Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 07:59:09 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Leo Weigant Subject: Re: Pickering Creek Swallows & Sandpipers: help Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="=_A6F8B2B6.72133474" This is a multi-part message in MIME format... --=_A6F8B2B6.72133474 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Good Morning, Derek, By chance I was at Pickering around 7:30 on Sunday and can confirm, more or less, your shorebird count (obviously some birds may have flown in . . or out, others may have been wandering in the grass. I had 6 Semipalmated, 2 pectorals, 2 leasts, 2 stilts, 4 SB Dowitchers, 1 spotted, and one western. In return, I wonder if you could answer a couple of questions for me, given your academic pedigree. 1.) In the "Winged Migration" movie, how the ____ did they get those cranes to fly by at exactly the right moment as the observatory's telescope door opened up? and 2.) in this area, say in mid-August, where should I be looking for Mars aaround midnight . . . if I could find a place unsaturated with ambient light? Many thanks, Leo Weigant >>> dcr@ASTRO.UMD.EDU 07/29/03 02:12AM >>> During my inaugural visit to Pickering Creek Audubon Sanctuary over the weekend I saw Barn Swallows sharing a power line with what I at the time assumed were juveniles of the same species. Luckily I took photos that revealed the "juveniles" were actually Bank Swallows -- rookie mistake! :) Do these two species often hang out together? Just in case I'm wrong, I've put the photo (temporarily) at: http://www.astro.umd.edu/~dcr/Archives/Photos/Birds/new/ -- confirmation would be appreciated. Meanwhile, I could use help with my Sunday morning sandpiper IDs too [sheepish grin]. These birds were seen in the pond beside the entry road to the Audubon sanctuary. I believe I have Pectoral Sandpiper (4), Semipalmated Sandpiper (4?), Least Sandpiper (2), Stilt Sandpiper (2), and Short-billed Dowitcher (5) -- I'd be very grateful for confirmation or correction of the photos, at the same URL. Evidently I still have a lot to learn about shorebirds... Other highlights at Pickering Creek that day included 2 Great Egrets, 2 Snowy Egrets, an adult Bald Eagle, and a female Hairy Woodpecker. Thanks in advance for any help, D -- Derek C. Richardson, Ph.D. (CANTAB) ________ Astronomy, U Maryland, College Park MD 20742 Tel: Office 301-405-8786 Fax 301-314-9067 __ Home page: http://www.astro.umd.edu/~dcr/ __ ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= --=_A6F8B2B6.72133474-- =========================================================================