Date: Sun, 9 Jul 2000 09:33:34 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "WILLIAM B. SCHREITZ" Subject: Blacck-Billed Cuckoo, Annapolis MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello, I visited the two fields on either side of Bywater Road* this morning = for half an hour before catching up on some work in the shop. Barn = swallows, field sparrows, American goldfinches, indigo buntings, and = cardinals were abundant. I also saw a sharp-shinned hark, a brown = thrasher, and two yellow-breasted chats and isolated regulars. The real = = treat, however, was a black-billed cuckoo. As I was returning to the = car, I first heard it from the road, a evenly metered cu - cu - cu, over = = and over. It was singing from within a 15' cherry tree (two thirds of = the way up) about thirty yards from the road. I saw it leave and fly to = = another cherry tree at the edge of Bywater Road. Again it began = singing until I got close. This scenario was again repeated twice until = = I left. =20 What is the likely situation here, or can we draw no conclusions. The = only other black-billed cuckoo I have seen in the Annapolis area was = last year in May. I assumed it to be just passing through. Is this one = = passing back through early? I have not checked this field in a month, so = = I do not know if it has been here earlier. The yellow book indicates = uncertain breeding status in Anne Arundel county and that statewide eggs = = have been found as late as 19 July. Bill *Bywater Road is the first right at the second light after Aris T. Allen = = Boulevard (MD 626) becomes Forest Drive. Less than a quarter mile down = the road are over grown fields on both sides. Park on the left hand = side of the road just past the enclosed drainage pond. WILLIAM B SCHREITZ CABINETMAKER INC 1806 VIRGINIA STREET ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND 21041 cabmkrwbs@erols.com ========================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ========================================================================= ===========================================================================