Date: Sat, 7 Dec 2002 19:49:58 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Ray Kiddy Subject: Snowy Owl in Allegany Co., MD MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi MD, Susan Sires left a message that she found a Snowy Owl late this afternoon at her home near Dan's Rock in Allegany Co., MD. I had run to Rocky Gap this afternoon (a trip I now wish I had foregone) and didn't get the message until about 5:10. I immediately rushed up to try to get a look - calling Susan en route to find that it was still there sitting on a fence post. I called again as I was approaching and learned that it had flown off the post to the ground and could no longer be seen. By that time it was quite dark. I drove into the field and scanned the fence line but could not locate it. Had it been on a post I could have seen it. Anywhere else, it was simply too dark by then. We will, of course, look tomorrow. It is worth noting that the bird was not seen until late this afternoon. J.B. Churchill and I had actually spent the morning birding with Susan at her home where she has a bunch of feeders and a panoramic view of the surrounding area. We had seen Rough-legged Hawk (one the birds we had gone up for), 3 Horned Larks and a few Tree Sparrows. Susan had continued to check the area during that afternoon picking up one Golden Eagle but did not find the owl until late this afternoon. So whether it was simply moving through or will hang around is anyone's guess. The habitat though is good. Directions: From I 68, exit at Frostburg on Rt. 36 South. Follow Rt. 36 for 4 or 5 miles until you see a sign for Dan's Rock Scenic Overlook. Turn left there (onto Paradise Street, although I'm not sure it is marked) and after about 1/4 mile turn left onto Dan's Rock Rd. Follow Dan's Rock Rd. for several miles. As you reach an open area with houses and open fields near the top of the mountain, turn right onto Buskirk Hollow Rd. After about 1/2 mile, the road opens into a large field to the left. Susan's home is at the top of the hill on the left. The bird was perched on a fence post near the top of the hill on the fence line which runs through the field. I would suggest that you not drive up to Susan's home as parking is limited and the driveway is very steep. They had about 10 inches of snow in the recent storm. If you make the trip, please respect the property of Susan and Tom and their neighbors so we don't lose the privilege of birding this special area. Note also that the elevation there is around 2600 ft. and the wind is frequently blowing. It can be very cold! Happy trails .... Ray Kiddy Cumberland, Allegany Co., MD rrkiddy@hereintown.net 301-707-6861 Cell I'll have it on tomorrow should you need help with directions or want to know whether we've re-found it before making the trip. ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================