- American Crow
- American Goldfinch
- American Robin
- Bald Eagle
- Belted Kingfisher
- Black Vulture
- Blue Jay
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Brown Creeper
- Brown Pelican
- Brown-headed Nuthatch
- Canada Goose
- Carolina Chickadee
- Carolina Wren
- Caspian Tern
- Chipping Sparrow
- Common Grackle
- Common Loon
- Cooper's Hawk
- Dark-eyed Junco
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Downy Woodpecker
- Eastern Bluebird
- Eastern Phoebe
- Field Sparrow
- Forster's Tern
- Golden-crowned Kinglet
- Great Black-backed Gull
- Great Blue Heron
- Hermit Thrush
- Herring Gull
- House Sparrow
- Laughing Gull
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Harrier
- Northern Mockingbird
- Palm Warbler
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Red-breasted Nuthatch
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Ring-billed Gull
- Rock Pigeon
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Song Sparrow
- Swainson's Thrush
- Tree Swallow
- Tufted Titmouse
- Turkey Vulture
- White-crowned Sparrow
- White-throated Sparrow
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
field_report from "Point Lookout" on 10/23/2004 - 13:00
Field report for: Point Lookout from 10/23/2004 - 1:00pm to 10/23/2004 - 1:00pm
The folks who braved the somewhat long drive to Point Lookout State Park, located in St. Mary’s County of Maryland, were treated to a gorgeous day and some very interesting birding. About ten people met up with co-leaders Mike Kaspar and Dhananjaya Katju at the picnic area near the “point” of Point Lookout.
As we drove up to the park, our great day started off with Bald Eagle sightings. Then, while our party was still standing around the parking lot, a Northern Harrier was sighted as it glided above nearby stands of pines and oaks. Multiple sightings of Sharp-shinned Hawks helped many of us to focus on flight silhouette features that enable one to distinguish this species from the similar Cooper’s Hawk; distinguishing features that were put to good use when a Cooper’s Hawk was sighted later.
A working of the brush bordering the picnic area turned up the usual mix of ‘suspects’ to be expected at this time of year – Northern Cardinal, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. One Kinglet flashed its ‘ruby crown’, a rare behavior, and thus justified its name. There, Palm Warblers gave us several good looks too. On the adjoining grassy lawns, White-crowned, Song, White-throated, Field, and Chipping Sparrows consorted with Dark-eyed Juncos, affording us the opportunity to compare them and spotlight distinguishing criteria.
As we walked further we saw both Red-breasted and Brown-headed Nuthatches. And, in the same spot, some of us were fortunate enough to observe a Sharp-shinned Hawk’s pursuit of an Eastern Phoebe…the Phoebe got away. Along the southern shore, gulls of different species sat next to each other, providing yet another opportunity for cross-specific comparison.
The final leg of our walk took us through a more wooded area where we spotted Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, as well as Swainson’s and Hermit Thrushes.
