Wednesday Sept. 19. Hospital Fields. A brisk wind kept small birds out of sight on this morning, and we were disappointed not to see any migrant warblers at all. But there were several hawk sightings that made up for that lack, the most exciting of which was a sharpie that buzzed a red-shouldered hawk directly over our heads. Total species: 29.

Saturday Sept. 22. Poplar Lane. Rose-breasted grosbeaks filled the trees, scarlet tanagers joined them from time to time, eastern wood-pewees were everywhere, and six species of warblers added color and variety as we enjoyed a walk along this riverside road on a pleasant morning. Total species: 32.

Wednesday October 3. It was a quiet morning at Hospital Fields with few warblers or other migrants in evidence. As so often happens, though, our best luck came at the very end of the walk: a quick glimpse of a rare sedge wren in thick growth along a ditch. Birder rule # 16: Never leave early! Total species: 29.

Saturday October 6. 7 Blue herons in a pasture, red-shouldered and Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks in the sky, six kinds of warblers in the trees -- so full was this morning's walk in Calvert that we were an hour late getting to the coffee shop! Total species: 39.

Saturday October 13. The newly-reclaimed wetlands at Lamb's Creek, Brevard College (perhaps better called "weedlands" in this drought year) were alive with birds when we arrived at 9 a.m. Our first bird was a white-crowned sparrow, which set the tone for the day. We all enjoyed scores of goldfinches in varying stages of molt, and an equal number of tail-bobbing palm warblers, along with about 35 other species all told. A nice red-tailed hawk entertained us from above, and the coffee shop yielded a window-killed Swainson's thrush.

Wednesday October 17. Neotropical migration has passed its peak but we still managed to find six species of warblers, including a Nashville and several very bright magnolias, at the Hospital Fields. Sparrows were in evidence too, although poor lighting conditions made us hesitant to call the rarer species with certainty. (40 species total)
 
Saturday October 20. It's always a pleasure to visit Jeff Fisher's farm and the adjacent river edges, and this day was no exception. Palm warblers were still around, as well as yellow-rumps, and along with the ubiquitous song sparrows we saw field, swamp and white-throateds too. Many other birds came and went, phoebes, woodpeckers of several kinds, etc. and though the hoped-for "big one" never appeared we had a fulfilling morning.
 
Wednesday October 31. A ruby-crowned kinglet near the bike path at the Hospital Fields gave us the best view possible of his magnificent ruby crest -- more vivid and extensive than any of us  had seen before -- as he chased another ruby-crown from a bush. Vesper, field, Savannah, swamp, song, white-throated and white-crowned sparrows rounded out the morning. 31 species total
 
Saturday November 3. Kathy and Dennis Allen welcomed us to their secluded home and showed us the birds of the Glady Fork neighborhood, including some newly-arrived purple finches, two brown creepers, and a tree full of pine siskins. The highlight, though, was the sight of two wild turkeys flying ponderously overhead and landing, with much clamor and breaking of branches, in a nearby tree. 31 species total

January 26 and February 2, 2008. Both of these trips were to Hospital Fields and provided a study in contasts. The first took place on a cold leaden day, when no one, not even a bird, really wanted to be outside. Our only bird of interest was a white-crowned sparrow. The following week it was still cold, but sunny and bright and altogether pleasant. Birdsong filled the air -- cardinals, chickadees, titmice, wrens -- and we enjoyed a flycatching hermit thrush, a fluttering ruby-crowned kinglet, a couple of yellow-rumped warblers and a half-dozen white-crowned sparrows, along with many commoner birds. This is still the "dead season" but this trip showed at least a promise of spring. (24 species)
Saturday February 16. Sparrows were the focus of our walk along Lamb's Creek on the Brevard College campus this day, and we found four of them: song, field, swamp and Savannah. Song sparrows were plentiful; the others appeared only in small numbers. Curiously absent were whitethroats and white-crowneds, which we had expected. (23 species)
 
Saturday February 23. There was a  nice mix of birds on Poplar Lane this day, from vultures, a sharp-shinned hawk and a red-tail on one end of the size spectrum to tiny ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglets on the other. A grouse called from the woods, and bluebirds delighted us all. (26 species)

Saturday April 12. Despite intermittent heavy thunderstorms, four of us came out to Calvert to see what we could find in this formerly diverse area now rapidly turning into a massive sod farm. Before we even left our meeting place we had recorded a sandhill crane flying overhead! Other than that, swallows were the most prominent birds of the morning, with all four expected species present in good numbers. 33 species total.

Wednesday April 16. An orange-crowned warbler was the highlight of this walk, the first of the bonus spring migration sorties at Hospital Fields, which began in 35-degree cold and transformed, over three hours, to a perfect spring day. Despite a lack of birdsong to guide us we managed to find prairie, palm, parula, yellow-rumped and worm-eating warblers, as well as common yellowthroat, along with other newly-arrived migrants. 44 species total.

Wednesday April 23. Hospital Fields was quiet, with little birdsong, but we got good looks anyway at black-throated green, prairie and parula warblers along with common yellowthroats and the year's first catbirds. Overhead, several hawks sparked some lively discussion, but no agreement. (44 species total)

Saturday April 26. What can be better than a field trip that gives you a cerulean warbler before you get out of the car? One was ringing forth in the Pink Beds parking lot, drowning out the tones of the Blackburnians, who were the focus of the trip. We saw them both, as well as redstarts, chestnut-sideds, and black-throated blues, all before we began our walk. Ovenbirds, hoodeds, several vireos and a pair of red-breasted nuthatches added to the excitement of the day. This is one great place in spring. (25 species total)

Wednesday May 7.  This was our day for yellow warblers. Singing males and quiet females were seen in half a dozen different spots at Hospital Fields. We also enjoyed views of redstart, yellowthroat, worm-eating, blackpoll and black-and-white warblers, heard a chat, and saw a scarlet tanager and two Baltimore orioles. A good spring day!"
 
Saturday May 10.   Looming clouds made us decide against the Parkway, so we embarked on a Swainson's warbler hunt instead, with great success. We heard and saw this elusive species at several sites along Frozen Creek and Old Toxaway Roads, while also enjoying magnolia, black-and-white, blackpoll, hooded and yellow-throated warblers. These rural roads deserve more of our attention, that's clear!