Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 16:10:42 EST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Frank Powers Subject: C&O Canal Mile Posts 7-8, 10 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit What a fun morning on the canal! Between Mile Post 7 & 8 (mainly around Mile 7.5, in the vicinity of the bridge over the canal coming down from the Cabin John Bridge Parking lot), I found: Red-necked Grebe (6) (1 in creek by trail from MacArt. Blvd; 5 in creek across canal) Tundra Swan (32 -- the flock rose, formed up as I was coming down the hill to canal) Canada Goose (22) Wood Duck (8 - 4 pairs m/f) American Black Duck (16) Mallard (10 - 6 males; 4 females) Hooded Merganser (m/f pair in Cabin John Creek & Potomac) Turkey Vulture (2) Hawk species in nest? (Probable Red-shouldered; landed in crook of tree wi sticks) Ring-billed Gull Red-bellied Woodpecker (3) Downy Woodpecker Fish Crow Carolina Chickadee (30) Tufted Titmouse (10) White-breasted Nuthatch (3) Brown Creeper Eastern Bluebird (Male) American Robin (3) Song Sparrow (2) White-throated Sparrow (4) Northern Cardinal (5) House Finch (2) Carderock/Mile Post 10/Billy Goat Trail: Canada Goose (10) Mallard (6) Red-shouldered Hawk Red-bellied Woodpecker (2) Downy Woodpecker (2 - m/f) Pileated 'Woodpecker (2; saw 1 male; heard a second bird) Eastern Phoebe American Crow Carolina Chickadee (4) Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch American Robin (6) European Starling (2) Yellow-rumped Warbler (3) Song Sparrow (3) Of the 5 Red-necked Grebes at Mile 7.5, 4 were divided into 2 pairs, with at least 2 showing red on the neck. Of the 4, 2 (presumably the males) began acting aggressively toward the loner. At one point, 1 of the grebes surfaced wi a sizable fish in its beak, and spent the next 5 minutes floating back and forth trying to swallow it. Eventually, it succeeded, but not until after expended a lot of effort. These grebes were in the same "lagoon" formed by Cabin John Creek and its juncture wi the extremely high Potomac -- much higher than when I was there 2 weekends ago, and found a single Red-necked Grebe present. The beautifully attired male and female Hooded Merganser were in the same vicinity, but up another part of it, behind an island. On that island was a large sycamore, right above the hoodies, where the hawk came in quietly and landed about 60' up in a crook in the tree. I'm pretty sure it was a Red-shouldered (partly because of its facial markings, and partly because I thought I glimpsed red on its shoulders). All but its head was obscured by one of the trunks of the tree, which also helped obscure the nest. It sat in the crook (or on its nest) until I left about half an hour later. The 4 pairs of Wood Ducks were all about, floating on the swift current of the Potomac all along the bank of the river. Beautiful plumage! There were several freshly drilled woodpecker nests in several spots along the canal. One that appeared to be that of a Pileated (near Mile Post 10) was adjacent to the canal towpath. Somewhat of a surprise was the complete absence of a Blue Jay, any of the wrens (they're usually thick along here) and almost no American Crows. Not many No. Cardinals, either...but one heck of a lot of Carolina Chickadees. And I reckon that Eastern Phoebe along the Billy Goat Trail between Mile Post 10 and Carderock park was my first of the year in Maryland. Its plumage looked very fresh, almost glistening. It did not call or sing, but moved rather silently about (unlike the chickadees, who don't know what silence is). Have a good birding weekend, Frank Powers Glen Echo, MD Montgomery County mattfp@aol.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================