Date:         Tue, 18 Jan 2000 15:57:01 EST
Reply-To:     Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
Sender:       Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
From:         Marshall Iliff <Miliff@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Lapland Longspur location in Caroline County
Comments: cc: voice@capaccess.org
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Hello all,

I have received several requests for the longspur location near Ridgely
in
Caroline County and am posting it here.  On Sunday, 9 Jan 2000, four of
us
had 25 Lapland Longspurs here almost immediately upon arrival.  Jim
Stasz,
Ryan Lesh and I first found them here in January 1998, and have had good
luck
with them here ever since.  Some of you may recall the immense field
bird
flock at Clark Lane in winter 1995-1996 (included 1500+ Horned LArks,
500+
Snow Buntings, 195+ Lapland Longspurs).  This is the same area and
undoubtedly the whole area hosts large flocks of these birds on a
regular
basis.  Below I give directions to the "Sparks Rd. longspur field" and
to
"Clarks Lane".

SPARKS RD LONGSPUR FIELD- DeLorme Atlas p50-51 b4 (on crease)

From Ridgely, Caroline County, go north on Rte. 312 to Mason Bridge Rd. 
At
Sparks Lane jog left, passing Clarks Lane.  Yo9u will pass through some
woods
and then a field area will open up on your right past some houses.  Check
for
field birds here, but the best area is found by continuing past the
small
wood edge on your right into the large expanse of open field.  We always
park
at the highest point and sit and wait.  Often the field birds can be
heard
calling or seen flying around, and with luck they will land nearby.  Our
success last week was so easy it was amazing.  Knowing the longspur
callnotes
makes it a lot easier, so bring your tapes.  Snow Buntings are annual
here
too, though we did not see them last weekend (we left after getting the
longspurs, as it was almost dark).  Be alert also for the possibility of
other longspur species mixed in...

CLARKS LANE - DeLorme Atlas p50-51 b4 (on crease)

From Ridgely, Caroline County, go north on Rte. 312 to Mason Bridge Rd. 
At
Sparks Lane jog left and then make an immediate right on Clarks Lane. 
Good
fields open up fairly quickly, but the best area is about 0.2 mi from the
end
where it intersects with Cherry Lane.  A huge field on the right has a
dirt
road heading out into the middle of it, and a white house stands alone
with a
long straight driveway.  In 1995 the field birds were concentrated in
this
area.  To my knowledge, very few people have looked for them here since,
and
the best strategy would be the same as for Sparks Lane, standing and
waiting.

Snow Goose flocks in the area also have Ross's Geese (2 on the Denton
CBC), a
Rough-legged Hawk was in nearby Caroline County on the CBC, Short-eared
Owls
have occurred in the area in winter, several Merlins were seen nearby on
the
CBC.  It is a fun area to bird, I think.

Best,

Marshall Iliff
miliff@aol.com

============
Marshall J. Iliff
Annapolis, MD
miliff@aol.com
=============

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