close out the trip.  eBird checklists are here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123762737 , here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123763937 , and here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123764814

Wednesday, December 14^th 2022. Blue Mash – Pop Up Trip. Leader: David Powell.  Participants:  3.  A cold morning, but the sun warmed everyone up once we started moving. Best birds were a distant Cackling Goose and a very cooperative Hermit Thrush. A total of 31 species were seen.  The ebird list is here.

Saturday, December 03, 2022. Cambridge Waterfront and Blackwater NWR., Dorchester County, Md. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 14. Weather: Rainy and miserable in the morning, but dry and overcast in the afternoon. Temps. 45-59, winds 15-20 mph. Species: 64. Our intrepid group met as always at the Sailwinds Park Visitor Center on the Choptank River in a driving rain, which tested optics, raingear, and patience! We saw our first Common Loon of the day, some Surf Scoters, and maybe three Long-tailed Ducks, none very close. We had better looks at the Surf Scoters and Bufflehead at the marina, and saw about 65 corn-trained American Wigeon and 3 Lesser Scaup at Oakley Street. We had no Goldeneye this trip and only one Ruddy Duck–very unusual. After trying to partially dry out at the Goose Creek Store, we headed down Egypt Road hoping for some raptors and field birds. We had a Sharp-shinned Hawk early, one Red-tail, and some Bald Eagles, but no kestrels as normally seen on this road. A few Eastern Meadowlarks landed on a grassy field and we scoped them out, as well as 15 Killdeer and a large, bushy-tailed Delmarva Fox Squirrel. We got to the visitor center as the rain was finally letting up, and next to the parking lot had a unique look at hundreds of close Northern Pintail ducks mostly resting in the grass amongst Canada Geese. From the second floor observation deck we saw countless Tundra Swans in the flooded fields as well as a “gray ghost” Northern Harrier looking for a meal. Just inside the entrance to the refuge Wildlife Drive, we birded the pollinator garden for songbirds, especially hoping to see a lingering Orange-crowned Warbler that long-time MBC member Jim Green had tipped us off to. Sure enough, the drab warbler popped into view for a short but satisfying view for most in the group. We also had White and Red-breasted Nuthatches in this garden, and later some Brown-headed Nuthatches, for the first-ever “nuthatch sweep” on this trip. Other highlights were a seemingly tame Hermit Thrush perched just above us for several minutes, two different perched Cooper’s Hawks, a Wilson’s Snipe flyover, and a Peregrine Falcon spotted by “Raptor Bob” Cantilli. Later on the drive, we heard the scream of the falcon on the other side of some loblolly pines, apparently because a Bald Eagle had approached it too closely. After scoping a lone Greater Yellowlegs, we rushed through the rest of the Wiildlife Drive, in order to get to the Bestpitch Ferry marsh before dark, hoping to see Short-eared Owls, but they had not yet migrated back to overwinter. We did see four more harriers, a meadowlark perched on a muskrat lodge, and heard a calling Virginia Rail, a nice way to end the day. Thanks to Jim Green for superb but unrecompensed scouting, and to Lauren Carey and Jackie Raiford for their exceptional spotting and detailed eBird lists! The eBird Trip Report is here.

Saturday, November 12^th 2022. Redgate Park Seeking Sparrows. Leaders Josephine Cox and Kathy Reitz starting at 8am with 12 participants splitting into two groups. The planned Veteran’s Day trip was postponed by a day because of the remnants of tropical storm Nicole. The temperature was in the low to upper 60’s, sunny to cloudy with occasional breezes. A total of 24 species were seen, including just 5 sparrow species. The highlight was a fox sparrow that popped up on a snag with great views for one of the groups.  The ebird list is here and here.

Tuesday, November 8. Lois Y. Green Conservation Park, Gaithersburg. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 13. Weather: Partly sunny, temps. 45-54. moderate breezes. Species: 32. We did one of the up-and-back circuits at this park rather than the complete three-mile loop, and especially enjoyed a nice variety of waterfowl and hawks, but only scattered looks at  evasive songbirds. At the second pond, in great light, we scoped out six American Wood Ducks on the far shore, and small groups of Bufflehead and Hooded Mergansers. American Black Ducks and Mallards were numerous at both ponds, including a well-seen hybrid male. A feeding Ruby-crowned Kinglet at eye level was a nice find, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk, four Red-tails, and two Red-shoulders provided excellent looks as well. A highlight near the end was seeing a  high-up Common Raven swoop down on a soaring Red-tail.  The ebird list is here.

Saturday, November 5^th 2022. Rock Creek’s North Branch Stream Valley. Leaders Josephine Cox and Kathy Reitz starting at 8am and splitting into two groups. We had 18 participants including MBC’s enthusiastic young birders Ada & Calla.  The weather was unseasonably warm; mid-60’s to mid-70’s, cloudy to sunny with occasional breezes. A total of 42 species were seen, with red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks and a brief view of a Northern Harrier flying over the meadow. Nine sparrow species including Fox and Savannah.  The highlights of the trip were three meadowlarks seen on the big meadow and a close flyover by a Raven in the same location.  The ebird list is here and here.

Sunday, October 30, MBC Presidents’ Walk at Blue Mash. Part 2. Leader: Andy Martin. Seven bird club members enjoyed an additional bird outing to Blue Mash Nature Trail on October 30 for the Annual Presidents’ Walk. A trip designed to see some good birds and also honor past and current Presidents of the Montgomery Bird Club and accommodate additional club members turned away due to a crowded October 22^nd trip. Weather was outstanding, pleasant and very sunny with calm winds. Conditions seemingly perfect for a mid fall bird walk. We netted (figuratively speaking) 43 species for the day. Early fall duck species included Mallards, Green-winged Teal, American Black Ducks, American Wigeon and a single Gadwall. Highlight of the morning may have been a mammal instead of a bird as we all had great looks (including through the spotting scope) of a Northern River Otter frolicking in the “big pond.” We were hoping for a good raptor day but had to be content with furtive quick looks at a Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk and a “heard only” Red-shouldered Hawk. The ebird list is here.

Saturday, October 29^th, Redgate Park – Leaders: Anne Mytych & Brooke Levey. Participants: 27, Weather: Low 40s to mid-50s & Sunny. Species: 39. We had a large group – 27, including 4 YMOS members, who helped tremendously with spotting and ID. We saw a few birds of prey, including a Merlin, a Red-Shouldered Hawk and a Red-Tailed Hawk. We heard and saw lots of sparrows, mostly Song & White-Throated, with a few Chippings, as well as Dark-Eyed Juncos. One of the highlights was watching a Great Blue Heron struggling to subdue a very large frog. It took a while, but the Heron won in the end. The ebird list is here.

Saturday, October 22, MBC Presidents’ Walk at Blue Mash. Part 1. Leader: Andy Martin.  Bird Club members enjoyed a bird outing to Blue Mash Nature Trail on October 22 for the Annual Presidents’ Walk. A trip designed to see some good birds and also honor past and current Presidents of the Montgomery Bird Club. It was nice to have past Presidents, Evelyn Ralston and Lydia Schindler in attendance along with 11 other members of the club. Weather was outstanding, pleasant and very sunny with calm winds. Conditions seemingly perfect for a mid fall bird walk. The birds though, don’t always cooperate. We netted (figuratively speaking) 43 species for the day. But sparrows (always an expected highlight of a fall walk at Blue Mash) were unusually skulky. Playing “hide and seek” most of the morning in the lush vegetation along the trails at Blue Mash. Highlights included great looks at 5-7 constantly calling Killdeer in flight overhead. Also nice looks at a Cooper’s Hawk in flight overhead with cooperatively long enough views for fellow club member Bob Cantilli (raptor Bob!) to point out to rest of group the subtle differences between our two most common Accipiter species (Cooper’s vs. Sharp-shinned Hawks) in flight. Towards end of walk and right in the Zion Rd parking area, it was quite a surprise for everyone to see a Yellow-rumped Warbler come down out of the trees to “hawk” a moth, and after missing on its initial attempt subsequently landed on the baseball cap covered head of 6^th grade club member Ada as a momentary perch to make a 2^nd go at the bug. Pretty cool to see! She was quite surprised as well. Part 2 of this trip report to follow on October 31. Running same trip again on October 30 to accommodate club members who were put on waiting list for this trip.  The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, October 9, 2022. Hughes Hollow. Leader: Dave Powell. Participants: 18. Weather: 34 degrees at the start of the walk.  Species: 38. Everyone was able to see the Purple Finches and Red-headed Woodpeckers. Also seen by a few, was a Lincoln’s Sparrow and a Marsh Wren found by Jared Fisher. The eBird list can be found here.

Saturday, September 24, 2022. Croydon Creek Nature Center, Rockville. Leaders: Emily Huang. Participants: 10. Weather: mid-50’s; partly cloudy with sunny periods; no wind.  Species: 45. Sightings/experiences:  Intermittent bursts of bird activity and a couple miles of vigorous hiking kept us entertained for 2 and 1/2 hours.  Total species: 45.  We saw nine species of warbler, notably multiple Black-throated Green Warblers in multiple locations.  Friendly Cape May Warblers and Scarlet Tanagers continue at the Kousa dogwood trees near Glenview Mansion.  Although the wooded Heritage Trail was quiet, we managed to find two of the buffy-spectacled Swainson’s Thrushes reported here in recent weeks.  Walk favorites included Ruby-throated Hummingbirds chasing each other and FOS (for us) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  As trip leader, I continued to bird for a short time after the official walk and observed a small flight of raptors overhead, including two slow-circling Broad-winged Hawks.  The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, September 18, 2022. Woodstock Equestrian Park, Beallsville, MD. Leaders: Scott Young and Dave Roberts. Participants: 14. Weather: Sunny late summer day, temperature rising from low 60’s to low 70s.  Species: 36. We were able to spot 7 warblers, including Tennessee and Blackburnian. Other favorites were a Red-headed Woodpecker, Killdeer flyover, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. The eBird list can be found here.

