Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 09:43:12 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: rick Subject: Conwowingo Dam: Jan. 16, 2000 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Gene Scarpulla is still off-line and this report is the result of my own half-day participation and his details of the sedond half of the day at the dam. Highlights included: Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 (both adults) THAYER'S GULL 2 (both adults) Bonaparte's Gull 1 (adult) Peregrine Falcon 1 (adult) Yellow-headed Blackbird 1 (adult Great Cormorant 1 (2nd winter) Both Thayer's Gulls were seen at point blank range for as much as a half hour each, both at once in the afternoon after I left. Gene saw both, as did many other people, and I saw one. Adult Lessers were seen at various times during the day, but by plumage and maximum count it was impossible to report more than two adults. The Peregrine Falcon was a male by size, including a half-hour, close up comparison with a Rock Dove it was eating. The Yellow-headed Blackbird was reported by several people in a flock fo 10,000+ blackbirds that spent a half-hour in the trees and bushes on the Cecil side of the dam. Several other people, including me, probably saw it in flight, but were not quick enough to add it to our lists. This is, I think, the third record for the dam. The Great Cormorant was seen at close range early in the morning, feeding near the base of the dam and sitting on a rock. It later joined 4-6 DOUBLE CRESTED CORMORANTS at their typical daytime roost in the corner by the Cecil side of the dam, where they are exceedingly hard to see. In the afternoon, when the generation schedule increased, the number of gulls did also. Gene stayed till closing and estimated high counts of 7,000 RING-BILLED GULLS, 200 HERRING GULLS, and 100 GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS. There were also 5-10 BALD EAGLES, three adults and the rest imms, but as far as I know no one was counting closely. As always, the usual ducks were around in usual numbers, including several hundred COMMON MERGANSERS, 100+ BLACK DUCKS, and 10-20 of both BUFFLEHEAD and COMMON GOLDENEYE. As always, there were one or two mystery gulls. Rick If someone tells you he is going to make a "realistic decision," you immediately understand that he has resolved to do something bad. -- Mary McCarthy Rick Blom rblom@blazie.com 4318 Cowan Place Belcamp, Maryland 21017 (410)575-6086 ================================================================= To unsubscribe send a message to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ================================================================= =========================================================================