This morning Paul Pisano and I birded Ben Brenman Park, off Duke Street, in
Alexandria. The best bird was an EASTERN MEADOWLARK that I saw land in the top
of a tall tree near a male Red-winged Blackbird. Before too long it took
flight, heading toward the confluence of streams and so toward Eisenhower
Avenue. This is a rare species inside the Beltway, especially away from the
Anacostia River in DC. Other birds of interest included a Green Heron (no
night-herons at all), two Red-shouldered Hawk, a flyover Caspian Tern, one or
two singing Field Sparrows, and about 10 Savannah Sparrows. A quick visit in
the early afternoon produced a singing adult male Orchard Oriole and a Swamp
Sparrow.
Rob Hilton
Silver Spring, Maryland
