Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2002 08:44:43 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: STEVE NOYES Subject: Patuxent Research Refuge - North Tract MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On afternoon (2 PM) of Mar. 12, I stopped for a quick visit to North Trac= t on the Patuxent Research Refuge...between showers. I took a walk on the= River Trail (by the Visitor Contact Station) and found birds busily fora= ging. Saw all species of woodpecker (except pileated and red-headed) incl= uding a wintering YB Sapsucker, a brown creeper, WB Nuthatches, YR Warble= rs, DE Juncos (many), Carolina Wren, chickadees and titmice, a hermit thr= ush ..all within about 40 minutes. Almost reminded me of spring birding. Saw a strange "trash" mallard hanging with normal looking mallards in the= "green tree reservoir" part of the Wildlife Viewing Area. The bird (a fe= male) had a completely dark brownish-gray head and neck and dark body fea= thers almost like mottled ducks found in the South. It wasn't the normal = looking mallard x black duck we usually find at park ponds, etc. A pair of red-shouldered hawks flew over the VCS, acting playful. Steve Noyes Beltsville, PG County MD evetsseyon@msn.com =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================