Sunday, September 11, 2022. Beginners Bird Walk, Hughes Hollow. Leader: Clive Harris. Kudos to the participants that braved the downpour on the way out to Hughes Hollow.  Soon after we arrived the heavy rain ended and although we had drizzle and occasional light rain, we had a good morning’s birding.  We started at Hughes Hollow and had a late Orchard Oriole, a flyover Bobolink and several warbler species including three different Blackburnian Warblers.  We then moved on to Sycamore Landing Road where we birded the area around the car park.  We got there as a flock was moving through, including Canada Warbler and 7 other warbler species but the highlight was a well-seen Black-billed Cuckoo.  We ended the morning with 51 species, including 11 warbler species, reminding us all that wet days on migration can be very productive.  The eBird trip report can be found here.

Saturday, August 27, 2022. Delaware Bay Coastal Areas.  Leader: Clive Harris. Water levels were low in the impoundments at Bombay Hook and although this reduced the number and diversity of shorebirds compared to what one normally gets in late August, it brought its own rewards in a huge gathering of egrets, herons and ibis in Shearness Pool, including at least 60 White Ibis.  Other highlights there were two Black Terns that repeatedly came in at point blank range and close views of White-rumped Sandpipers amongst the peeps.  We moved on to Port Mahon Road where we picked up Lesser Black-backed Gull as well as some shorebirds not normally seen in the impoundments at Bombay Hook.  Our final stop was the DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Light where we enjoyed a Clapper Rail family that came out into the open, and picked up Seaside Sparrow for the day.  We ended the day with 71 species in total, including 19 species of shorebird.   eBird trip report can be found here.

Sunday, May 15, 2022. Woodstock Equestrian Park, Beallsville, MD. Leaders: Scott Young and Dave Roberts. Participants: 13, including two awesome young birders. Weather: cloudy in mid-60s to start but sunny in 70’s at end. We started on the west side where we found 36 species. Some highlights included prominent views of an eastern towhee and Baltimore oriole that were singing. We had excellent views of several field sparrows, indigo buntings, an eastern kingbird, a brown thrasher, and numerous cedar waxwings and tree swallows. We only found 3 warblers however. On the east side, we found 41 species, including a pair of orchard orioles about their nest, a male scarlet tanager, several eastern kingbirds and a number of great crested flycatchers. We had more luck with warblers, finding 5 including a Canada. Finally, some of us had brief views of a Mississippi kite! eBird checklists can be found here and here.

Thursday, May 12, 2022. Blue Mash Nature Trail and Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville, MD.   Leader: Mark England. Species compiler: Brooke Levey. Participants: 14 including leader. Weather: Sunny early then overcast, but no wind and temperatures in the 60’s.Species seen and heard: 58 at Blue Mash, 49 at Oaks Landfill. We started this full half-day trip at Blue Mash and had some warbler luck early on, with exceptional views of Magnolia, Black-throated Green, Prairie, Common Yellowthroat, and Yellow-rumped warblers, and more fleeting looks at an American Redstart and a Black-and white. A Northern Parula and a later Ovenbird were heard only. Without question, a very cooperative perched– then skylarking– Yellow-breasted Chat was the best songbird sighting at Blue Mash. Most of the usual summer breeders were singing on territory, including several Indigo Buntings and a heard-only Veery back in the northeast corner woods. At the Zion Road pond, we looked down on a Killdeer doing her “broken-wing” distraction ploy, and also found a Spotted Sandpiper. We got over to the Oaks Landfill a little before ten, consolidated to fewer cars, and checked in before entering, as always. We first checked the “Dickcissel bush” from last year at the westside crest of the hill, but there was no Dickcissel present. We then had great looks at a Willow Flycatcher, and heard another close by. We found a beautiful male Blue Grosbeak, and eventually everyone was able to get satisfying looks at it. As we drove around to the east side of the landfill, we heard, then saw 2-3 Scarlet Tanagers in the woods, and also a Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, and a briefly seen Black-throated Blue Warbler. Halfway up the landfill hill, we had an adult Bald Eagle, and either one or two immature eagles. There was a soaring Red-tailed and probably two Red-shouldered Hawks also, but no late-migrating harrier, as we had hoped. At the very top of the landfill in one of the little ponds, we flushed two Lesser Yellowlegs, and had close looks at a Solitary Sandpiper. Water levels at the big pond were very high, so there were no migrant shorebirds there, but at the artificial, tarp-covered leachate ponds, we found both Least and Spotted Sandpipers. Then, out of nowhere, we scope-viewed a migrating Dunlin in full breeding plumage, quite a surprise for the last bird of the trip, and a life bird for some. Finally, it should be noted that this will be the last MBC landfill trip for several months, as construction contractors will be installing the long-planned solar array, and also expanding one of the leachate processing buildings. Hopefully, club trips can resume in the late fall and winter. eBird checklists can be found here and here.

Saturday, April 16, 2022. Wheaton Regional Park, Wheaton, MD. Leader: Cheryl Hogue. Species recorder: Paul Orsinger. Participants: 8, including a young birder. Weather: Cloudy, low 60s, sunny near the end of the trip. Species: 28. Several Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers buzzed and flew around us near Pine Lake. When the sun came out, our views were excellent as gnatcatchers repeatedly landed on a well-lit log. We found 2 nests with Blue Jays sitting in them and a nest that Fish Crows were tending. The highlight of the trip involved two female Northern Flickers in a face-to-face standoff. They clung to a branch with their beaks in the air for 30 seconds to a minute at a time, then would move their heads back and forth in mirroring dance. This lasted more than 10 minutes! Check out the photos of this competition that Karen Voldal took and posted in our eBird checklist can be founnd here.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Pennyfield Lock, Potomac, MD. Leader: Dave Powell. Participants: 11. Weather: Sleet and rain clearing to partly cloudy skies. Large numbers of Kinglets, mostly Golden-crowned. eBird Checklist can be found here.

Saturday, March 19, 2022. Wheaton Regional Park, Wheaton, MD. Leaders: Evelyn Ralston and Martha Morris. Participants: 10 including a 9-year-old. Weather: Sunny, 50-60°. Species: 30. Rescheduled from March 12. We birded in two separate groups, and each one found approximately the same number of species (25 and 26) but with a few differences: only Martha’s group found a Fox Sparrow, only Evelyn’s saw Hooded Mergansers. All together, 30 species were observed by at least one of the groups and everyone was really enthusiastic to the point that we finished quite a bit later than planned. Birds were feisty, spring was in the air. The most exciting sight, for both groups, was an epic fight between a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a European Starling vying for the same tree hole. There were several Wood Frogs in a small stream. A nice transition from winter to spring. eBird Checklists can be found here and here.

Thursday, March 10, 2022. Lois Green Conservation Park, Gaithersburg, Md. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 7. Weather: Mostly clear, 33-47, little wind. Species: 30, plus leader-only Chipping Sparrow. Rescheduled trip from February 24. We did the complete loop of Lois Green Park, taking a full 3.5 hours. We made several off-trail diversions into white pine groves hoping to find either Great Horned or Barred Owls, but had no luck. We had some close waterfowl in the first pond, including a pair of Ring-necked Ducks with the male’s restricted chestnut collar actually scope-visible in the excellent light, a first for some of the group. Three Green-winged Teal, seven American Black Ducks, and two Mallards were also seen. We saw at least three Red-shouldered Hawks, a Red-tail, and an immature Cooper’s Hawk as it flew by quickly. We had great looks at Field Sparrows, but a not-so-great look at a Fox Sparrow. An Eastern Phoebe and 25 Cedar Waxwings in a leafless tree were other highlights. eBird Checklist can be found here.

Sunday, March 6, 2022, Rock Creek’s North Branch Stream Valley, Derwood, Md.  Leaders: Josephine Cox and Anne Mytych. Participants: 14, including two budding ornithologists. Weather: unseasonably warm, starting off in the 60’s and ending in the low 70’s. It was cloudy for most of the trip. Ada, age 11, and Calla, age 7, helped us ID a variety of birds and hopefully they also learned a few new birds.  A raptor with its prey was spotted on a dead snag near the big meadow. With the poor light, we thought it was a kestrel, which is commonly seen in the meadow. After reviewing the photos, it seems we had a Merlin plucking feathers off its victim. Not much further along the main path, we saw 14 turkeys scurrying into the woods. We also saw a variety of sparrows including Fox and Field.  After the main trail ended, a few of us investigated the woods and stream valley and were rewarded with the sound of a kingfisher plying the stream and a couple of Brown Creepers. eBird Checklist can be found here.

Thursday, March 3, 2022, Gunners Lake, Germantown, Md.  Leader: Mike Bowen. Participants: 11. Weather: Mostly sunny, 40’s F. with brisk wind from NW. Species: 38. Mixed group of Redheads and American Wigeon, vying for food. 5 Canvasbacks diving together. Female Pileated Woodpecker investigating a nest hole.  eBird Checklist can be found here.

Sunday, January 23, 2022, Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville, Md.  Leader: Mark England. Participants: 16. Weather: Overcast, mid-30’s, but no wind! Species: 20. This was a joint trip with ANS. We started at 3 pm. again, looking in vain for the Northern Shrike. Though another poor day for sparrows, the raptors were again excellent, even though the light was not as good as the day before. We almost certainly had three Short-eared Owls (all males) this time as two were seen together on the lower half of the landfill, while another was simultaneously being seen on the upper tier by two birders. We also had great looks at an adult male Merlin, seen four different times as we drove around. There were three Northern Harriers including a striking male, though they were not close, and at least three Red-shouldered Hawks again, including one juvenile. We had an adult Bald Eagle fly by against the trees by the Blue Mash golf course. and there was an unidentified buteo, which might have been a Red-tail, but it had to be listed as “Buteo sp.” Between the owls, harriers, and the Merlin, many in the group had new life birds to remember. eBird Checklist can be found here.

