Hot and Humid Saturday

I have been trying to figure out the less descriptive birds in our yard - the sparrows. Among the varying combination of shades of grayish breasts, darker or lighter head stripes, different spots and streaks (and don't forget to throw in male and female and immature differences), there were two finalists species to choose from that resembled the specimen I have been noticing off-and-on coming to our feeder for a good part of this summer - Harris Sparrow or Lapland Longspur. Both are more showy than most of the sparrow-like birds we encounter.

Earlier this evening we wanted to get out of the house, so we took what turned out to be a short trip to City Dock. Today was at least 88° F and 70% humidity, and there was lots of traffic heading down Compromise Street over the Spa Creek drawbridge - from experience we have learned, this is not a good sign - hard to find parking, our driver pass onto the Naval Academy Yard has expired, and it is sure to be crowed with people. Since it was not all that great of weather, we figured why not turn around, drive to the Giant grocery store in the neighborhood and pick up ice cream, and go home and enjoy it there. After watering down the patio to cool things some more, we sat and ate our cool desert. As we watched the slow stream of birds come-and-go while the sun set behind the trees - the unknown appeared.

Out came the binoculars for a close examination...Black face outlined with white...Rusty collar...page 308, Peterson's Birds of Eastern and Central North America...identification confirmed...Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus), not the Harris Sparrow. The only character I haven't been able to see, the long talon spur - it is hidden by the trough that doubles as a perch on the feeder while where the birds perch, and the birds won't let me get close enough to see from a better angle.
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The Song Sparrow
Another positive ID this evening was a Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia). Page 200 of Peterson's field guide: 5-6 1/2 " (13-16 cm) Note heavy breast streaks confluent into a large central spot. Long tail. SIMILAR SPECIES: (1) Savannah Sparrow (p. 302) is more of a field bird; it often shows yellowish over eye, has a shorter notched tail, pinker legs. (2) See Lincoln's Sparrow (below). (3) See Swamp Sparrow (p. 296) VOICE: Song, a variable series of notes, some musical, some buzzy; usually starts with 3 or 4 clear petetitious notes, sweet sweet sweet, etc. Call note, a low nasal tchep. RANGE: Alaska, Canada to cen. Mexico. HABITAT: Thickets, brush, marshes, roadsides, gardens.

Earlier today, a couple of commons: swallow tail butter fly on the butterfly bush (a), and a bumble bee on echinacea (b). This is the first year we have had these prairie wildflowers bloom - not an extra-ordinary one, the common Magnus. Lastly (c), a daylily my mom received from her cousin, a renowned developer of daylily varieties. His son and I work for the same agency. We dug up the crown in our Oregon garden and and brought it to Maryland - this is the best bloom we have had since planting it here. But then, everything seems to be growing better this year - functioning drip systems with frequent supplemental watering, didn't take a late-June trip to the West Coast this year (that greatly enhances the supplemental watering), and lots of work put into the yard earlier getting ready for Commissioning Week and all of our visitors.
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Will June end up warmest on record?
If the weather keeps up like this for the next few days, we will end up having the warmest June in Annapolis on record (1). Plenty of sunshine and warmth to make things grow really fast in our garden, but as for us, we will have to stay inside as much as possible to keep from wilting, and so we will have to wait until after the sun goes down to watch the birds - while eating our ice cream.
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(1) According to an article in the next-day Sunday morning Annapolis Capital newspaper (see the third of three briefs). (2)

BWI AIRPORT - This month may end up the warmest June on record if the forecast for the next couple of days holds true.

The high today was expected to flirt with the century mark in parts of the Baltimore metropolitan area, with temperatures likely to be hitting at least 97 or 98 degrees.

The 100 degrees on Thursday at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport was easily the hottest day of the year and broke by 2 degrees the record set in 1966. It was the hottest day in three years.

Friday's high reached 93 degrees and yesterday's was 94, the eighth consecutive day in the 90s and the 13th 90-or-above day this month, according to the National Weather Service. The record for 90-degree days or above in June is 18.

The high three other days hit 89 degrees and 88 on two more, bringing the daytime temperature to nearly 7 degrees above normal.

Forecasters also are calling for a high of 94 tomorrow with a chance of thunderstorms as a cold front approaches. Tuesday's high is expected to be 89, with a drop to 84 on Wednesday as the front pushes through the region.

Last week's heat wave was blamed for the death of three Maryland residents, all of them elderly.

(2) June is past, July is here - just missed the record.