Lake Artemisia
College Park, MD, 301-927-2163
http://www.pgparks.com/places/nature/artemesia.html
From the Capital Beltway (I-95), take Kenilworth
Avenue (Rt.
201) south for 0.5 mile. Turn right on Greenbelt Road (Rt. 193)
following
it 0.75 miles. Turn right onto Branchville Rd. after Beltway Plaza (see
sign for Lake Artemesia), following it for 0.7 miles. The road will
bear
left and left again crossing under Greenbelt Rd. where it changes into
Ballew Ave. Just after the stop sign at Berwyn Rd., turn left into the
parking lot for Lake Artemesia. The lake, not visible from the parking
lot, is further down Ballew Avenue. Walk along bike path into
park.
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It’s Official! The Luther Goldman
Birding Trail
Is Open for Birding!
The 2.2-mile
trail loops around the 38-acre lake and alongside Indian Creek as it
completes its circle. Habitats along the trail include open
water, wetlands, wood edge, riparian forest and meadow, which offer
opportunities for woodland and field songbirds, as well as waterfowl
and possible raptor flyovers. Visit
the Field Trips
page for information on bird
walks.
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TRIP REPORTS:
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Date: Saturday, May 17, 2008
(Posted on MD Osprey two
days before the trail was officially dedicated and reprinted here with
permission) A friend and I took a mid-afternoon walk along
the Luther Goldman Bird Trail -- my first trip to Artemesia in about
two years and my friend's first time there We arrived sometime
around 12:30-1:00 and on our leisurely stroll saw BOTH male and females
of the Orchard Oriole AND both Baltimore Orioles at close range. There
were numerous purple martins, tree swallows, and a barn swallow or
two. We could hear the distinct low "poo poo pooooooinng" of a
cuckoo, but weren't able to find it in the thick growth along the
edge of the Indian Creek trail. Many Eastern Kingbirds were also
in attendence. Robins, crows, and red-winged blackbirds
galore. At one point this strange cackling noise came from
directly over our heads; we looked up to see a green heron in flight,
soon to perch at the top of a tree and "do that neck thing they do"
where first it's really long and striped and cryptic and then they pull
it back into their shoulders and it's another bird entirely.
Laura Appelbaum, Cloverly, MD
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Date: Saturday, May 24,
2008 (Inaugural Bird Walk)
Trip Leader:
Jack Saba
For the first official bird walk along the newly-dedicated Luther
Goldman Birding Trail on Saturday, May 24, we had excellent weather,
with temperatures in the 60's, a light breeze, and sunny skies. The
walk started with thirteen people, eight of whom were new to our joint
PBC/PGAS field trips, and four of whom had to leave part way through.
The walk took about an hour longer than the scheduled three hours,
running from 7:30 to 11:30, because of the number of interesting
sightings along the way. The group found 57 species, with a
concentration of birds on the peninsula -- our hot spot for the day --
and five active nests, some without birds present.
Sightings of note:
- Green Heron
– In addition to spotting one bird flying over the lake, we
looked at an active nest, but did not see a bird on it at that time.
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- Cooper's Hawk
nest – We looked at an active nest, but the
adult bird, present the night before, was not present or was keeping
its head and tail well down.
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- Red-shouldered
Hawk – A pair were actively calling from the very start
of our walk, and soaring overhead as we walked beside Indian Creek near
the end. One obligingly landed in a tree by the bridge on Berwyn
Road
for a nice ending to our walk.
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- Laughing Gull
flyover – A relative rare sight in this region at this time of year.
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- Purple Martin
– There are five pair of martins in residence at the
Martin house on the peninsula. They were present, active and quite
noisy.
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- Tree Swallows
occupied many of the bluebird nest boxes
around the lake. One perched on a post beside the trail at the
beginning, giving a close-up view for all and a nice photo opportunity
for those with cameras.
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- Blue-gray
Gnatcatcher – We saw several gnatcatchers as we walked the
trail. In addition, we looked at three nests. One had a female on it,
brooding eggs. A second had at least 3 young. The third nest appeared
to be unoccupied, although there was a bird on the nest a week earlier.
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- Cedar Waxwings
– There were either a large number or they were
continually moving, if not both. We saw them over and over, and
particularly enjoyed seeing a dozen close together on one or two
Mulberry branches alongside Indian Creek, another good photographic
opportunity.
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- Wilson's
Warbler – We found a male Wilson's Warbler along the eastern
shore of the lake. The bird was more cooperative than normal for a
warbler, providing very satisfactory looks.
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- Orchard Oriole
– There are a surprising number of Orchard Orioles
nesting at the lake. We heard and saw several adult and first summer
males, as well as a couple of females.
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The rest of the list:
Canada
Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee (heard)
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Eastern
Kingbird
Eastern Phoebe
Red-eyed Vireo
Warbling Vireo (good looks)
White-eyed Vireo (heard)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Wren (heard)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
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Northern
Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher (heard)
European Starling
Northern Parula (heard)
Yellow Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler (heard)
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager (heard)
Northern Cardinal
Song Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow |
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