Saturday, January 22, Oaks Landfill, Laytonsville, Md.  Leader: Mark England. Participants: 15. Weather: Excellent–cold but sunny. Species: 24. This trip was rescheduled from the previous Sunday, 1/16, when snow precluded the trip. The first hour of the trip was focused on trying to relocate the Northern Shrike that had been seen since Dec. 16th. We looked closely at all the mockingbirds, but there was no shrike. Though sparrows were flitting around, it was hard to get on them, except for a few Field Sparrows, one Savannah Sparrow, and the usual Songs and White-throats. After much frustration with the skulking sparrows, and no waterfowl due to the frozen ponds, we saw the first of two male Short-eared Owls a little after 4:30, when the western sun provided great light for watching and photographing them for a long while. There was one juvenile harrier a ways off, a Red-tail, and at least three Red-shouldered Hawks. Scott Young glimpsed two Barred Owls in the east woods, and we later heard them duetting, clearly a mated pair. Other highlights were two Rusty Blackbirds and a flock of at least twenty Northern Flickers.  eBird Checklist can be found here.

Saturday, January 15, 2022, Riley’s Lock  Leaders:  Dave Roberts and Scott Young.  Seven hardy birders braved the teen temperatures to explore the Potomac River views at Riley’s lock as well as a bit upstream along the towpath. We started off with a fantastic view of an immature Red-Shouldered Hawk from the parking area at the end of Tschiffely Mill Road just as we were gathering. Then, as we were walking to the towpath, some of us had great views of a mink skirting along the edge of the basin shore. Co-leader Dave Roberts had been to Violette’s lock before the club trip began and alerted us to the presence of Green-Winged Teal, Common Goldeneyes and Hooded Mergansers that we all managed to see from Riley’s. Along the towpath, we saw many of the usual suspects, including Cedar Waxwings, two gorgeous Golden-Crowned Kinglets showing orange as well, dozens of American Robins and Eastern Bluebirds and a Hermit Thrush. Unfortunately, no Evening Grosbeaks have made it this far south yet this year. On the way back, we saw a magnificent immature Bald Eagle perched very close to the path. Back at the lock, we saw a flock of Mallards take off with a male Northern Pintail amongst them. All told, we saw 33 different species before heading to the warmth of our cars. eBird Checklist can be found here.

Sunday, January 9, 2022, Black Hill RP and Gunners Lake.  Leader:  Gerry Hawkins.  Despite an early morning cancellation due to inclement weather, four persons joined leader Gerry Hawkins on a waterbird-focused field trip to Black Hill RP and Gunners Lake on Sunday, January 9, 2022.  We started at the Visitors Center at Black Hill RP, and from there we went to the boat launch area in this park and then to the nearby Route 121 bridge to get different views of Little Seneca Lake. The field trip concluded with a visit to nearby Gunners Lake. waterbird highlights at Black Hill RP and the Route 121 bridge included many Hooded Mergansers and American Black Ducks as well as small numbers of Ring-necked Ducks, Common Mergansers and Buffleheads. Here we also saw several Pied-billed Grebes and a single American Coot. At partially-frozen Gunners Lake there was the usually-excellent selection of waterbirds, which included one of each of Northern Pintail (a stunning male), Canvasback (continuing female), Ruddy Duck, American Black Duck and Pied-billed Grebe, as well as larger numbers of American Wigeon, Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead and Hooded Mergansers, of which we counted a staggering 74, in addition to the expected Mallards and Canada Geese. Although we did not see anything exceptional, we all were glad the weather allowed us to complete the field trip and see a nice selection of waterbirds.  eBird Checklist can be found here.

Thursday, January 6, 2022, Cambridge and Blackwater NWR.  Leader: Mark England. Participants: 8. Weather: Sunny, low 40’s. Species: 55. As always, we met at 9 am. at the Dorchester County Visitor Center at Sailwinds Park on the Choptank River. We birded here and at other stops along the Cambridge waterfront, and saw a nice selection of waterfowl including Surf Scoter, Common Loon, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, and Ruddy Ducks. Following recent eBird sightings, we easily found the oft-reported Snowy Owl on a rooftop on Waterside Drive, a life bird for some. There were a huge number of Snow Geese in the river here as well, an estimated 1,500. Egypt Road yielded a kestrel, several Bald Eagles, a flock of meadowlarks, a Swamp Sparrow, and a probable American Pipit, though poorly seen. Walking the Marsh Edge Trail at Blackwater, we saw Purple Finches attacking sweetgum seed balls, a Fox Sparrow, and high-up Brown-headed Nuthatches, as usual. A few birders had a well-described Pine Warbler in the loblollies as well. While we did not see the gray-morph screech owl day roosting where it had been on the Dec. 4th trip, Bob Cantilli found a red-morph screech where he remembered it from a previous trip, and the sleeping owl allowed photographers to quietly take great pictures. Tundra Swans were numerous, and near the end of the Wildlife Drive, we found a single American White Pelican, which was a good find. A few of us lingered till dusk at the marsh on Shorter’s Wharf Road, but did not see Short-eared Owls as on the 12/04 trip, though there were a couple of harriers out as the sun went down.

2021 Trips

Saturday, December 4, 2021, Cambridge and Blackwater NWR.  Leader: Mark England. Participants: 12. Weather: Great! Partly sunny, little wind, rising to 55 degrees. Species: about 50, depending on who saw what. We met as usual at the Dorchester County Sailwinds Visitor Center at 9 am., and began scoping out the Choptank River, thankfully without the usual bitter cold winds. We found Surf Scoters, Long-tailed Duck, Common Loon, Bufflehead, and American Wigeon. While viewing these waterfowl, a young birder named Andrew Rapp approached and asked me to look in his scope, as he thought he might have found a distant Snowy Owl on a rock jetty in the river, about 3/4 mile NW from where we were. It did appear to possibly be a Snowy Owl, and we abandoned the usual itinerary to head in its direction. The best vantage point seemed to be Great Marsh Park, and we were very excited to confirm the Snowy Owl, a life bird for almost all. We also picked up a raft of 40 Ruddy Ducks from here, and one of the local residents let us walk out to the end of her pier to get a slightly closer look at the owl. We backtracked to Oakley Street, but there were some close wigeon and Lesser Scaup only.. After stopping at the market on Rt. 16, we headed down Egypt Road as always, but did not spend as much time as usual, due to the amount of time spent viewing the SNOW. We did find Bald Eagles, a hovering kestrel, a Red-tail, and a flock of meadowlarks which were hard to see once they dropped into deep grass. We arrived at the Blackwater visitor center about 12:30, and walked over to two birders near a tree. They pointed out the oft-reported rare vagrant Tropical Kingbird in the treetop, and we watched it fly catch and perch for a good half-hour while eating our lunches. On the Wildlife Drive, we found some dabblers at the first stop, including N. Shoveler, Am. Black Duck, and a few Green-winged Teal, with a couple of N. Harriers in the distance. We found a small group of high-up Brown-headed Nuthatches at the Life of the Marsh trail, but no Red-headed Woodpeckers this trip. Back in the cars, we noticed two photographers with their cameras pointed into the woods, and as I suspected, they had an owl in view, in this case a very well-camouflaged gray morph screech owl, its face perfectly filling an old woodpecker hole as it snoozed. It was another lifer for several in the group. We found some Tundra Swans toward the end of the drive, then most of the group wanted to continue over to the nearby marsh on Shorter’s Wharf Road. We didn’t see much at our first stop, but a little further down the road, we were excited to see a hunting female Short-eared Owl, a little after sundown. There was another SEOW on the opposite side of the road, but much more distant. So we ended with a three owl day, and for some of the newer birders in the group, their first owls ever. It was a particularly memorable trip this time!  eBird checklist: Blackwater NWR Checklist, Cambridge – Oakley Street Checklist, Great Marsh Park (Gerry Boyle Park) Checklist, and Choptank River–Rte. 50 Bridge (Dorchester Co.) and Cambridge Visitor Center Checklist

Saturday, November 20, 2021, Rock Creek’s North Branch Stream Valley.  Leader:  Josephine Cox.  A second trip to this location was added and similarly we had temperatures starting off in the low 30’s and finishing in the mid 40’s.  We walked the paved path and again had good views of a Kestrel on the edge of the large meadow. We walked up the hill and found a very birdy area with dozens American Robins and Cedar Waxwings as well as sparrows etc. At this point we turned around and headed to the northern edge of the park to check out a section of the North Branch of Rock Creek. A Common Raven was calling and being mobbed by the Crows. Just short of the forest area, a hawk flew up in front of us and we were all thrilled to see a Northern Harrier. The Harrier put on a fabulous display, allowing everyone to see the long wings and tail and the white rump. Shortly after that we flushed a American Woodcock along the trail near the creek. We also had good views of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and lots of Eastern Bluebirds. The Harrier was visible again as we exited the woods to end our trip. Thanks for the 7 birders who joined the 4.1 mile trip and helped ID 35 species and ~500 individuals.  eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S97821256

