Date: Sun, 9 Jan 2000 13:51:49 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Stan Arnold Subject: Re: Nice weekend in AA County MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Folks, Birded around my home county this weekend, and was pleased with the results. Some of the birds have already been posted, but I'll add my two cents. Highlights: Lark Sparrow (Jug Bay Wetlands Sanc.) Black-headed Gull (") Rusty Blackbird (") Snow Buntings (Sandy Pt. State Pk) Great Cormorants (Baltimore Lighthouse, seen fr. Tydings Rd.) First, my sincerest thanks to Charlie Muise who led a superb bird walk, in superb weather conditions, at the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary in southern Anne Arundel Co. on Sat. morning/early afternoon. It was my first trip there, and I was greatly impressed, picking up 62 species including 6 woodpecker and 8 sparrow species. The highlights were the Lark Sparrow (one side of whose face was moulting, making it dingier than the other more colorful side), and a Common Black-headed Gull both birds discovered by Danny Bystrak. The Lark Sparrow was posing out at the "farm," waiting to be admired by our group. The gull was viewed from the "Railroad Trail," down from the visitor center, amongst a group of Ring-bills, Herrings, and a Lesser Black-backed. While all the other gulls were rather stoic, the Black-headed was constantly scratching around in the mud, pecking at the ground periodically, and strutting like a chicken, with head bobbing back and forth. It's crimson bill and legs were unmistakeable. A Rusty Blackbird was also viewed from the Railroad Trail. Having had such a great morning at Jug Bay, I decided to try for a big day in AA Co., and proceeded to Sandy Point State Park, and try for the Snow Buntings reported that morning. No luck on the Buntings this day, but did pick up 13 more species (C. Goldeneye, both scaups, Hoodies, RB Merg...), and finished the day with 75 species in AA Co. (well, a couple were actually across the river in PG Co.) Having missed the Snow Buntings, I was back at Sandy Point this morning, first car in the gate, and got out to the point. Looked all over from the parking lot, and didn't see a one. Then decided to take my scope down to the edge of the sand for a better view of the bay, and some motion at the edge of the sand turned into four Snow Buntings that let me approach to within about 15 feet before alerting me to their presence by moving. Great looks! While scoping out over the bay, I looked at the Baltimore Lighthouse, probably two or three miles away. I could tell there were cormorants on it, but at that distance there was no telling which kind, since they were pretty stationary. So I left the park, and drove out Log Inn Rd., which turned into Tydings Rd., which dead ends along the bay. It's all private property back there, but I found a fellow out in his yard, and asked if I could walk through to scope the lighthouse. He was very obliging, and we had a nice conversation as I set up the scope and shared some views of Buffleheads and scaup, as well as the cormorants. Concerning the latter, in the beautifully still air, I was able to see a white throat patch on one bird, and a white flank patch on another. My assumption is that all eight cormorants were Greats. So, a good weekend it's been, and now it's time to put away the bins and scope, and get ready for another week of work. Can't wait till Friday! Stan Arnold Glen Burnie ================================================================= To unsubscribe send a message to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ================================================================= =========================================================================