Winter

    The year began with Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Hermit Thrush among the much more plentiful White-throated Sparrows, Mourning Doves, Cedar Waxwings, Dark-eyed Juncos, and House Finches.  Uncommon birds in January included Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Merlin, American Tree Sparrow, Eastern Bluebird, and Common Merganser.  Great Horned Owls called to each other and Red-tailed Hawks perched side by side, anticipating their early nesting seasons.

    Beaver damage to trees became evident in the Nature Center.  Their home appeared to be a large collection of branches under the railroad bridge at Burnside Plantation.

    February brought Killdeer, Turkey Vultures, and more visits from Common Mergansers.  Skunk Cabbage emerged at the end of the month.

Spring

    The first half of March brought Fox Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Wood Duck, Hooded and Common Mergansers, Green-winged Teal, and Ring-necked Duck.  The first Eastern Phoebe was seen on March 16th, and the first warblers of spring, two Yellow-rumped Warblers, appeared on the 29th.  

    A walk on April 9th produced a variety of first sightings for the year: Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, a singing Louisiana Waterthrush, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, and Tree Swallow.  Other noteworthy April birds included Gadwall, Field, Lincoln's, and Swamp Sparrows, Brown Thrasher, Rusty Blackbird, Common Loon, Osprey, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Cerulean, Kentucky, and Orange-crowned Warblers.  A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher occupied her nest on the 28th.   A beaver swam in the pond on the 15th.  Mourning Cloak Butterfly, Garter Snake, Painted Turtle, and Snapping Turtle were also present.

    The migration, which was varied in species and not too low in numbers in April, almost came to a stop for the first two weeks of May.  There were some migrants in early May, including the only new species for this year, a Mississippi Kite seen by Steve Thorpe and friends, but May 23rd and 24th were the days with the most species.   56 on both days.  There was also a fallout of Blackpoll Warblers on the 24th.  They were reported in large numbers from many locations.  Unusual birds during the month included Olive-sided Flycatcher, Cape May Warbler, Mourning Warbler, White-crowned Sparrow, White-eyed Vireo, and Gray-cheeked Thrush.

    Pickerel Frogs were very vocal in mid-May, and Green Frogs called occasionally.  A Wood Turtle and Snapping Turtles were observed.  Red Admiral Butterflies were abundant this year.  

Summer

    There were a few late migrants in early June--Wilson's Warbler, Mourning Warbler, and Willow Flycatcher--but nesting birds were the focus of summer birding.  Parent Downy Woodpeckers stuck their heads into a nest cavity in a tree close to the railroad tracks to feed their young.  Soon large juvenile heads emerged from the small opening.  Red-bellied Woodpeckers used a cavity next to the creek as a nest site.  American Robins and Gray Catbirds were the most common breeding birds.  Robin nests are easy to find, but catbird nests are not.  It was exciting to watch a pair of Gray Catbirds build a nest near the creek, incubate their eggs, then feed the young birds.

    28 species including Baltimore Oriole, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Wood Thrush, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Wood-pewee, and House Wren raised their young in the Nature Center.   Another  15 species probably breed in or near the area.  These species include Green Heron, Killdeer, Great Crested Flycatcher, and Eastern Kingbird.  

    Monarda and Swamp Milkweed bloomed, and at the end of the season Goldenrod began to flower.  Scarlet Tanager and Black-and-white Warbler were the first signs of fall migration.

Fall

    The early weeks of migration brought American Redstart, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Canada Warbler, and Acadian Flycatcher.  A Yellow-breasted Chat was seen on August 23rd; a Mourning Warbler on the 25th; and a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher on the 28th.  September sightings included Philadelphia Vireo, Bay-breasted Warbler, and Purple Finch.   As the month drew to a close, warblers became more difficult to find, and sparrows became more plentiful.  

    Yellow-rumped Warblers were the only common warbler in October.  Unusual species during the month included Rusty Blackbird, Merlin, and a late Yellow-billed Cuckoo.  Purple Finches were common, particularly in October.

    High water levels in the Monocacy Creek in early November during a period of drought were puzzling until the discovery of a beaver dam just north of the railroad bridge.  Damage to trees increased during the fall.  

    Late season observations were dominated by plentiful wintering species such as White-throated Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, and Dark-eyed Junco--but there were also some unusual sightings.  On November 11th, a cat dashed across the railroad tracks with a red fox in hot pursuit.   An Evening Grosbeak was seen on the 16th, the first of that species since 1995.  A Yellow-breasted Chat was an unexpected find on Thanksgiving Day.  It lingered for several days and was last seen on  December 7th.  A late Eastern Phoebe visited on November 26th and December 7th.  Fox Sparrows appeared in November and December, even remaining for the Christmas Bird Count on December 29th.  That count recorded 39 species in the Nature Center and on the walk to the Aspen Inn.  A Fox Sparrow was a first for the count, along with Eastern Bluebird and Common Grackle.

    141 species were observed in the Nature Center this year;  31 of these species were warblers.  One species, Mississippi Kite, was new to the Nature Center.

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