Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 21:21:02 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Michael Bowen Subject: November 26 sightings Comments: cc: Voice of the Naturalist Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Here are some sightings made today, November 26, 2001 in Baltimore and Carroll Counties, MD: Woodstock Trail, Patapsco Valley State Park, Baltimore Co. 3 FOX SPARROWS, 2 SWAMP SPARROWS, a FIELD SPARROW, numerous WHITE-THROATED and SONG SPARROWS and a large sparrow (noticeably larger than the White-throats it was perched with) having a large, pink bill, a grey face, a grey-brown head, a very white belly and chest (except for a faint dark bar across the upper chest with a suspicion of a short dark line down from the bar). This bird had a white throat, white right around the head to and through the nape, and blotchy white on the coverts, so that its overall appearance was really very light indeed. It did not make any sound in the minute or so I watched it. I believe this bird was arguably a partial albino, first winter HARRIS'S SPARROW. It was seen about 10 a.m. in underbrush about 50 yds. upstream of the bridge over the Patapsco River, along the main trail by the river. See "A Birder's Guide to Baltimore County , Maryland" , page 18, (the book I was following at the time as part of an attempt to improve my Baltimore County list). Am I sure of this identification? Not absolutely, but I have seen numerous Harris's Sparrows in eight states in the central and west U.S. over the last 15 years (and the one on Dave and Maureen Harvey's back yard last year), and this bird (apart from the extensive white on head and wings) looked awfully familiar. I'm sorry I couldn't call Baltimore/Carroll County birders, as I had no phone number listings with me. I have not yet been to see the bird that Patty Craig found in St. Mary's County. Also today, at about 2 p.m. the following birds were seen at the lake in Piney Run Park near Sikesville, Carroll County, MD: 1 COMMON LOON 4 PIED-BILLED GREBE 4 AMERICAN WIGEON ca. 400 RING-NECKED DUCK 4 CANVASBACK ca. 10 RUDDY DUCK 9 HOODED MERGANSER 20+ AMERICAN COOT 1 BELTED KINGFISHER Mike Bowen Bethesda, MD D.H. Michael Bowen 8609 Ewing Drive Bethesda MD 20817 (Montgomery County) Tel.: (301)530-5764 dhmbowen@yahoo.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================