Sunday, November 14, 2021, Lois Y. Green Conservation Park.  Leader: Mark England. Participants: 10 including leader, and a first visit to this park for eight in the group. Species: 42. This second trip was added due to a lot of interest, and starting at 8 am. probably helped us see more species than five days earlier. We had a well-seen Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Hermit Thrush early in the trip, though only one of each. Mixed flocks of bluebirds and Cedar Waxwings were found repeatedly in tree tops, and we saw a pair of adult Red-shouldered Hawks roosting in a tree, with a singing Fox Sparrow not too far away. Waterfowl were scarce except again for Mallards and American Black Ducks, but the latter were life birds for some. We had satisfying scope looks at a perched juvenile Cooper’s Hawk, and later saw a Sharp-shinned Hawk harassing a Red-tail from above. Other highlights were a low and close Golden-crowned Kinglet, Savannah Sparrow (seen by some only),  and a Common Raven spotted by Josephine Cox as we completed the circuit along Turkey Thicket Drive. A Hairy Woodpecker was spotted by some in the rear of the group, giving us six woodpeckers for the day, lacking only the Red-headed. (Thanks to Jo Cox for eBirding the trip.)  The eBird list can be found here:   https://ebird.org/checklist/S97581583

Thursday, November 11, 2021, Redgate Park.  Leaders: Linda Friedland and Lydia Schindler. Participants:  a very congenial group of 8 plus leaders. A beautiful fall morning. Right off the bat we were excited to see a Merlin sitting atop a pine tree. Soon thereafter we saw the/a Merlin again, this time on one of the tall poles that once lined the former golf course’s driving range; this time it was eating…a bird? The fields and trees remained awfully quiet. Eventually, we got good looks at a variety of our target sparrows: Song, White-throated, Field, Junco, and Towhee in the “sparrow tangle.” A small flock of Chipping Sparrows posed cooperatively in a bare tree.   The eBird list can be found here:   https://ebird.org/checklist/S97473812

Tuesday, November 9, 2021, Lois Y. Green Conservation Park.  Leader: Mark England. Participants: 12 including leader. Species: 31. We met at 7 am. due to the recent change to Daylight Saving Time, but it was quite chilly and the birding was slow at first. (The leader vowed not to never repeat this mistake!). At the first pond, we found two Green-winged Teal in fresh breeding plumage, and some American Black Ducks mixed in with the usual Mallards. On the way to the larger pond we had good looks at a Hermit Thrush, bluebirds, and numerous White-throated Sparrows. At the second pond, we had great light on a Belted Kingfisher and more Mallards and Black Ducks, including a hybrid, but no other waterfowl as yet this season. A Barred Owl flushed out of a known roost grove of white pines, and we had great looks at several Field Sparrows in full sun. Just past the old farmhouse, we observed an adult Red-shouldered Hawk perched very low and close, one of at least three on the day. We completed the full  3-mile circuit of the park, in a little over three hours. Though we had mostly “usual suspects” on this walk, several of the group enjoyed their first visit to this park.  The eBird list can be found here:   https://ebird.org/checklist/S97582858

Saturday, November 6, Rock Creek’s North Branch Stream Valley.  Leader: Josephine Cox. Participants: 8 total. Temperatures were in the low 30’s, but everyone turned up on this beautiful morning. The frost was sparkling on the soccer field grass and on the milkweeds, thistles, goldenrods etc that make this park welcoming to birds for food and shelter. To stay warm, we walked the paved path into the bright sun, and once we spotted birds, we put the sun behind us to better observe them. Many of the birds take advantage of the tall trees to warm up, this is where we saw the American Kestrel who was preening and occasionally flying off to chase after insects. The tree line has a lot of vines and we saw several Eastern Bluebirds, American Robins and other birds foraging on the berries. A couple of us saw a Fox Sparrow and we also spotted what we thought were two Cowbirds at the top of one of the trees. Mark Ross was taking photos and once he looked at the photos online, he realized that we had mis-identified the Cowbirds and in fact we were seeing 2 Rusty Blackbirds. Lots of Song Sparrows and White-Throated Sparrows were hiding in the brush. Shortly after entering the woods, a Wild Turkey flew off, we also heard a couple more Turkeys nearby. The rest of the woods was as pretty much expected with a variety of woodpeckers, a Brown Creeper and a couple of flocks of Cedar Waxwings.  We also saw and heard Red-Shouldered and Red-Tailed Hawks. This turned out into a long foray of almost 5 miles in 4 hours. Thanks to the 7 birders who joined the trip and helped ID 36 species and ~600 individuals.   The eBird list can be found here:   https://ebird.org/checklist/S97195558

Saturday, October 30, Redgate Park. Leader: Anne Mytych. Participants: 11, including leader. Weather: Partly foggy, clearing up with some sunshine, mid to upper 50s  Species: 30. We focused on sparrow areas like the grasses near the main ponds, the sparrow tangle and the ampitheatre.  In total, we saw 7 species of sparrow, including a lone Fox Sparrow toward the end of the walk, which was a highlight. Along the way, we also saw several Dark-Eyed Juncos, Eastern Bluebirds, and a couple of Ruby-Crowned Kinglets. The eBird list can be found here:   https://ebird.org/checklist/S96880033

Saturday, October 23, MBC Presidents’ Walk at Blue Mash. Leader:  Andy Martin.  Bird Club members enjoyed a great outing to Blue Mash Nature Trail on October 23 for the Annual Presidents’ Walk. A trip designed to see some good birds and also honor past and current Presidents of the Montgomery Bird Club. Current President, Evelyn Ralston and past President Lydia Schindler were in attendance along with 11 other members of the club. Weather was pleasant but somewhat cloudy for most of morning which tended to wash some of the color out the birds. We netted (figuratively speaking) 47 species for the day. Highlights included a female Bufflehead and a young male Gadwall on the “big pond” as well as a flock of Green-winged Teal and 4 American Black Ducks mixed in with a bunch of Mallards. Best passerine of the day probably would a cooperative Blue-headed Vireo, as well as plenty of looks at both kinglet species, Palm Warbler, Hermit Thrush, FOS Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, and Swamp Sparrows. A flyover adult Bald Eagle was an awesome sight occurring during one of the few moments in the morning that the sun poked through the clouds. Also, 2 Great Blue Herons “sparring” over fishing rights to the “small pond” was most fun to watch.

Wednesday, October 6, Oaks Landfill (private), Laytonsville, MD. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 17, including leader. Weather: Dense fog at the start, then only dark and overcast! On the positive side, the rain held off and temps. were mild. Species: 31. We went first to the big pond just to see something visible in the fog, and could dimly make out 14 Green-winged Teal on the far side of the pond, a Great Blue Heron, and the usual C. Geese and Mallards. We found a few Killdeer, but no other shorebirds due to the high water levels from recent rains. There were surprisingly few raptors this day, when I fully expected American Kestrels on this trip, at least. But, we did have fleeting looks at two Northern Harriers, an adult Bald Eagle, and 3 Red-shouldered Hawks. It was a very good morning for sparrows however, with the following species seen: Chipping, Field, numerous Song and Savannah’s, Swamp, 3 well-seen Lincoln’s, and a rare Nelson’s Sparrow at the top of the landfill hill, first spotted by Laura Berkson, who noted a “very orangish bird” perched on the Himalayan Blackberry bushes about 70 feet away. We got a scope on it quickly and noted key field marks that differed from a Le Conte’s Sparrow, which has also been seen (Oct., 2018) at the landfill. Not everyone got on the Nelson’s, unfortunately, before it flew off, but for others it was a great life bird. There was some debate about a “flat-headed sparrow”  spotted by Lydia Schindler, which may have been a Grasshopper Sparrow. On the way out, some people saw a Dark-eyed Junco to add to a nice morning. The eBird list can be found here:  https://ebird.org/atlasmddc/checklist/S95678725

Sunday, October 2, Little Bennett Regional Park. Leader: Gemma Radko. Saturday’s walk started at the Wilson’s Mill trailhead. We had 5 participants. Weather was superlative. Highlights were many winter bird arrivals: both kinglets, Winter Wren, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Warbler numbers were low – only 8 species, with low numbers. I am hoping this means that the birds had a nonstop migration over our area and just passed us by!  The eBird list can be found here:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S95479565

Sunday, September 26, Woodstock Equestrian Park. Leader: Scott Young and Dave Roberts. Today was a lovely early fall day at the Woodstock Equestrian Park – West (Greenberg) area. Eight eager birders joined Dave Roberts and Scott Young as they led an exploration of this eBird hotspot. Although it was relatively quiet morning, unexpectedly only revealing 4 warbler species, 30 other species were observed, including a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, a Brown Thrasher, an Eastern Towhee, numerous Cedar Waxwings and Field Sparrows, and several Indigo Buntings.  The eBird list can be found here:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S95192590 

Saturday, September 25, Croydon Creek.  Leader: Anne Mytych. Participants: 14, Total Species: 31. We started at the feeders, which were lit up by the sun and had a lot of activity, especially in the vines above. We saw four Tennessee Warblers, a Magnolia Warbler, an American Redstart, a Brown Thrasher, a Red-Eyed Vireo, and an Eastern Wood Pewee. We also heard a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak and saw it fly overhead. After pulling ourselves away from the busy feeders, we walked along the Heritage Trail, which was very quiet – only a few of the usual suspects. Out into the meadow area, we saw a large group of Brown-Headed Cowbirds milling about in the grass. All in all a beautiful fall day with lots of lovely birds to see. The eBird list can be found here:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S95141813

Sunday, September 19, Pennyfield to Violette’s “Bird Stalk”.   Leader:  Jim Nelson.  Participants: 12, including leader.  Weather:  Sunny, 69-80 F.  Total species: 25.   This walk is for folks who generally cannot get out as early.  We met at Violette’s Lock at 9:00, carpooled down to Pennyfield Lock, and walked upstream along the C&O Canal towpath back to Violette’s, ending after noon.  The total species count was down considerably from prior years of this trip — one vireo species and no warblers, tanagers, thrushes, or orioles.  The second impoundment was nearly dry and bird free. The low point of the trip was missing the Wood Stork that was being seen regularly around the area of the Pennyfield lockhouse in the days before this trip.  Then, rubbing salt in the wound, a person overtook us as we walked upstream and told us that it was seen by others a few minutes after we left Pennyfield Lock to walk upstream (some participants returned to Pennyfield after our walk and saw the Wood Stork then). Highlights of the trip were a Spotted Sandpiper in the river, Red-Shouldered Hawks flying high overhead and at treetop level, a few Broad-winged Hawks seen by some participants at Violette’s before the walk, and an immature Bald Eagle.  The checklist from the walk (minus Broad-winged Hawks at Violette’s) can be viewed in eBird at https://ebird.org/atlasmddc/checklist/S94889879

