Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2002 20:47:46 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Stan Arnold Subject: Atlas Block news MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Folks, After recovering from a nine-day Texas trip, I got to spend some time in my atlas block this weekend. The block includes parts of three different counties (Balt., Howard, and AA). Friday afternoon in the vicinity of the Halethorpe Farm ponds (AA Co.), on Patapsco Valley State Park land, was a lone female GADWALL, last remnant of a much larger wintering population, a KILLDEER, a SWAMP SPARROW, a BROWN CREEPER, an E. PHOEBE, and 30 RUSTY BLACKBIRDs. Early Sat. morning, while driving east on I-195, right over the same area, a pair of BALD EAGLEs soared overhead. Up until this afternoon, I believed the nest of this pair was in the next atlas block over, but an afternoon phone conversation with a local expert strongly suggested that these birds have a nest somewhere in my atlas block, probably in AA Co. That will be fun to look for. Sat. morning, Joan DeCarli and I explored some of the northern parts of Patapsco Valley State Park, by hiking the Soapstone Trail, birding the Glenartney section of the park, and walking the Grist Mill Trail, all in Baltimore Co. Finds along the way included a singing LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH, flying from creekbed to treetop to treetop, delineating his territory, a (yellow) PALM WARBLER at the small pond in Glenartney, and a N. ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW in the same place. A BROWN CREEPER was seen along the Grist Mill Trail and a pair of BELTED KINGFISHERs flew along the river. While approaching one of the restrooms in the park, an E. PHOEBE flew from under the eave. A quick investigation showed a nest sitting atop the light under the eave. This evening, I spent more than an hour in my block at UMBC's Conservation and Environmental Research Area (CERA). Here I found a pair of E. PHOEBEs at the small storm water management pond, a GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, perhaps my last for the season, a BROWN THRASHER, my first of the year, a SWAMP SPARROW, and I enjoyed a terrific five-minute study of a BARRED OWL, that perched along the edge of the woods rather noisily, but then sat quietly, and departed without a sound. Things are finally starting to heat up for the season. Stan Arnold Glen Burnie blackrail@earthlink.net ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =======================================================================