Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 12:09:00 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "rick@blazie.net" Subject: hawk flight, r-h woodpecker in Harford Comments: cc: harfordbirds@harfordbirdclub.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Over the past couple of years the hill in front of my house in = Riverside has been a decent hawk watch in the spring, mirroring, at a = much reduced level, the flights at Ft. Smallwood. Not this year. Despite = diligent watching most mornings I have had very few hawks, never topping = ten in you take out the vultures.=20 Now I'm going out on a limb and predicting that the flight at = Smallwood today will be pretty decent. (I'm getting on early before Sue = has a chance to post so the flaw in my prediction will be evident to = all.) The reason is that I had a nifty if not large flight this morning, = including my first Broad-wingeds of the season.=20 There was also two better than average birds, a fly-by adult = Red-headed Woodpecker, and my first Merlin of the year. Totals: Sharp-shinned 23 Osprey 6 Broad-winged 8 Red-tailed 1 Bald Eagle 1 imm American Kestrel 2 Merlin 1 Turkey Vulture 10 Black Vulture 2 Double-crested Corm 11 Common Loon 23 (24 yesterday) Chimney Swift 8 (3 yesterday, first of the = year) Blue Jay 176 Amer. Goldfinch 21 (60 yesterday) Swallows 3,000+, mixed with all species = save Cliff) Yesterday's interesting birds were 3 Great Egrets (I don't see many = in the spring here), and 12 Purple Finches, my first of the year).=20 A lot of the loons were flying low and I noticed on at least five = that they were flying with their bills half open. I haven't looked = closely in the past and wondered if anyone else has noticed this.=20 Rick Eirik A.T. Blom 4318 Cowan Place Belcamp, Md 21017 410-575-6086 rick@blazie.net =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 =========================================================================