Date:         Mon, 20 Nov 2000 13:15:21 -0500
Reply-To:     Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
Sender:       Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
From:         Raymond Wilson <wilsonr@UMBI.UMD.EDU>
Subject:      LARK  and LINCOLN'S Sparrows, Worcester Co.  11/19/00
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On Sunday morning I went looking for the Lark Sparrow that
Marshall reported at the Assateague boat ramp.  Didn't have
any luck with the sparrow, but I did find 2 western race
PALM WARBLERs.  The first was in the knee-high weeds at the
west end of the parking lot on the south side of the road
just before the bridge over to Assateague island, and the
second was feeding on the grass in among a large flock of
Yellow-rumps opposite the boat ramp.  The second bird still
had a lot of chestnut in the crown.
After 3 hours of searching for the Lark sparrow I gave up
and went down to EA Vaughn north section to try for a
LeConte's sparrow.  No luck there either.  I did flush a
sparrow with a stripey back but I only got a glimpse of it
before it disappeared never to be seen again. There were a
couple of Greater Yellowlegs on the north pond and a Brown
Thrasher and Pileated Woodpecker in the conifers beside the
hummingbird feeder (unfortunately no hummingbirds). The
best birds were found in the hedgerow as I was leaving: a
beautiful LINCOLN'S SPARROW sat posing for me for about a
minute, then a LARK SPARROW chased it off its perch!  The
Lark Sparrow was a pretty dull individual (for a Lark
Sparrow) and was probably a 1st winter.  It looked pretty
much intermediate between the dull 1st winter and the adult
illustrated in Sibley.  The crown was chestnut with
brownish-grey streaks, but the ear coverts showed no
visible chestnut and were a drab greyish-brown.  The
underparts were a clean, creamy-white with a greyish spot
in the centre of the lower breast and a few dark, narrow
streaks at the edges of the upper breast.  It sat on the
perch for about 15seconds before a Merlin flew by
scattering all the sparrows into deep cover.  Other
sparrows in the flock were SWAMP, SONG, WHITE-THROATED and
FIELD.

Other birds of interest seen during the day were:

OC Inlet

Purple Sandpiper
Merlin - imm.
Forster's Tern
Great Cormorant (1ad + 1imm)

W. OC pond

Great Egret
a lot of Hooded Mergansers (30-40)
Tundra Swan
American Wigeon (drake)
plus all the usual common species (Canvasback, Green-winged
Teal, Black Duck, Mallard, Gadwall, Ruddy Duck, Pintail,
Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot)

Ray Wilson
College Park
Prince George's Co.
wilsonr@umbi.umd.edu

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