Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2003 23:23:19 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Jason Waanders Subject: Blackwater--BW Teal, shorebirds, others MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable A few hours at Blackwater NWR this afternoon produced a few good spring = birds. Perhaps best of the bunch was a large group of blue-winged teal = (about 15, maybe more were around). Plenty of green-winged were also = around, as well as several ring-necked ducks. I had to skim through the shorebirds near the end of the wildlife drive = fairly quickly, but I was able to pick out the following: around 30 = dunlin, a couple of least sandpipers, and a pectoral sandpipers. Both = yellowlegs were also present at various spots today. Other birds of note today: great egrets osprey (seemingly everywhere, "singing" and on nest platforms) bald eagles northern harrier (1) American kestrel (1) Forster's tern (1) =20 purple martin (many) tree swallow (tons) barn swallow (4) brown-headed nuthatch (about 5) brown thrasher (1) pine warbler (about 5) common yellowthroat (1) Finally, I hesitate to mention it based on the brief look I had, but I = saw an unusual female icterid out my car window while stopped at the = intersection of Rts. 16 and 335 walking on the concrete island. I = didn't have long to look, but this bird appeared to be shorter-tailed = and smaller than a grackle, but too dark for a female cowbird. With a = better look, I might have called it a Brewer's blackbird, but I can't be = sure. If anyone's passing through the area, keep your eyes open! =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================