Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2001 18:53:03 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Fred Shaffer Subject: Merkle Bobwhite Figuring that today might be the nicest day weatherwise until mid- September, I took the afternoon off and went to Merkle Wildlife Refuge. I hiked the yellow (paw paw) trail and went through a variety of grassy fields, farmland, and forests. Along the trail I saw many (8+) Indigo Buntings, a pair of Orchard Orioles (the female on a nest low in a tree), 1 Grasshopper Sparrow (I think there were more, but I had difficulty identifying them during their short flights above the grass), 2 male Scarlet Tanagers, many Eastern Bluebirds, 1 Warbling Vireo (I got great looks at this bird as he scolded me from low in a nearby tree). Also seen was a female Hooded Warbler (breath-takingly close), a few Red Eyed Vireos, Purple Martins, Rough winged Swallows, Great Blue Heron, and a Chipping Sparrow. But, the highlight of the day occurred when I stopped under a large cedar at the edge of a large grassy field to wait for sparrows. I heard a rustle in the nearby brush and saw a Bobwhite fly out and across the field. I got good looks at the bird's distinctive face pattern, chunky body, and short tail. It flew into an adjacent field in some dense, shrubby growth. I heard the bird calling clearly for another 10 minutes, but was not able to spot it again. To finish off the day, I spotted a Meadowlark on a fence as I drove out of the park. Fred Shaffer Crofton, Anne Arundel pamthept@aol.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================