Howard County Bird Club

A Chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society (MOS)


Field Trip: Saturday, April 28, 2007
Middle Patuxent Environmental Area

Trip Leader: Arnold , Stan

Date of Trip: Saturday, April 28, 2007

Location: Middle Patuxent Environmental Area

Details: We enjoyed some great weather, and a fairly nice assortment of birds.

Number on trip: 16

Birds:
(Numbers of individuals are shown if they were recorded.)

  • Canada Goose: flyover pair
  • Wood Duck: 3 that we chased up the river
  • Common Loon: 4 flyovers
  • Great Blue Heron: 3
  • Black Vulture: 4
  • Turkey Vulture: 12
  • Northern Harrier: 1
  • Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1
  • Cooper's Hawk: 2
  • Red-shouldered Hawk: 6
  • Broad-winged Hawk: 3
  • Red-tailed Hawk: 1
  • Mourning Dove: 3
  • Black-billed Cuckoo: 1
  • Barred Owl: 2 calling incesantly before walk
  • Chimney Swift: 1
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker: 10
  • Downy Woodpecker: 5
  • Northern Flicker: 5
  • Pileated Woodpecker: 2, one from parking area
  • Acadian Flycatcher: 1
  • Eastern Phoebe: 1
  • Great Crested Flycatcher: 2
  • White-eyed Vireo: 25+
  • Blue-headed Vireo: 1
  • Blue Jay: 15
  • American Crow: 10
  • Fish Crow: 10
  • Tree Swallow: 15
  • Barn Swallow: 1
  • Carolina Chickadee: 10
  • Tufted Titmouse: scores; there was never a time when we were not hearing them
  • White-breasted Nuthatch: 15
  • Carolina Wren: 10
  • House Wren: 6
  • Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 8
  • Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: dripping out of the trees
  • Eastern Bluebird: 6
  • Veery: 1
  • Hermit Thrush: 1
  • Wood Thrush: 2 or more
  • American Robin: many
  • Gray Catbird: 2
  • Northern Mockingbird: 1
  • Brown Thrasher: 2
  • European Starling: 3
  • Blue-winged Warbler: 4 males singing, one viewed
  • Northern Parula: dozens heard, even from parking area
  • Black-throated Blue Warbler: 3
  • Yellow-rumped Warbler: 5
  • Ovenbird: 2
  • Louisiana Waterthrush: 4
  • Kentucky Warbler: 1
  • Common Yellowthroat: 3
  • Eastern Towhee: scores
  • Chipping Sparrow: 1
  • Field Sparrow: 12
  • Song Sparrow: 1
  • Swamp Sparrow: 3
  • White-throated Sparrow: 100s, often in tree tops where the warblers should have been
  • Northern Cardinal: dozens
  • Common Grackle: 1
  • Brown-headed Cowbird: dozens; heard constantly
  • Baltimore Oriole: 2
  • House Finch: pair
  • American Goldfinch: 10
  • House Sparrow: 1

Comments:
We tallied 66 total species. Highlights were viewing both KENTUCKY WARBLER and BLUE-WINGED WARBLER in the scope, thanks to Ralph Cullison (who can get a scope on a bird faster than anyone I know), VEERY, BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO (unfortunately seen only by Ralph, who to his credit went back after the walk and relocated the bird to confirm the ID), and N. HARRIER.