Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 08:34:09 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Fred Shaffer Subject: Hummer display & breeding activity The display that I saw by the Ruby throated Hummingbird was directly over one of the small willow oaks on the edge of Schoolhouse Pond. It was roughly a pendulum motion directly over the small tree. Seen from the side, it formed a shallow U, with the bird flying back and forth (across about 20 or 25 feet and dipping down in the middle. The center or dip of the motion was just above the tree. The hummer was flying very fast and giving a buzzy chatter the whole time. There also seemed to be a buzzy noise coming from well inside the tree, but I couldn't make out a nest or another bird. I had seen the bird occasionally over the last few weeks in the area, but this is the first time I saw that activity. There is definitely a lot of interesting breeding activity in my atlas block. All together, I've recorded some form of breeding or territorial activity for 47 or 48 species, with 18 being confirmed. There are four confirmed species in our parking garage: House Sparrow, House Finch (behind a fire alarm!), Barn Swallows (many), and American Robin. All of those birds are consistently seen on their nests. Also, this morning, the young Pileated Woodpeckers were sticking their heads out of their nest hole, chattering relentlessly. Fred Shaffer Patuxent Bird Club fshaffer3@aol.coom ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================