Thursday, September 9, Wheaton Regional Park. Leader: Woody and Rae Dubois.  The Birdcast for the night before Sept. 9 was moderately good but the morning itself was heavily overcast after rain.  Ten of us gathered at Wheaton’s carousel parking lot, then began slowly walking the railroad tracks to Pine Lake.  There were Ruby-throated Hummingbirds on the jewelweed and one person saw a Least Flycatcher on the big willow tree by the spring.  Two Baltimore Orioles and, as usual, many American Robins were in the heavy vines draping the trees by the tracks.  Wheaton always provides plenty of wild grapes, porcelain berries, Virginia creeper berries and other food for thrushes, orioles and tanagers in the fall.  There were no Scarlet Tanagers today but Northern Flickers and Red-bellied Woodpeckers love the fruit as well and we saw several of them.   Though the lake itself was unoccupied except for our reliable Belted Kingfisher, we heard two Warbling Vireos singing nearby.   This area of Wheaton Park hosted a number of breeding Eastern Wood Pewees this summer but today we saw or heard only two rather than the usual six or seven.   In spite of the cloudy conditions we did eventually see four species of warbler: a Black-and-White, a Common Yellowthroat, two American Redstarts and a Magnolia.  The highlight was an American Goldfinch nest that one sharp-eyed participant saw at the end of a pine branch near the gate to Brookside Gardens.  It was occupied and visited while we watched by a second goldfinch.  Our final count was 34 species, which was a little disappointing but was probably reasonable for such a cloudy day.  A couple of people were new to Wheaton so it was nice to be able to introduce them to the park.  The eBird list can be found here:  https://ebird.org/atlasmddc/checklist/S94410372

Saturday, June 12, Patuxent River at Brown’s Bridge. Leader: Cheryl Hogue. After rain the day before, the morning of June 12 greeted birders with a dreary gray sky at Brown’s Bridge along Montgomery’s border with Howard County. This was the club’s first field trip in some years to this site along the Patuxent River. The 10 participants, including one of the four on the trip’s waiting list, had great views of the target bird for this trip – Cliff Swallows. Binoculars and camera shutters were busy as we watched them forage along the river entering and exiting their jug-shaped mud nests. We also saw Belted Kingfishers, Green Herons, Great Blue Herons, and, under the bridge, a fluffy fledgling Eastern Wood-Pewee and a nearby adult.  Next, we ambled into the woods of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (the water utility serving much of Montgomery County) northwest of the bridge. The Brood X cicadas were fairly quiet and so were the birds! We did clearly hear the quick song of Acadian Flycatchers and the teacher-TEACHER-TEACHER of Ovenbirds. The trail took us to a secluded part of the river upstream of the bridge where we enjoyed views of an Eastern Kingbird and a singing Baltimore Oriole. The last bird of the morning was a delight: a Yellow-throated Vireo, heard and seen in glimpses at the parking lot. Club member Diane Durham captured an image of the bird as seen on this eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/atlasmddc/checklist/S90043077. We also had a short checklist viewed from the Howard County side of the bridge: https://ebird.org/atlasmddc/checklist/S90057555.   Thanks to club member Paul Orsinger for tallying our 30 species and for taking up the rear of the group.

Thursday, May 13, Blue Mash and Oaks Landfill. Leader: Mark England. Participants: 11. Weather: Exceptionally nice, with clear sunny skies, 48-65 degrees. Species: 59. We took our time going around Blue Mash, as we were enjoying good looks at many types of birds. We saw a White-eyed Vireo over the gravel road early on, and then had good looks at Common Yellowthroats, a male American Redstart, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped, and Black-and-White Warblers on the way to the landfill pond fence line. Here we saw a Yellow Warbler, Swamp Sparrow, singing 1st-year Orchard Oriole, a “brownie” Purple Finch, and a Northern Waterthrush, which Donna Sturm had immediately identified by its song. We saw some shorebirds at the Zion Road pond, including Least, Spotted, and Solitary Sandpipers. We heard at least two Yellow-breasted Chats and Prairie Warblers, but could not find one in view, though we did have brief looks at a Western Palm Warbler and a Magnolia Warbler in the same area. In the wooded far corner of Blue Mash, we had a good look at a perched Ovenbird and heard only a fairly close Veery and Black-throated Blue Warbler. At the landfill, we had good looks at Savannah Sparrows, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed (RTHA) Hawks, and at the end, finally had a great look at a nicely-perched male Blue Grosbeak, to everyone’s satisfaction. Incidentally, on my Saturday atlassing at the landfill two days later, I saw a female Northern Harrier (NOHA) come up out of the grass around ten in the morning. It was starting to soar when an adult RTHA attacked it in the air, before locking talons as both birds spiralled to the ground out of sight. This may have been the same female NOHA that I had seen the previous week, and I had been considering the possibility that it might be attempting to nest at the landfill, which would have been a first in my experience there. The eBird checklist for the trip can be found: https://ebird.org/atlasmddc/checklist/S88015771

Sunday, May 9, Rickman/Woodstock Equestrian Park. Leader: Scott Young. A small group met at 6:30 a.m. to first explore the west side and then the east sides of the Equestrian Park. At a leisurely pace, we spotted 37 species on the west side and 29 on the east. Highlights on the west side were the four Eastern Kingbirds gathered together and the many Tree Swallows visiting their nest boxes. On the east side, we were treated to an Indigo Bunting, a Blue Grosbeak and a White-crowned Sparrow. All told, we encountered nine warbler species and a couple of Yellow-breasted Chats.The eBird checklists for the trip can be found at: https://ebird.org/atlasmddc/checklist/S87624533 and https://ebird.org/atlasmddc/checklist/S87608668

Sunday, May 9, Rock Creek Park, DC. Leader:  Gerry Hawkins.  Ten people joined leader Gerry Hawkins on a field trip to the Rock Creek Park Nature Center area on May 9, 2021. Highlights during a circular route that included the Maintenance Yard and forest trails on this generally slow chilly, cloudy morning included nine warbler species, several Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, an adult male Baltimore Oriole, an adult male Scarlet Tanager, a photogenic singing Yellow-throated Vireo, Wood Thrush, Veery, Swainson’s Thrush and a late Red-breasted Nuthatch. Noteworthy breeding activity included a Downy Woodpecker feeding a nestling in a tree cavity and recently fledged House Finches.

Saturday, May 8, Little Bennett Regional Park. Co-leaders: Woody and Rae Dubois. Starting shortly after 7:00 a.m., the group of ten began by following the Wilson Mill Trail to the Stoneybrook Trail, then onto the Western Piedmont Trail. Our most numerous single species on this leg of the trip was a flock of approximately fifteen Yellow-rumped Warblers, but by the end of the walk we also had a number of Black-throated Blue, plus Chestnut-sided and Yellow Warblers, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, Prairie, Magnolia, and the Ovenbird. One person also saw a Nashville. The highlight on the Stoneybrook trail for some participants was not a warbler at all, but the Swainson’s Thrush, which was both heard and seen.  Steady rain and cold were factors through a good part of the morning, though luckily, by the time we circled back to Clarksburg Road the rain was tapering off a little. A few of the group left to go back to the parking lot at this point, understandably cold and wet and needing a hot drink. The remaining participants forged ahead to the Kingsley Trail where we heard Louisiana Waterthrush and saw a Northern Waterthrush picking up food in the water at the side of the road. We also saw a pair of copulating Scarlet Tanagers, coding them quickly for the Atlas! As we reconvened back at the parking lot at 11:00, our final bird was the Common Raven which soared overhead. Our final count was 43 species. We would like to say that the good humor that this group showed in the face of adverse conditions was amazing. The eBird checklist can be found at: https://ebird.org/atlasmddc/checklist/S87442246

Friday, May 7, Birding by Ear at Hughes Hollow. Leader: Paul Woodward. Participants: 10. As usual we walked around the impoundments. Weather was more like late winter than spring which probably reduced bird song. We had a composite list of about 50 species. Highlights were an Anhinga which had been here the past few days and 2 flyover Sandhill Cranes. Other birds of note were Blue-winged Teals, a Common Gallinule (they probably nest here every year), 3 Great Egrets flying over, and 5 Green Herons. We briefly heard a Barred Owl. The vocal highlight was a nesting female Hooded Merganser flying around calling. Most people haven’t heard this before or at least haven’t identified it. We spent time listening to Great Crested Flycatchers, Warbling Vireos, Orchard Orioles, Northern Waterthrushes, Prothonotary Warblers, and a Yellow Warbler. The eBird checklist can be found at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S87368496

