Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2000 00:53:25 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Steve Huy Subject: Re: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 06/05/00 20:11:09 Eastern Daylight Time, GAIL@UMDD.UMD.EDU writes: << wish I had some good Maryland news to share but we seem to be in a bit of a doldrum here, too. Just the local breed- ing birds around our house now, a pair of Great Crested FCs the most vocal. Cheers, Gail Mackiernan >> A short ride along the C&O Canal from Mouth of Monocacy to White's Fairy produced several barred owls, some adult, some still fuzzy juvies and a few well flighted young. The highlight of those sightings was sharing with the other bikers that stopped to see what I was looking at. It was the first owl sighting for most. One woman that caught up with me at two owl families even got to hear one of the adults make a strange hooting call that got the young to stop begging for food. Also got a look at the pair of loggerhead shrikes near Lily Pons. After years of only finding northern shrikes I finally got to see the local species. The bobwhite started calling Sunday evening. I was concerned that they had left the area as I hadn't heard them in a few weeks. Sorry, but I didn't get them for the Frederick May count. Perhaps next year. Last week a walk with my brother along the Snavely Ford Trail in Antietam National Battlefield turned up both a yellow billed and black billed cuckoo. Both were feeding in the same tree and didn't exhibit the usual shyness I expect from the family. I banded three kestrels in my nest box. They are the most unhealthy looking bunch of falcons I've ever seen. There were five eggs and all should have hatched by now. I didn't see any unhatched eggs but did not dig. I did find an extra kestrel leg; I suppose it was nice of them to give their sibling the opportunity to be banded although previously eaten. I suspect something happened to the male as I've only seen the female lately. The box was full of young starling and cowbird legs and feathers. I'll check on them again this week. Two were fat and should definitely survive; the third was quite a bit smaller but I think it also has a good chance. Unfortunately for most of my yard breeders they all seem to be raising cowbirds this season. Bring back the bison and the Eastern forests and chestnuts and send those birds back where they belong! Steve Huy Project Owlnet Middletown, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================