Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 17:00:11 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Kurt Schwarz Subject: Greater BB Gull in HowCo An adult Greater Black-backed Gull and a near-breeding plumaged Double-crested Cormorant were present at Lake Elkhorn in Columbia, Howard County, at 3 pm today. Seven Ruddy Ducks and ten Ring-necked Ducks were also present. Centennial was virtually devoid of waterfowl, except for a single Pied-Billed Grebe, 5 Ring-necks, a few Mallards, and maybe 14-16 Canada Geese. The latter appear to have paired up. Also, Lake Elkhorn's free-flying Mute Swan was present, perhaps enjoying a respite from family life. The real excitement at Centennial was the 2-3 dozen swallows present at the west/wildlife end. Barns, Trees, and Rough-wings were all present, with Rough-wings being the most abundant. They also appeared to partition the sky, with the Rough-wings down low, Trees at mid-level, and Barns up highest, 30-40 feet. A Brown Thrasher also helped liven up the south shore. Kurt Schwarz Howard County goawaybird@comcast.net ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================