Sunday, May 2, Izaak Walton League, B-CC Chapter, Conservation Farm. Leader: Jim Nelson. Participants: 10. Weather: Sunny, starting in the mid-40s and rising to upper 70s. Species: 56. Thanks to the IWL-BCC, our group once again enjoyed access to this prime private property near Poolesville with a great mix of habitats. IWL-BCC member Larry Anderson acted as our escort. Many of our birds were heard only, and not everyone got to see or hear each species. We had only 5 species of warblers – Black and White, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped, and singing Prairie Warblers. Among the specialties at this site, we had at least 30 Purple Martins at the martin housing complex on site, and in the fields several singing Grasshopper Sparrows with two sitting up for relatively good views. We also were treated to three vocal Yellow-breasted Chats, one of which was singing from a very high perch in a tree giving all of us good views of this usually stealthy species, and three male Scarlet Tanagers in the woods all within a few feet of each other. Other good birds included Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue and Green Herons, Osprey, Cooper’s Hawk, White-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Wood Thrush, abundant Chipping and Field Sparrows, several stealthy Eastern Towhee singing, Orchard Oriole, and singing male Indigo Buntings. We also had Eastern Phoebe, Great-crested Flycatcher, and Eastern Kingbird. We tallied 30 Blue Jays and probably missed others as groups were moving through, probably migrants. Driving in along Izaak Walton Way just before the field trip started, the leader heard a singing Eastern Meadowlark in the large farm field to the south and saw a male Blue Grosbeak perched on a wire by the road. The two eBird checklists can be found at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S86940164 and https://ebird.org/atlasmddc/checklist/S86927926

Sunday, April 25, Occoquan Bay NWR. Leaders: Gerry Hawkins and Mike Bowen. Participants: 11 plus leaders. Weather: Cloudy with a few bright periods, blustery, with a wind that occasionally felt cold, 50’s. Species count: 62. Highlights: A brilliantly bright, calling male Baltimore Oriole (first of the season for most of us), a raft of 17 Red-breasted Mergansers that, when seen well, turned out to be composed entirely of females – presumably on mid-migration to breeding grounds well to our North – and splendid views of Prothonotary, Yellow, Yellow-throated and Prairie Warblers and Northern Parulas, many of them singing lustily. We enjoyed watching lots of Bald Eagles and Ospreys on and around their nests and had a fleeting look at a flying King Rail, while others called “kek-kek-kek” from not far off. Out in the bay we had 4 species of gulls and terns. There were surprisingly few swallows – just a few Tree and Barn – and very few sparrows in this usually sparrow-filled refuge, although we did get great views of Swamp Sparrow. The timing of our MBC trip this year was once again a little too early for Yellow-breasted Chats, which breed at the refuge but which had not yet returned from the south. The eBird checklist for the trip can be found at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S86353062

Saturday, April 24, Croydon Creek Nature Center. Co-leaders: Emily Huang & Anne Mytych. The weather was cool in the upper 40s to low 50s with sunshine and light wind. We had 17 birders including the co-leaders, and we split into two groups after first visiting the feeders, where we saw 4 Purple Finches, as well as the usual suspects. Emily took her group on the Heritage Trail and saw 36 species, including a Louisiana Waterthrush and a Wood Thrush. Anne took her group along the Woodland Trail and saw 33 species, including Brown Thrashers and an Ovenbird. The two eBird checklists can be found at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S86258399 and https://ebird.org/checklist/S86244181

Sunday, April 11, Hughes Hollow. Co-leaders: Jim Nelson and Clive Harris. Participants: 21, including leaders. Weather: Overcast, then gradually clearing, temps started at 60 rising to about 70 by the end. This trip was very popular, and we were able to accommodate an extra 9 people when Clive Harris volunteered to co-lead. We birded in two separate groups going different routes to keep contact limited. Overnight rain stopped just in time for this walk. We had a nice variety of bird species, and the total of 51 between the two groups was just one less than the last trip in 2019. The highlight of the trip was a Glossy Ibis which had been present for several days. Other birds of note included an Osprey hunting over the large impoundment, three Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, a calling Barred Owl, two singing White-eyed Vireos, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers galore, a Hermit Thrush, two Brown Thrashers, Chipping and Swamp Sparrows (including a young bird singing a strange, House or Winter Wren-like song), a female Eastern Towhee, a Pine Warbler, and two singing Common Yellowthroats with one male sitting in plain view providing great views. Waterfowl included Blue-winged Teal, Wood Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Double-crested Cormorant, American Coot, Wilson’s Snipe, and calling Pied-bill Grebes. The two eBird checklists for the trip can be found at:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S85329928 and https://ebird.org/checklist/S85323645

Wednesday, March 31, 2021, Pennyfield Lock  Leader: Dave Powell. Six people joined me on a walk on the C&O Canal at Pennyfield Lock. A total of 37 species were seen. The woods along the entry roads were full of White-throated Sparrows, which was our most common bird of the walk. Flocks were encountered all along the canal along with flocks of Yellow-rumped Warblers. Highlight of the walk was a Purple Finch (Brownie), which unfortunately did not stay long enough to be seen by everybody. Other highlights were a singing Eastern Towhee, pairs of Wood Ducks, and Common Mergansers. Best bird of the walk was a roosting Barred Owl! The owl allowed great looks and was seen by all. Nice morning for a walk.

Saturday, March 27, 2021, Cabin John Regional Park  Leader: Max Wilson. Participants: 6. Species: 40. We had a marvelous morning for our walk of the powerline cut bisecting Cabin John Regional Park. Sparrows, woodpeckers, and a pair of American Kestrels are the highlight here, and both performed. Even before leaving the parking lot, we had a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Once we were under the powerlines, we almost immediately had a group of sparrows, including half a dozen Field Sparrows that sat up well for the group. We hit the jackpot later in the walk when we found two red Fox Sparrows. Not everyone was able to get their bins on them, but one eventually sang several times for the group. On the return trip, we came across a female American Kestrel on the high-tension tower holding a snake. That bird eventually dropped the remainder of its meal and flew off. We later found a second female Kestrel enjoying another snake meal. At that point, about half the group carpooled to Locust Grove Nature Center, which had been hosting an adult Red-headed Woodpecker since mid-February. The bird was on its favorite limb when we arrived and was eventually spooked into a cavity by a Cooper’s Hawk.

Friday, March 12, 2021, Wheaton Regional Park for Beginners  Leaders: Evelyn Ralston and Susan Hunt. As predicted, Friday marked a change in weather from sunny and warm to gray and moderate. But no rain! Besides the co-leaders, there were 7 participants including grandparents with their 5-year-old grandson, who was the reason for their presence. At first it appeared eerily quiet along the mini-train tracks, but things picked up. Sparrows and ducks were down from previous days (gone was a Fox Sparrow, and only one Ring-necked Duck remained instead of 8 the day before), but Eastern Towhees were not only heard but also repeatedly seen, and two Ruby-crowned Kinglets surprised us. Pretty much all the common species were seen, with a total of 31 bird species, not bad for this between-seasons moment. The best was at the very end: as we were back at the parking lot, the young boy lifted his head and asked “What is this bird?” Indeed there was a large dark bird … a juvenile Bald Eagle! This little boy shows promise!

Wednesday, March 10, 2021, Gunners Lake Leader: Mike Bowen. Participants: 6. Weather: Sunny and delightful, temps. in the 50s and 60s. Species: 32. This trip had been postponed for a month because of frozen and potentially dangerously icy conditions on the original February date. Fortunately for everyone, the lake was not only ice-free but offered a number of waterfowl that—typical for this small body of water—gave everyone really great views. For the first time that the leader can remember, Redhead was the most abundant diving duck here, with more than 20 easily seen and photographed at close range. Other diving ducks on the lake were Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, and Hooded Merganser. Two American Wigeons and 6 Gadwalls accompanied the usual numerous Mallards in the “dabbling duck” category, together with a drake Wood Duck in gorgeous plumage. Three Pied-billed Grebes were spotted just as we were finishing up. Bird(s) of the day were a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks that copulated in full view of the group, albeit briefly. The moment was captured photographically by our unofficial photographer and can be seen on eBird at https://ebird.org/atlasmddc/checklist/S83128814.

Sunday, March 7, 2021, Lois Green Conservation Park, Gaithersburg  Leader: Mark England. Participants: 7 including leader. Weather: Sunny but cold, 28-36 degrees. Species: 23. We did the full circuit of the park on this bright but cold morning, but birds were pretty scarce, as perhaps they were waiting for it to warm up. We had excellent looks at some waterfowl including 7 Green-winged Teal, 3 Canvasbacks, and good numbers of American Black Ducks and Ring-necked Ducks, among others. We had several good looks at Eastern Bluebirds in great light and glimpses of a few sparrows, including Field. Red-shouldered Hawks were the only raptors seen, but we saw both adults and juveniles. A Barred Owl flushed out of some white pines, and we saw it flying further into some woods. Surprisingly, we did not see a single woodpecker species but only heard a Red-bellied or two. Despite the relative absence of birds, the group enjoyed the introduction to the park, as none of them had been there before.

