Date: Sat, 20 May 2000 11:30:48 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding Comments: RFC822 error: Incorrect or incomplete address field found and ignored. From: Peter Webb Subject: Cicadas, Herons and Thrushes Comments: cc: tanager@bcpl.net MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I am somewhat remiss in not updating the posted status of the Yellow-crowned Night-heron(s) here, so I will take the liberty of doing so now: nada. The one bird that showed up late March spent a considerable amount of time standing around last year's nest over my neighbor's mailbox but never succeeded in attracting a mate, and has abandoned the effort. I've subsequently witnessed a couple of fly-by passes at treetop level as a YCNH flew between feeding areas, but haven't witnessed any further activity at or near the nest. Again, I refer to the active nests at Johns Hopkins campus, observed and monitored by Elliot Kirschbaum and Shireen Gonzaga. Here, as elsewhere, the migrant thrushes have been coming through, but not in large numbers. I did have one morning (Thursday, May 18) with a singing Gray-cheeked (NOT Bicknell's) Thrush, bracketed by apparently one Swainson's Thrush (or one at a time) that very afternoon and days preceding and following, up to the present. I usually have one Gray-cheek here every spring in mid to late May singing and seen in some of my previous springs. Bicknell's is not on my yard list yet. I have listened several evenings at about 11 pm but haven't heard any thrushes calling as they migrate at night; normally I do get Gray-cheeked, Swainson's, Veery, and Wood Thrushes call notes at least a couple of May evenings but not so far this spring. Contributing to the "outbreak" of Cedar Waxwings, I have observed a flock of about 30 hanging around here the last week or so. While I didn't pick up a migrant thrush in the rain this morning, I did hear at least one of the waxwings, along with a late Black-throated Green warbler. I have heard one periodic-type cicada at a time in the yard and have seen a couple of cast-off skins. This is in my yard on the northwest side of Baltimore, outside the city but inside the Beltway off exit 18 Liberty Rd. Is this the northern limit of the cicada outbreak, or are there more north and east of here not reporting? I'd be interested in reports on MDOsprey of additional sightings if they further define the geographical limits of the current outbreak. I've seen reports from the DC area and Alexandria, Va. as well as Howard and southwestern Baltimore County (Catonsville) and negative reports from Western Maryland but have not heard from Harford, Cecil or the eastern shore (or even northern Baltimore County, Carroll County, etc.) to help define the area. Pete Webb Baltimore, Md (USA) pwebb@bcpl.net (home, after 6) pew@niroinc.com (work, 830-5 M-F) ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================