Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 16:22:31 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "Lovelace, Glen" Subject: Oak Grove update 3/23 Comments: To: DE-Birds MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Hi Folks, The wonderful year at Oak Grove continues. Sunday's birding added 5 new birds to the year list, bringing the total to 75 and still way ahead of a normal pace. The additions: -a Vesper Sparrow (early date by two weeks) feeding along the edge of puddle on N. Oak Grove Rd just south of Kinder Rd. -a Bonaparte's Gull (2nd record ever) in a mixed flock Laughers and a few Ringers on Oak Grove Rd. It looked very strange to see a Bonie waddling around with choppy little steps, feeding in a field like the Laughers. -2 Wilson's Snipe on N. Oak Grove Rd in the large fields on the south edge of the circle. Very well hidden in the corn stubble. The conditions are perfect for Snipe, but there seem to be very few in the area this spring and it took quite a bit of effort to find some. Part of the problem is that I have not had time to look at other spots nearby. The other part may be that the two prime spots for snipe (a couple miles away) had drainage work done last year when it was dry and are not nearly so attractive anymore. These could have been the local staging areas for more widespread Snipe and without them they do not use the secondary spots in the area. -an Osprey - always a good find as it is a once or twice a year bird here (being approx 6-7 miles from rivers). -a male Harrier - cleanup of a miss from the winter. Also 25 Greater Yellowlegs in the at the sharp curve in Kinder Rd, Red-Shouldered Hawk, a Cooper's, singing Field and Chipping Sparrows and singing Pine Warbler. Good Birding, Glen Lovelace III Seaford, DE ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================