Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 10:12:08 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Steve Huy Subject: arrivals MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit They have arrived. Sure do love this time of year when so many birds make their return to our region. Saturday produced a fallout of sorts. More warblers than I had ever seen crowded my trees through the day. Mostly butterbutts, but a few of my favorite warblers, the Yellow warbler, were in attendance. No real reason they are my favorite except perhaps their beautiful song, brilliant plumage and they were the first warbler I learned so many years ago Highlights were a Palm warbler and a delicately built Nashville. At first glance on a dreary day it is far too easy to dismiss the latter as a kinglet unless one observes the movement, flicking wings (why is that not mentioned in my field guide?) and slightly longer body. The Palm was a bit easier to ID given the pumping tail, even while obscurred in the shadows. But it eventually made its way to a patch of light where its orange hat was visible. Subtle yet brilliant! Warbling vireos and several other unidentified warblers (some day I will retain those songs in my memory from one spring to the next) searched for insects among the new foliage. A couple of orioles were heard as well. House wrens have staked out homesteads and are busy defending them against late comers. Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day. Unfortunately it was the first chance in a week to tend to the eight inches of grassland bird habitat and dandelion ranch I was producing where a lawn once lay. But I have an obligation to limit the wildlife habitat (read this as: I need free assistance in landscaping for wildlife so feel free to open your wallets and send me some native plants to fulfill the quest) and i'm trying to discourage the return of a nasty patch of thistles. But the drone of the mower drowned out all birdsong and numbed my ears to much else for the rest of the day. Warbling vireos were still in abundance, a few yellows remained and the butterbutts are gone. A surprise visitor called out "bob-white!' from the hillside where I had not long ago walked my dogs. At one point on the walk several birds had flushed from the bushes in a manner not fitting most passerines. But I was busy monitoring a puppy and didn't really pay attention. I now think it was perhaps a small covey of four or five quail and in about the same area as where I think the call came from. I really hope they do well this summer. A lazy grasshopper sparrow also called from the cow pasture. Late Monday night, while talking on the phone from the deck a loud screechy hiss pierced the night. An owl, but not a food begging GHO. I think this was a barn owl! Time to start checking the nearby barns and silos. I also need to locate hollow trees. One of my bassets also heard this creature and replied with her belltone bark. The owl did not like this and took flight, still calling, on a path towards a nearby woods and barn. Today I saw my first Baltimore oriole. I have heard them for several days, but this is the first I have seen. Steve Huy Middletown, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================