American Coots Neart the Dock at Black Hill Regional Park in Maryland
My husband Jim and I went birding at Black Hill Regional Park yesterday. Our local lakes have been mostly frozen over for weeks. So recent trips have resulted in seeing Canada Geese and Ring-Billed Gulls walking on ice.
But on Saturday temperatures went up to around 60. We had to get outside. I researched recent sightings on eBird to decide where to go. Then we headed to Maryland’s Black Hill Regional Park over in Montgomery County Maryland to look for interesting water birds.
Even spending a lot of time watching, I’ve learned there is all kinds of bird activity going on in my yard that I never see. We focus on the birds we see, but what about the birds we don’t see?
Just today, as it was getting dark, I happened to glance outside and realized the front yard was full of American Robins. I counted twenty-four, although there may have been more in the darkening yard. The robins were spread out over the whole front yard doing their quick scurry, pause and listen, scurry again dance. The were turning over leaves and excavating here and there, looking for choice insects.
