Date: Wed, 21 May 2003 10:12:39 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Henry Armistead <74077.3176@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Yard big day self-destructs MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline "Rigby's Folly", Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, near Bellevue. May 20, 2003, Tues., 4-9 A.M. Clear. 50-60 degrees F. Calm. 51 species. With clear skies, sunshine, some warmth forecast (but a cold night) I thought today might be good to do a property big day. Did an hour of listening in the dark 4-5 A.M. but no thrushes or other migrants, just a Red Fox and 2 Chuck-will's-widows. Winds had been southerly at dusk. Nothing but the same birds I'd expect to find over Memorial Day Weekend (or even in June) so I quit at 9 and wandered over to Pickering Creek Audubon Center (only a handful of shorebirds there) and then to Ft. Smallwood Park (an eagle and a few vultures, but it was nice to catch up on the spring flight results with Sue Ricciardi). Something of a flight of unid. butterflies going on there (anglewings?). Nice to nap in the sun in that peaceful place. Looking forward to the Weekend Whimbrel Watch over Memorial Day Weekend. Common Loon 4 (including 2 doing the wail call). Surf Scoter 5 (flying, healthy birds, including at least 1 adult male [they were distant]). Bald Eagle 3 (roosting in our woods; they produced quite a vocal dawn chorus with their rusty gate stutterings). Wild Turkey 1 (gobbling in the distance). Great Horned Owl 1 (being mobbed by both crow species at 8 A.M.). Crows sound meaner and more intense when they are mobbing a horned owl. I'd maintain you can count the owl based solely on what the crows are doing even if you don't see or hear it. A bit of a stretch, I guess. Single Wood Thrush and Blue Jay carrying nesting material. A fair Fowler's Toad chorus last night. Haven't checked my hotmail e-mail for a while but everyone who requested a copy of "Birds of Rigby's Folly" as of 6 P.M. on Monday will receive one in the mail in a week or two. Those of you who haven't sent me your USPS, land-based address please do. Thank you. Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA 19119-1225. 215-248-4120. Please, any off-list replies to: harryarmistead@hotmail.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================