Date: 12/28/12 11:05 am
From: Gail B. Mackiernan %<3Ckatahdinss...>%3E <katahdinss...>
Subject: [MDBirding] Good morning in lower Frederick Co


Hi all,

Barry and I went out scouting for Sunday's Sugarloaf CBC, with an eye to taking advantage of nice weather. It was a very productive morning, and hope that some of these birds stay around (or can be found again under the worsening conditions predicted for Sunday). It started off well with two CACKLING GEESE with about 50 Canadas in the SW-most pond at Lilypons, viewed from Lilypons Road. Small, dainty bills and very obvious gray-blue backs which stood out from the brownish-gray of the Canadas. With them were about 10 Green-winged Teal and a couple of American Black Ducks. Further west along Lilypons Rd, a flighty group of about 100 Horned Larks in the snowy stubble field held three LAPLAND LONGSPURS. They were so close to the road that we didn't need our scopes, at one time a Lappie even stood on the pavement in front of our car. A nice male Kestrel also made an appearance. A short visit to the Bishop Claggett Center yielded about 25 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS and a single CHIPPING SPARROW, as well as a single adult Sapsucker. Along Rt. 80, a wet field adjacent to the Monocacy River hosted about 20 AMERICAN PIPITS, flying about flashing their white outer tail feathers; the most we have seen in this area in some years. Back to Lilypons proper, we did a quick check of the closest ponds and immediately hit pay dirt with a flock of 8-10 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS working the cattail heads in the first long ditch to the left as you walk in the entry road. A few Swamp Sparrows also showed well and a pretty adult Cooper's Hawk hunted the weedy impoundments. Otherwise it seemed rather quiet, and we didn't have time to look at the more distant areas of the site.

Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper
Colesville, MD


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