Date: Sat, 18 May 2002 19:21:20 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Steve Sanford Subject: Western Maryland trip MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I spent most of Wednesday through Friday birding in Western Maryland (05/15-05/17). The birds were not quite as present, active, and visible as I thought they would be, but still it was quite enjoyable. Maybe I needed to wait another week, and maybe our cold spring slowed them down. My best bird was a male Ruffed Grouse strutting slowly across Maple Glade Road about 5 PM! It was one of the few really good looks I ever had at one, and I even got an acceptable picture. It took more time than normal to get good views of Blackburnian Warblers but they certainly were present at New Germany and Swallow Falls State Parks and other spots in Garrett Co, along with Magnolias, Redstarts, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Blue Warblers, and others. Absolutely no Canada Warblers though. Maybe they decided to stay at Milford Mill Park. I found Golden-winged Warblers at the Jennings Randolph Lake overlook at the end of Walnut Bottom Road as usual (along with a Y-b Chat), and on Kempton Rd about a mile north of Kempton, along with spectacular singing Rose-breasted Grosbeaks there and elsewhere, and on Old Williams Road in Allegany Co as usual. Several Cerulean Warblers were along Mt Zion Rd to Jennings Randolph as usual. I saw and heard several Black-billed Cuckoos in various places, which I often miss even out there. I could not come up with Alder and Willow Flycatchers at Cranesville and other places, except for Willow south of Oakland. (Did not go to Finzel.) Pine Siskins were flying around the central area of Swallow Falls SP. I had a Purple Finch there, and one at New Germany. Singing thrushes were quite scarce. Bobolinks were quite scarce except south of Oakland. For those seeking a new, comfortable, and cheap ($43.60 incl tax for me - weekday) motel, and not minding being in the throbbing industrial heart of Mountain Lake Park (east of Oakland), the Long Branch Motel (301-334-4533 on Rt 135 is the place to go, especially if you plan to bird mainly in southern Garrett. Also gas was much cheaper out there. Oakland was generally $1.29 for regular. Passing through Winchester, VA on the way home it was in the low $1.20's or less on the east side! Steve Sanford tanager@bcpl.net Randallstown MD Baltimore County ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================