Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 10:05:09 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Henry Armistead <74077.3176@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Elliott Island Jan. 26 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline Saturday, January 26, 2002, Elliott Island Rd. in its entirety from Vienna to McCready's Creek. 6 A.M. - 6 P.M., the 12-hour Elliott Island workout. Clear, 34 to 57 degrees F., wind SW 5-15-5. Some grass areas covered by morning frost with some ice in ditches and puddles. 82 species, my best winter total for here. 72 miles by car, 3 on foot. But before this at 4:05 A.M. a woodcock flushes off the side of our driveway. 19 waterfowl species, incl. 1250 Redheads, 600 Canvasbacks, and 935 Ruddy Ducks close to shore in Fishing Bay. That's as many Redheads as I may have seen in my entire life previously as I've never seen the big Pocomoke Sound flocks. They were today's commonest species of bird, period. Normally I'm pleased just to see one. Saw the 3 mergansers: 3 Hoodies, 27 Common (on Savanna Lake) and 26 Red-breasteds. Dabblers were scarce but included 29 Green-winged Teal, 5 Gadwall and 8 American Wigeon. 11 raptors species incl. a lovely black-phase Rough-legged Hawk, 3 Red-shouldereds, 21 Bald Eagles, and an imm. Golden Eagle. 3 owls with 6 each of Great Horned and Eastern Screech plus 4 Short-eareds 15-30 minutes after sunset. Other species of interest: 19 great blues, 1 King Rail (near Savanna Lake), 3 Greater and 9 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Long-billed Dowitchers (at the "Gallinule Spot"), 66 Mourning Doves, 1 kingfisher, 5 Horned Larks, 3 Brown-headed Nuthatches (in mainland areas), 9 Hermit Thrushes, 13 Savannah & 2 Fox Sparrows, and 33 meadowlarks (31 of these in one group in a wheat field). A Carolina Wren was my 76th species - unbelievable to have almost missed it. A fly-by pigeon the 81st. 3 Black-crowned Night Herons were the 82nd and last at dusk. Mammals: 3 Gray Squirrels, 1 Nutria, 1 Red Fox. For an hour, and a mile, I walked the salt marsh but didn't flush one bird. However, it was nice to see that many of the mosquito ditches and some other shallow, protected little streams and ponds were full of minnows. However, many of the mosquito ditches are opaque - the water looks like it does after doing the dishes. Many Red-winged Blackbirds were singing. Interesting misses: Boat-tailed Grackle and towhee. On the way back to Rigby a Great Horned Owl flushes out of our hedgerow at 7:45 P.M. Sunday, January 27, Rigby's Folly, Ferry Neck, Talbot County near Bellevue. 10:30 A.M. - 4 P.M. Clear, warm, and calm or else 5 m.p.h. SW wind. 38-59 degrees. A gem of a day. 38 species. 1 Common Loon. 450 Long-tailed Ducks (undoubtedly more out of sight way out on the Choptank. These garrulous ducks kept up a constant chorus. To my ears the end of their call sounds as if it ends in K or Q, as if they are uttering an Inuit word, many of which end that way. Any chance Inuit language is influenced by Long-tailed Ducks? Probably not but it seems nice to think so.). 640 Buffleheads. 1 Black Vulture. 1 ad. Bald Eagle (hanging around the nest). 1 imm. male Sharp-shinned Hawk, very tame, seen perched several times at close range; once he came closer when I spished. 1 harrier (a gray ghost). 215 Herring Gulls; in winter these gulls, which I think are under-appreciated as predators, hang far offshore with the divers; today's was a ratio of 1 Herring Gull per 3 Buffleheads; perhaps they pick them off sometimes but I haven't seen it. 5 species of woodpeckers including 2 Pileateds and a handsome male Hairy. Mammals: 3 Gray Squirrels. Some daffodils up half a foot vs. only 2"-3"two weeks ago. On the way home. 1100 Snow Geese with a few Blues and Tundra Swans mixed in around a farm pond just north of the T-junction of Rt. 309 X 481 (west of 481 and across the road from High Hope Farm; southeast Queen Annes County) at 4:45 P.M. 600 Snow Geese east of mile post 102 seen from Rt. 301 (east of the road; northern Queen Anes Co.) at 5:15 P.M. Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA 19119-1225. Any off-list replies, please, to: harryarmistead@hotmail.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================