Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 15:51:22 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Kurt Schwarz Subject: Wall-to-Wall Ceruleans, MontCo, HowCo I'll try this again. My first attempt blew up! I went to Sycamore Landing this morning in prep to lead a walk next Saturday afternoon for the MOS Conference. Even in the rain, it was great, with 50 species, including a few potential atlas records. While they aren't safe yet, the four singing Ceruleans were a nice treat. I actually saw one subduing a green caterpillar. I then went to Henryton in HowCo, in hopes that since the Sycamore Landing Ceruleans were singing, maybe the Henryton ones would, too, unlike yesterday on the HowCo Bird Club walk thereto. Two were signing and quite audible from the parking area at 1:45. Birds within safe dates are marked with *. All birds seen or heard between the Sycamore Landing parking lot and milepost 26, unless otherwise indicated. In fact, I never saw MP 26, I don't thing I ever got that far, the birdlife was so rich. * Great Blue Heron - 1-2 * Green Heron - 1 * Wood Duck - 2 Solitary Sandpiper - 3, briefly visiting the big puddle in the parking lot, a nice surprise! * Mourning Dove - 1, parking lot Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 3 * Barred Owl - distant, 1-2 Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1, female * Belted Kingfisher - 1 * Red-bellied Woodpecker * Downy Woodpecker - 1 * Pileated Woodpecker -1 E. Woodpeewee Acadian Flycatcher * E. Phoebe - 1, calling near first bridge off Syc. Lndg. Rd. White-eyed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay * Am. Crow - 1 at River and Syc. Lndg. Rds. * Carolina Chickadee * Tufted Titmouse * White-breasted Nuthatch * Carolina Wren - 1, parking lot House Wren Swainson's Thrush - 1 Wood Thrush - 8 Gray Catbird - everywhere! Northern Parula Chestnut-sided Warbler - 1, dog training area opposite first parking lot. Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1 Blackpoll Warbler Cerulean Warbler - 4 Am Redstart * Prothonotary Warbler -3, 1 singing by second bridge off River Rd., 2 seen between lot and MP 26, chasing one another. N. Waterthrush * Louisiana Waterthrush C. Yellowthroat Canada Warbler Scarlet Tanager * Field Sparrow - 1, singing at River and Syc. Lndg. Rd. White-throated Sparrow - 3, 2 by second bridge, on along Canal. * N. Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak C Indigo Bunting - pair copulating in dog training area across from first parking area. * Red-winged Blackbird - 1-2, Syc. Lndg. Rd. * Brown-headed Cowbird - 1, parking lot * House Finch Am. Goldfinch The Sycamore Landing walk for the MOS Conference is tentatively scheduled for 1 pm on Saturday. Be there, aloha! 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 ======================================================================= =========================================================================