Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2001 14:01:41 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Fred Shaffer Subject: PG Sora & Peregrine Falcon Had a great morning out at Jug Bay. My brother and I went on the boat trip out of Patuxent River Park led by Greg Kearns, primarily to check the Sora traps, but we saw many other great birds as well. Although we could hear several Sora calling, only one juvenile Sora was in one of the traps. Greg also saw an adult nearby. Other birds were a flock of Ruddy Ducks, Cormorants, Great Blue Herons, 2 adult Bald Eagles, many Northern Harriers actively hunting, and a Snowy Egret. But perhaps the highlight of the day was a hunting adult Peregrine Falcon over the marsh. I saw the bird circling over the marsh, than dive rapidly. Several minutes later, the group saw the bird lift up from the marsh carrying a duck. The falcon than landed in a dead tree lining the river and proceeded to eat what turned out to be a Ruddy Duck. We got great looks at this spectacular bird at close range as it devoured the duck, before it flew off a little further down the river. Fred Shaffer Crofton, Anne Arundel ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================