Date: Wed, 22 May 2002 18:57:16 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Walter Ellison Subject: Phalarope at Chespeake Farms...but MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I tried for the Wilson's Phalarope found by David Perry for about 45 minutes yesterday afternoon. No luck, although Mr. Perry happened by and we had a pleasant chat. I went back late this afternoon to see if the bird had just been out of sight or on some other pond yesterday. After spending awhile looking at the 50 Least Sandpipers, and single Lesser Yellowlegs and Dunlin on the main viewing pond (in the southeast corner) I finally found a small *swimming* shorebird. I located a phalarope alright, however not the one I expected. The phalarope du jour was a male Red-necked spinning and dabbing at midges on the pond's surface. The bird was slightly smaller than the Dunlin, had golden brown streaks on the mantle, a white chin, and dark cap and auriculars, chestnut along the sides of the neck, reddish buff across the breast, a narrow wing stripe in flight, and no white on the rump. Also present was a White-rumped Sandpiper (there had been two yesterday). I also got to watch an adult eagle snitch a fish from an Osprey. Eagles kept the shorebirds restless, both a blessing and a curse. Oh well, maybe there will be a Red Phalarope there tomorrow, but I'm not making any bets. Good Birding, Walter Ellison MD/DC Atlas Coordinator - MOS 23460 Clarissa Rd Chestertown, MD 21620-3645 410-778-9568 "A person who is looking for something doesn't travel very fast." - E. B. White ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================