Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2001 11:51:41 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Tyler Bell Subject: Garrett and Allegany, 6/24/01 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable MDOspreyers: Jane Kostenko and I camped out at New Germany State Park (DeLorme 66, B2) = Saturday night after visiting with Greg Miller for the bulk of the day. We = awoke Sunday morning (6/24) woefully unprepared for the upper 40s temps. = Shorts and t-shirts don't cut it in those temps! As we made our way to the = restroom to brush teeth, Black-capped Chickadees, Hermit Thrushes were = singing throughout the woods. Black-throated Green Warblers and Ovenbirds = sang nearby. When we stopped at the ranger station to look at the map and = drop off our camping fee, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet twittered from the pines. We drove down Westernport Rd. for many miles before turning onto Aaron Run = Rd. (really just a gravel road, DeLorme 66, C3). We drove along until we = came to an iron gate on the right where we parked, ducked under the gate = and walked along the trail. There was heavy fog which, with the temps and = the wind, chilled us to the bone. As we crested the first rise, we heard = Eastern Meadowlarks, Grasshopper, Song and Field Sparrows singing. On the = downslope we heard the distinct tseeeee-lick! of Henslow's Sparrow. = Someone had spoken of the ventriloquial effect of the Henslow's song. = Well, factor in dense fog and they could have been singing 20 feet away = and we still wouldn't have been able to see them. In fact, we never saw = ANY birds there. But, there were definitely at least 2 singing birds. We = walked a little further down the trail where it ends in a T. We turned = right to see if we could work our way behind where we had heard them = singing but only encountered more invisible birds including Horned Larks. From what we could see of this landscape, it is pretty raked over. They = stripped out whatever it is they mine there, assuming it was coal. Then, = they smooth it over and plant wheat. In some places, there are native = grasses growing which seemed to be the more favorable habitat for the = invisible sparrows. After freezing solid and not seeing anything, we headed south on Westernpor= t Rd. to Westernport, MD. If anyone ventures this way, when Westernport = ends in town, turn right then make the first left which takes you down to = Rt. 36 which winds north to I-68. There's really cheap gas in Lonaconing. = It was $1.49.9 a gallon. BTW, the cheapest gas we saw on the interstate = was just east of Columbus, OH at $1.24.9! Anway, we headed for home stopping on the western upslope of Big Savage = Mountain (DeLorme 67, A4) to spy a Common Raven perched on a dead snag. A = second bird rounded the hill and both birds flew off to the east. We then = exited I-68 at Fifteen Mile Creek Rd. and headed south onto Green Ridge = Rd. ((DeLorme 68, A,B,C3). This road is a gravel road that is often just = scraped over bedrock. We watched in the few openings for more ravens but = found none. We did have Hooded, Prairie and Cerulean Warblers singing at = various locations as well as Scarlet Tanagers and Indigo Buntings. Western Maryland is a fascinating place. The habitat is so different from = the Bay area where we live. It reminds me much more of the Experimental = Lakes Area in western Ontario where I've been doing mercury research the = last 2 years. And the Black-capped Chickadees, Hermit Thrushes and = Ruby-crowned Kinglet only made it seem more so! Thanks to Marshall for his post about the strip mining habitat for = Henslow's Sparrow and to Greg Miller for tips to the gated trail on Aaron = Run Rd. which led us directly to the correct habitat. Tyler Bell bell@acnatsci.org California, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================