Saturday, March 6, 2021, North Branch and Kengla Trails  Leaders: Josephine Cox and Anne Mytych. Participants: 14 including leaders. Species: 35 for Jo’s group and 27 for Anne’s group. Weather: upper 20s to low 30s and sunny. We split into two groups; Jo’s group opted for the circular route along Rock Creek’s upper stream valley. They started off along the open area heading east toward the stream valley, which has a mix of small marshes, open fields, and wood edges. They heard the first of many Red-winged Blackbirds setting up their territories. They spotted an American Kestrel perched on a fairly distant tree, which then flew down closer to them for a better look. Once they entered the stream valley, they heard and saw the usual winter resident woodpeckers and other woodland species. They had good looks at 2 Red-shouldered and 2 Red-tailed Hawks before the end of the trip. There is a well-marked path that meanders back and forth near the creek, but at one point they followed a path right next to the creek with a grove of large sycamore trees where they had a flurry of activity including several Eastern Bluebirds, 2 Brown Creepers, an Eastern Phoebe, and an Eastern Towhee. As they headed out of the stream valley, a Wild Turkey ran across the path not far from them. They could also see several other turkeys scuttling along the brushy edge. Their luck continued near the end of the trip along the open marshy field area where they had a really nice photo op of a male kestrel, a Common Raven flew overhead, and they had close-ups of Black and Turkey Vultures sunning themselves. Just over 4.5 miles of walking and a respectable 35 species. Anne’s group did the shorter route focusing on the meadow areas. They saw several Red-Winged Blackbirds, as well as Dark-eyed Juncos, Chipping Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Field Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, and a nice surprise of an American Tree Sparrow, who very cooperatively posed for photos. They also got a nice look at an American Kestrel and the two hawks seen by Jo’s group before finishing. Jo’s full list can be seen here ( https://ebird.org/checklist/S82861510, and Anne’s full list can be seen here (https://ebird.org/checklist/S82859359

Sunday, February 21, 2021, Hughes Hollow  Leaders: Nathan and Stella Tea. Species: 30. After the delay caused by the snow/ice storm, six brave participants joined us on a slippery, makeup walk at Hughes Hollow. Forecast predicted the temperature to be sunny in the mid-30s with little to no wind, and that is exactly what we experienced. The little wind and clear skies allowed us incredible views of some of the birds at this time of the year. The once full impoundments were mostly covered in a layer of ice, but a handful of ducks were present in a solitary pool of open water. In the flock were the continuing Redheads (a lower number than before but still pleasant to see), a couple of female Canvasbacks, a single Ring-necked Duck, and some Hooded Mergansers. We birded along the icy dike as many of the participants eagerly looked for good opportunities for photographs. Along the dike, we picked up an overwintering Eastern Phoebe, great looks at foraging Swamp Sparrows, a Winter Wren, and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. We continued to walk carefully down the dike toward the sunflower fields and eventually came upon a flock of fast-moving sparrows. Among them, a very cooperative Brown Thrasher and a Fox Sparrow offered excellent views and opportunities for photographs as they foraged near our group. Nearby we picked up some more foraging birds including a Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and many other sparrows. Then, out of nowhere, one participant spotted a white, flat flying object swooping down right in front of our group and into a little crevice in a tree. It turned out to be a flying squirrel! We have not seen flying squirrels out in the wild, away from feeders, and during the day! Everyone got excellent views as it came in and out of the crevice. After a few minutes, it glided away into the forest. As we walked closer to another open field, we stumbled upon the same flock of sparrows and attempted to make our way through the snow-covered ground for a closer look at the Fox Sparrow only to be met by sharp burrs and a flyover Sharp-shinned Hawk. With exhilaration, we gingerly made our way back to the parking lot where we were delighted by another Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a Brown Creeper, and a Hermit Thrush actively bathing and foraging.

February 2021, Oaks Landfill: Highlights of five trips   Leader: Mark England. Because of a lengthy waitlist held over from January and the six-person limit on current trips, there were five late-afternoon MBC trips into the closed Oaks Landfill in February, primarily intended to see raptors and sparrows, which this site is best known for. The first trip on Thursday, February 4, was exceptional for raptors, with eight species seen, most notably a probable first-year Rough-legged Hawk (RLHA), which I had seen while scouting before the trip. We went directly to the top of the landfill and saw the RLHA very well, though it never perched very close. We also had four Northern Harriers, Cooper’s, Red-shouldered (RSHA) and Red-tailed (RTHA) Hawks, a Bald Eagle, a Merlin, and the male Short-eared Owl (SEOW) that had been present since January. The next trip, on February 6, had to be entered through the Blue Mash side of the landfill, as there had been a shooting on Rt. 108 in the morning and the road was closed for the police investigation. I saw the RLHA during scouting about 3:15 p.m., but it proved very elusive during the trip, flying away from us at one point over the big pond to Blue Mash and never allowing the group a good look. We did see 4 Northern Harriers, the continuing SEOW, an Eastern Phoebe, 4 Savannah Sparrows, and 7 Eastern Meadowlarks. On a heavily overcast February 9th trip, we saw the Rough-legged Hawk quite well, and some got good pictures, including one by Scott Young of a harrier buzzing the hawk as it perched in a pine tree. There were also RSHAs and RTHAs and good views of the hunting SEOW. A week later, on February 16, the Rough-legged Hawk was gone, possibly reappearing in some fields east of Clarksburg for two days, where it was flagged on eBird and seen by a number of birders. It seemed similarly marked to the one we saw at the landfill. On the windy 2/16 trip, we had great looks at White-crowned Sparrows and, later, American Tree Sparrows, spotted by Clive Harris. The harrier show before sundown was excellent as usual, and there were now Gadwall and Green-winged Teal in the mostly thawed pond, among other ducks. On February 27, we finally got in a trip that had twice been rescheduled due to snow and ice. The trip was for beginners and those who had never been to the landfill. With clear weather near 50 degrees, the large pond was finally ice-free, and a nice variety of waterfowl was viewed in great light, including two Northern Shovelers (rare at this location), 3 male Canvasbacks, 2 Wood Ducks, 2 Gadwall, 3 American Wigeon, 4 Green-winged Teal, a Hooded Merganser, Bufflehead, and assorted Ring-necked Ducks, Mallards, and a lone American Black Duck. Raptors included 3 RSHA, 2 RTHA, 1 Cooper’s Hawk glimpse only, and at least 3 harriers. We saw 2 juvenile White-crowned Sparrows and an Eastern Phoebe and were then treated to exceptional looks at 3 hunting Short-eared Owls well before sundown. As I was locking up the gate to leave, I heard at least two displaying American Woodcock adjacent to the landfill entry road, giving us 35 species for the trip, a particularly good number for this site in winter.

Sunday, January 17, 2021, Black Hill Regional Park and Gunners Lake  Leader: Gerry Hawkins. Nine persons joined the leader in a search for waterfowl at Black Hill Regional Park and nearby Gunners Lake on a mild, overcast morning. Notwithstanding unseasonably warm weather this winter, we saw 13 waterfowl species and other waterbirds at four stops. At the Black Hill RP Visitors Center, we observed Common Mergansers, Buffleheads, and distant Canada Geese, as well as Pied-billed Grebes and Great Blue Herons. Here we also enjoyed various songbirds at the well-stocked feeders, including a couple of beautiful Eastern Bluebirds. A short drive to the boat ramp area at Black Hill produced several Mallards, American Black Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, and a continuing female Greater Scaup, all at close range. A stop at the Route 121 bridge over Little Seneca Lake produced more Common Mergansers and Pied-billed Grebes and a distant adult Bald Eagle perched on a cell tower. A 10-minute drive brought us to Gunners Lake, a 20-acre, man-made lake in a sea of development in Germantown that is known for its winter waterfowl, and it did not disappoint. Here we walked part of the 1.25-mile paved trail around the lake to see a small number of Canvasbacks and Redheads, including males and females of both species, over 20 Hooded Mergansers, several male Ring-necked Ducks, several Ruddy Ducks, a pair of Gadwall, a solitary male American Wigeon, and a solitary Wood Duck standing on a log next to the trail, as well as Mallards, of course. Thanks to all participants for coming on this fun field trip during these difficult times.

Wednesday, January 6, 2021, Cambridge and Blackwater NWR  Leader: Mark England. Participants: 7 including leader. Weather: Mostly overcast, mid-40s, but stiff winds made it seem much colder. Species: 46 that I can remember. As on the December trip exactly a month earlier, we started on the bitter-cold bank of the Choptank River in Cambridge and made our usual several stops along the waterfront. Wind-driven swells and spotting scope instability made it difficult to scan the river, but we had the expected Surf Scoters for sure, Bufflehead, and Double-crested Cormorants. At the marina, we again found very close Long-tailed Ducks, both male and female. Unlike in December, there were at least 200 ducks at the end of Oakley Street, mainly Canvasbacks and Lesser Scaup, with numbers of American Wigeon, Redheads, and Ruddy Ducks as well. There also appeared to be a few Greater Scaup, based on close observation of head shape and bill details. The slow trip down Egypt Road was more productive than in December, with a well-seen eastern Palm Warbler at our first stop, a distant flock of about 100 American Pipits, some Eastern Meadowlarks in flight, and, surprisingly, two Pine Warblers perched together on a telephone wire at the intersection of Egypt Road and Key Wallace Drive. The refuge Life of the Marsh Trail through the loblolly pines was very quiet till the end, where we took the alternate path back to the parking lot through more shrubby habitat. We found a close Brown Creeper and then several Brown-headed Nuthatches very low down on nearby tree trunks, certainly the best looks at them that any of us had ever seen. At the Observation Point marsh overlook platform, we were able to look down on a puffed-up American Bittern stalking through the shallow water to finally catch and swallow a small minnow, one of the high points of the trip. We had more expected waterfowl on the refuge including Northern Shovelers, flying Northern Pintails, Ring-necked Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, American Black Ducks, and hundreds of Tundra Swans. Rather amazingly, we saw no kestrels, bluebirds, or Red-tailed Hawks this time, and only one distant Northern Harrier. Three of us did see harriers at the Bestpitch Ferry bridge near sundown but no Short-eared Owls as we had hoped since three had been seen there on the previous visit in December.

