Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 10:22:33 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Henry Armistead <74077.3176@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Blackwater April 7 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline April 7, 2002, Sunday. Clear, wind variable 10 - 5 mph, 35-58 degrees, cold. Tide very low. Blackwater N.W.R. 7:30 - 11:30. 68 species. Allan & Betty Nodes, Harry Armistead. 57 Great Egrets (actively feeding in the tidal area opposite Pool 3, which was loaded with small fish that Ring-bills, Great Blues, and Forster's Terns were also feasting on). 1 ad. Snow Goose. 225 Green-winged Teal (mostly in Pool 1). 50 pintails. 2 American Wigeon. 7 kestrels (Egypt Rd.). 1 ad. Red-headed Woodpecker. 5 Purple Martins (males). 1 Barn Swallow (on a pole near the refuge boathouse over a small frozen [!!] area of the Little Blackwater River). 1 Hairy Woodpecker. 2 Brown-headed Nuthatches. 12 bluebirds (one female seen leaving a natural tree cavity). 6 Chipping Sparrows. Also, 1 Mourning Cloak, 2 Fox and 1 Gray Squirrel. Ran into Gregory Inskip who makes a specialty of keeping tabs on Golden Eagles in the greater Blackwater area. This winter, based on his careful examination of plumage differences, he found at least 5 different Golden Eagles here in southern Dorchester County. On March 31 he saw 7 groups of Wild Turkeys totalling over 70 birds in the county. The Osprey cam is working in the Visitors Center. Today it was entertaining to watch the male eating a fish while the female fussed with branches and grasses, making the nest just so. "Rigby's Folly", Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, near Bellevue. 1- 4 P.M. 4 ad. gannets. 1 Great Egret. 1310 Surf Scoters. 275 Buffleheads. 620 Herring Gulls (new yard high count). 1 Pileated Woodpecker. 2 Chipping Sparrows. The gannets, ducks and gulls were far out in the Choptank River mouth. Unbelievable misses. No Horned Grebes or Lesser Scaup. On this date in some years I would have seen 200 or more. In a few days I will finish a writeup of our recent trip to the Phoenix and Puerto Penasco, Mexico, areas. If anyone is interested in this please let me know off-list. Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA 19119-1225. 215-248-4120. Please, any off-list replies 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 ======================================================================= =========================================================================