Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 16:34:16 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM> Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM> From: Gail Mackiernan <gail@MDSG.UMD.EDU> Subject: Red-necked Grebes, Raven in Montgomery Co. Mime-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hi -- Barry and I set out this morning to look for Red-necked Grebes and whatever else might be around along the river and at Black Hill park. Starting at Swain's Lock, nothing, but a grebe bonanza at Violette's and Riley's, with 83 counted from Seneca Breaks up to and just past the works on the Virginia shore (building new water intake). We counted and re-counted both from sites, and 83 seemed to be the best number. Other birds included a few Horned Grebes, both Common and Red-breasted Mergansers, Canvasback, Common Goldeneye, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, scaup sp. and a few Ruddies. We went to Hughes Hollow and enjoyed a Phoebe, Barred Owl and a Winter Wren, then across country to Black Hill (Little Seneca Lake) where from the bridge we scoped 17 Red-necked Grebes, as well as a half-dozen Horned and at least that many Pied-billed Grebes, also Hooded Mergs, Tundra Swans, Canadas (but no interesting ones), and Black Duck to add to the waterfowl total. While we were looking at the grebes, a persistent croaking call finally caused us to look up to see a RAVEN flying across the road and off in the general direction of Sugarloaf. Last to the Visitor's Center where 4 more Red-necks showed, so a total of 21 at Little Seneca Lake and a Grand Total of 104 for the day! Wow! We drove home past Lake Needwood, but it is almost totally frozen and we just saw 4 Hooded Mergs and a Lesser Scaup. Quite a good day out, the first for a while because of the snow... Cheers, Gail Mackiernan and Barry Cooper Colesville, MD gail@mdsg.umd.edu ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================