Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2002 16:58:27 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Fred Atwood Subject: Re: Salt Lick for Sparrows? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline I have also seen winter finches(siskins, redpolls, goldfinches, purple = finches) eating road salt in the New England winter. Fred Atwood Fred Atwood Biology/Ornithology teacher Flint Hill School 3320 Jermantown Rd Oakton, VA 22124 http://www.agpix.com/fredatwood http://www.flinthill.org 703-242-1675 >>> GoAwayBird@COMCAST.NET 11/13/02 04:42PM >>> When my mother in Pennsylvania maintained a salt lick for the deer, it was routinely patronized by House Finch. I can't recall other species using it, but it certainly DID attract birds. Kurt Schwarz Howard County goawaybird@comcast.net=20 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Janet Millenson" To: Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2002 4:05 PM Subject: [MDOSPREY] Salt Lick for Sparrows? > On a residential street in Bethesda, I just saw (from a distance, no binocs) > half a dozen House Sparrows clinging to a vertical brick wall and apparently > busily obtaining something from its surface. It reminded me of watching > squirrels lick at an exposed masonry foundation to get the salts that = have > leached out. Does that seem a likely explanation here? I couldn't find = any > mention of such behavior in the BoNA life history for these birds. > (Attention Rick Sussman: Apparently House Sparrows "can swim when = pressed to > do so"! Maybe when an American Bittern is after them?) It seems kind of late > in the season for the bricks to have been covered with insects or = spiders. > > Janet Millenson > Potomac, MD (Montgomery County) > janet@twocrows.com=20 > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > "Look at the birds!" -- Pascal the parrot > > =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= =20 > 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 > =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=20 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 =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 =========================================================================