Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2001 11:23:23 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Sherry Peruzzi Subject: Lake Elkhorn, Howard Co. MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit A walk around the rapidly draining Lake Elkhorn late yesterday afternoon produced an amazing variety of birds for this small suburban lake. Nothing is left of the eastern end but a broad mud flat with a small stream running through it; 5 - 15 feet of mud rings the western 2/3 of the lake that still has water in it. The highlights were: Killdeer - 3 Solitary Sandpiper - 1 Greater Yellowlegs - 2 Lesser Yellowlegs - 4 Great Blue Heron - 2 Great Egret - 3 Green Heron - 1 (at Fore Bay Pond) Ruddy duck - 2 American Coot - 3 Kingfisher - 1 Double Crested Cormorant - 1 Pied Billed Grebe - 12 Downy Woodpecker - 2 Chimney Swift - 15 White Breasted Nuthatch (calling) - 1 Red Bellied Woodpecker - 1 Eastern Bluebird - 1 Song Sparrow - 1 Catbird - 1 Ring-billed Gull - 8 American Robin - 2 Mute Swan - 1 (possibly Patty's mate?) In addition were mockingbirds (many singing) and yellow-rumps all over the place, a large number of goldfinches around the thistle-seed feeder at the north side of the bridge with many others impatiently waiting their turn in the trees and bushes all around, and of course all the usual suspects. Sherry Peruzzi Columbia, Howard County bookworms@home.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================