2020 Trips

Sunday, December 6, 2020, Cambridge and Blackwater NWR  Leader: Mark England. Participants: 6 including leader. Weather: An excellent sunny day, though very windy and cold early on. Total species: 46. We started at 9 a.m. as usual at the Dorchester County (Sailwinds) Visitor Center on the Choptank River in Cambridge, where we fought bitter cold winds but saw expected Surf Scoters and Bufflehead. At the Cambridge Marina, we had the resident three gull species, a female White-winged Scoter, and superb close looks at Long-tailed Ducks swimming within the boat piers near the lighthouse. Oakley Street was lacking the usual assortment of ducks, but we saw several close species from the next street over, including American Wigeon, Canvasback, Redhead, and Lesser Scaup. We added Laughing Gull, Ruddy Duck, and domestic Muscovy Ducks farther down the waterfront, before heading out of Cambridge and stopping at the Goose Creek Store. From there we did the long, slow drive down Egypt Road, which was slower than usual, though we did see one meadowlark, one kestrel, and a well-seen buffy-colored juvenile Peregrine Falcon. While we were watching the Peregrine, a very dark and puzzling eagle soared into view. We debated its identity for some time before agreeing that it soared entirely on flat wings (no dihedral at all) and was likely a young Bald Eagle and not a Golden. At the Blackwater refuge, we stopped in the Visitor Center, ate a quick lunch in our cars while watching a harrier or two, and then did the Wildlife Drive. Dabbling ducks were MIA this day, and we saw only two N. Shovelers, two American Black Ducks, and a few Hooded Mergansers. We did find two high-up Brown-headed Nuthatches and too many Tundra Swans to count, though we did not see any of the usual shorebirds or Am. White Pelicans. After some folks headed back, the leader and two others drove over to Bestpitch Ferry Road and enjoyed mostly distant views of four N. Harriers and at least three Short-eared Owls. Thanks to Ed Vigezzi for tracking our sightings at the numerous stops during the day!

Sunday, November 29, 2020, Lilypons Water Gardens, Frederick County  Leaders: Clive Harris and Dave Powell. Participants: 12 including leaders. This is always a popular trip so we had 2 leaders leading two separate groups cover the property. Weather: An excellent morning, calm and dry. Total species between the two groups: 54. We had a good morning for sparrows, including good looks at multiple Fox and White-crowned Sparrows and an eventually cooperative American Tree Sparrow, which we found in a small dried-up pond near the main buildings and which everyone got on. A late, lingering Great Egret tripped the eBird rarity filter, and in the same area we had a good assortment of ducks including Gadwall, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, and Hooded Merganser. We encountered the usual assortment of winter birds, although Rusty Blackbirds provided only poor views, and we had just one each of Pine Siskin and Purple Finch, good for most years but low for an irruption year. As well as the 3 sparrows mentioned above, we had many Song, Swamp, and White-throated Sparrows, and we had a chance to distinguish their call notes. Other highlights included flyover American Pipits and Eastern Meadowlark and 6 species of woodpeckers. Checklists: https://ebird.org/checklist/S76859480 and https://ebird.org/checklist/S76852956

Wednesday, November 11, 2020, RedGate Park: Basics of Sparrow ID  Eight participants and two leaders: Lydia Schindler and Linda Friedland. Overcast skies and unseasonably warm temperatures with the forecast of rain holding off until noon. We began our annual Veterans Day sparrow search at 7:30, heading down the path to the “sparrow pit,” a meadow that had recently provided birders with a trove of sparrows. But this morning the sparrows were keeping quiet and low. At the pit, a flurry of activity in the bushes and brambles quickly gave way to rain, a drizzle at first and then coming down in earnest that made ID-ing difficult. Even with fogged optics, one or another of our group managed to get glimpses of some 20 species of birds, including Fox, Song, White-throated, Swamp, and Chipping sparrows, plus juncos and towhees.

Saturday, October 24, 2020, MBC Presidents’ Walk at Blue Mash  Leader:  Andy Martin.  Bird Club members enjoyed a great outing to Blue Mash Nature Trail on October 24 for the Annual Presidents’ Walk—a trip to see some good birds and honor past and current presidents of the Montgomery Bird Club. Current President Evelyn Ralston and 2 past presidents, Linda Friedland and Lydia Schindler, were in attendance along with 4 other members of the club. Weather was great, sunny with temperatures heading toward the low 60s. We netted 41 species for the day. Highlights included 4 Northern Pintails and 25 Green-winged Teals in the “big pond.” We checked a flock of shorebirds on the pond’s mudflats but could only come up with 40 or so Killdeers. A late Common Yellowthroat was nice plus 5 Palm Warblers and some great close-up looks at an Eastern Phoebe and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Sunday, October 04 2020, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens: Kenilworth Park, DC  Leaders: Mike Bowen and Gerry Hawkins; 10 other participants Weather: Fine, sunny, delightful, cool at first. Species count: 40. With the club mandating that no more than 6 participants should be allowed on a field trip conducted during pandemic times, on this trip we divided the 10 participants into two groups of 5, one going with Gerry and the other with Mike. The two groups traveled independently all morning. The 2 resulting checklists were slightly different, with Mike’s group recording 37 species and Gerry’s group 38. Highlights: Both groups noted large groups of American Robins, Blue Jays and (low-flying) Chimney Swifts at KAG, which also featured Wood Ducks overhead, a flushed Wilson’s Snipe and a late Brown Thrasher. One group had Savannah Sparrows in Kenilworth Park, while both groups saw an Eastern Meadowlark there, flushed up by Gerry’s group. Warblers were scarce, but we did manage Yellow-Rumped (Myrtle), Palm, Black-throated Blue, and Common Yellowthroat. The morning ended in the park with an immature Bald Eagle cruising overhead. The two eBird checklists for the trip can be found at: https://ebird.org/atlasmddc/checklist/S74404724 and https://ebird.org/checklist/S74410893

Saturday, October 03 2020, Little Bennett Regional Park   Leader: Gemma Radko; Participants: 7; Weather: Chilly to start, but clear, turning into a beautiful fall day. Species: 40. Little Bennett Regional Park, Wilsons Mill, Mound Builder, Beaver Valley trails. This trip featured a big influx of winter residents, starting with Purple Finch. We observed at least eight birds, most brownies, but one adult male in all his purple glory. Also saw many Ruby-crowned Kinglets, plus heard a Golden-crowned Kinglet and a Red-breasted Nuthatch. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker turned up at the end of the walk, just in time to make number 40. Other notables were Gray-cheeked and Swainson’s Thrushes, plus a late Wood Thrush; at least three stunning Blue-headed Vireos; Pine, Black-throated Green, Black-and-white, and Yellow-rumped warblers; and large numbers of both Blue Jays and Cedar Waxwings.

Saturday, September 26 2020, Croydon Creek Nature Center  Co-Leaders: Anne Mytych and Emily Huang. Participants: 7, including co-leaders. Weather: Overcast, light drizzle at times, 65 to 69 F. Total species: 33. This was the second MBC walk at Croydon Creek to help expose birders to a MC hidden gem. We met at the nature center parking lot at 7:30 am and ended around 10:30 am. We started at the feeders, which had some activity, but the lighting was very poor. We saw mostly the usual feeder birds as well as two Scarlet Tanagers and a Common Yellowthroat. We headed down the main road toward the meadow, and found a couple of Magnolia Warblers, a Black-and-white Warbler and another Scarlet Tanager. The meadow was quiet but we did see a Swainson’s Thrush and heard a couple of Catbirds and Cardinals. We went over the bridge on the trail and found another Swainson’s, as well as a Gray-Cheeked Thrush, which we noted had a plain gray face and no eye ring. We made a final stop back at the feeders and there were a lot of Chickadees, Titmice and House Finches fluttering around. Before we left, we had a quick visit from an Indigo Bunting and a Black-throated Green Warbler, who landed on the Sycamore behind the feeders. The complete checklist from the walk can be viewed in eBird at https://ebird.org/checklist/S74071867

Sunday, September 20 2020, Pennyfield to Violettes – Bird Stalk  Note: Due to the pandemic and concerns about maintaining safety and social distancing on a crowded towpath, the stalk was changed to Hughes Hollow in the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area. Leader: Jim Nelson. Participants: 7, including leader. Weather: Sunny, 44 to 61 F. Total species: 44. This walk is for folks who generally cannot get out as early. The total species count was more than last year’s walk on the towpath, not surprising given the broader array of habitat at Hughes Hollow and favorable weather. Neotropical migrants are always a delight in fall migration. We had 7 species of warbler, 2 of vireo, and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, but no tanagers, thrushes, or orioles. Highlights in the impoundments were Blue-winged Teal, Pectoral Sandpipers, an American Bittern surprisingly out in the middle of the water, Green Herons, and a Great Blue Heron. A high-flying Cooper’s Hawk was seen stooping on a soaring Common Raven. Three Brown Thrashers together in one small area were quite a surprise. There were lots of Eastern Wood-Pewees and a Least Flycatcher.

Sunday, September 13 2020, Rock Creek Park  Leader:  Clive Harris. The MBC beginners bird walk had 3 participants plus the leader Clive Harris. Being a migrant trap, some days are better than others at Rock Creek and this day was a relatively quiet one as it had been a few days since the last cold front. We had a total of 29 species for the morning, which included 5 species of warblers, of which Blue-winged was the best, but American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat were the most numerous. We had very nice views of Veery feeding on berries in the Maintenance Yard parking lot, and of Baltimore Oriole in the Yard itself, as well as a Scarlet Tanager. Red-eyed Vireo were the most common songbird, with a tally of 10 and we also enjoyed many House Wrens.

Thursday, September 03 2020, Wheaton Regional Park  Leaders:  Leaders:  Woody and Rae Dubois. he first bird walk of the 2020 fall season was held at Wheaton Regional Park on Thursday, Sept. 3 on a sunny morning. The six participants gathered with Rae in the parking lot, Woody being down at Pine Lake. He had gone early to see if the American Avocet seen on Sept. 2 was still there but he appeared shortly saying no luck. We started by scanning the trees around the parking area but continued fairly quickly to the train tracks, the orchard, wall of vines, Pine Lake, and the sunny corner. By the end of three hours we had seen or heard 37 species, three of which were warblers: Black-and-white, American Redstart, and Blue-winged. Three more warbler species stayed maddeningly just out of identification range. Other notable birds were a Common Nighthawk, a Warbling Vireo which was both heard and seen, two Baltimore Orioles, and two Veeries, one of which followed an apparent companion American Robin everywhere as though he were attached by a string! Red-eyed Vireos were in fairly good supply and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds buzzed over the jewelweed. Everyone seemed to have a good time and were very good-natured about mask wearing. .