Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 06:29:41 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM> Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding <MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM> From: Norm Saunders <marshhawk@ATT.NET> Subject: A Worcester/Somerset Saturday MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Saturday dawned overcast with a mizzling rain, but the birds were singing nonetheless and we had a fair tally for the day. I heard the first Common Yellowthroat of the year singing in the marsh and we saw a lone Glossy Ibis winging overhead, heading out of the marsh to somewhere or other. Breeding behavior is evident everywhere=97we have an apparently mated pair of Brown Thrashers present all day long under the feeders and a pair of Northern Flickers both excavating a nest hole and defending it mightily from a flock of exceedingly interested starlings. Carolina Chickadees are investigating nest boxes in our yard, and a pair of Mallards continues to visit the marsh-= edge. The male keeps watch while the female tromps around as if looking for the best possible nest site. Best bird of the day showed up last night just at dusk=97a Check-will=92s-widow began singing about 8 pm and went on f= or about 5 minutes or so. The bird was back this morning, beginning to sing at 5 am and going on for at least 25 minutes. Here are the yard sightings from yesterday: Double-crested Cormorant 5 Great Egret 2 Snowy Egret 1 Glossy Ibis 1 Canada Goose 6 American Black Duck 2 Mallard 6 Osprey 2 Willet 8 Laughing Gull 6 Herring Gull 6 Forster's Tern 1 Chuck-will's-widow 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Downy Woodpecker 2 Northern Flicker 2 Blue Jay 3 Fish Crow 5 Tree Swallow 15 Barn Swallow 6 Carolina Chickadee 4 Tufted Titmouse 4 Brown-headed Nuthatch 2 Carolina Wren 1 American Robin 8 Northern Mockingbird 1 Brown Thrasher 3 Common Yellowthroat 1 Eastern Towhee 2 Song Sparrow 3 White-throated Sparrow 9 Northern Cardinal 6 Red-winged Blackbird 9 Common Grackle 20 Boat-tailed Grackle 2 Brown-headed Cowbird 6 House Finch 4 American Goldfinch 5 House Sparrow 3 We headed out again yesterday to do some atlas block surveying over in the Dividing Creek quad. The NW block is about half in Worcester County and half in Somerset County and we managed to cover all of the roads in the block. Northern Parula, Prairie Warbler, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, and Eastern Towhee were abundant everywhere we went. By county, here are our sightings: SOMERSET COUNTY Tufted Titmouse 5 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW1) Northern Parula 1 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW1) Ovenbird 3 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW1) Eastern Towhee 6 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW1) Turkey Vulture 3 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW2) American Crow 1 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW2) Carolina Chickadee 3 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW2) Tufted Titmouse 2 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW2) Carolina Wren 1 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW2) Northern Parula 2 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW2) Ovenbird 1 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW2) Eastern Towhee 5 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW2) White-throated Sparrow 6 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW2) American Goldfinch 2 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW2) Canada Goose 4 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) Laughing Gull 5 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) Downy Woodpecker 1 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) Northern Flicker 1 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) White-eyed Vireo 3 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) American Crow 3 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) Fish Crow 1 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) Carolina Chickadee 3 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) Northern Parula 6 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) Prairie Warbler 2 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) Ovenbird 3 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) Common Yellowthroat 2 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) Eastern Towhee 6 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) Northern Cardinal 2 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) Common Grackle 2 Pete's Hill Road (DCNW4) Black Vulture 1 Sea Tick Road (DCNW1) Turkey Vulture 3 Sea Tick Road (DCNW1) Tufted Titmouse 2 Sea Tick Road (DCNW1) American Robin 5 Sea Tick Road (DCNW1) European Starling 6 Sea Tick Road (DCNW1) Northern Parula 2 Sea Tick Road (DCNW1) Yellow Warbler 1 Sea Tick Road (DCNW1) Common Yellowthroat 2 Sea Tick Road (DCNW1) Eastern Towhee 4 Sea Tick Road (DCNW1) Dark-eyed Junco 1 Sea Tick Road (DCNW1) Common Grackle 3 Sea Tick Road (DCNW1) Turkey Vulture 4 West Post Office Road (DCNW3) Laughing Gull 3 West Post Office Road (DCNW3) White-eyed Vireo 2 West Post Office Road (DCNW3) American Crow 21 West Post Office Road (DCNW3) Tufted Titmouse 2 West Post Office Road (DCNW3) American Robin 6 West Post Office Road (DCNW3) European Starling 7 West Post Office Road (DCNW3) Prairie Warbler 2 West Post Office Road (DCNW3) White-throated Sparrow 5 West Post Office Road (DCNW3) Northern Cardinal 2 West Post Office Road (DCNW3) Common Grackle 6 West Post Office Road (DCNW3) WORCESTER COUNTY American Kestrel 2 Furnace Road Prairie Warbler 2 Furnace Road Blue Jay 3 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW1) Northern Parula 2 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW1) Eastern Towhee 3 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW1) Turkey Vulture 3 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW4) Wild Turkey 1 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW4) Laughing Gull 3 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW4) Mourning Dove 3 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW4) American Crow 2 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW4) Northern Parula 3 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW4) Pine Warbler 1 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW4) Eastern Towhee 7 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW4) Northern Cardinal 3 Meadow Bridge Road (DCNW4) White-eyed Vireo 4 Stevens Road (DCNW2) Blue Jay 3 Stevens Road (DCNW2) American Robin 6 Stevens Road (DCNW2) Northern Parula 2 Stevens Road (DCNW2) Pine Warbler 2 Stevens Road (DCNW2) Prairie Warbler 2 Stevens Road (DCNW2) Worm-eating Warbler 1 Stevens Road (DCNW2) Ovenbird 3 Stevens Road (DCNW2) Common Yellowthroat 2 Stevens Road (DCNW2) Eastern Towhee 2 Stevens Road (DCNW2) Northern Cardinal 6 Stevens Road (DCNW2) Canada Goose 6 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Laughing Gull 8 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Herring Gull 2 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Northern Flicker 3 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Pileated Woodpecker 1 Stevens Road (DCNW4) White-eyed Vireo 6 Stevens Road (DCNW4) American Crow 3 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Carolina Chickadee 5 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Tufted Titmouse 5 Stevens Road (DCNW4) European Starling 15 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Northern Parula 4 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Pine Warbler 2 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Prairie Warbler 3 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Ovenbird 2 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Eastern Towhee 2 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Northern Cardinal 6 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Red-winged Blackbird 8 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Common Grackle 6 Stevens Road (DCNW4) Brown-headed Cowbird 3 Stevens Road (DCNW4) The parentheticals can be interpreted as: Dividing Creek Northwest, Quarterblock n. All in all, a busy Saturday! Norm & Fran Saunders Colesville & West Ocean City, MD =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 =========================================================================