Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2003 21:38:58 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Fred Shaffer Subject: Upland Sandpiper (Oland Road) My brother and I visited a few spots in Frederick County this afternoon (August 3rd). We got great looks at an Upland Sandpiper on Oland Road. The Uppie was in the field on the north side of Oland Road near the intersection with New Design Road. The bird was not visible when we got there, but I played a tape of its call and, within less then a minute, an Upland Sandpiper flew within 30 or so feet of us before disappearing into the grass. Eventually the bird flew up and out into the open, where we watched it at close range through binoculars and a scope for over 45 minutes. The bird walked slowly in the grass, occasionally bobbing as it went, and sometimes dipping out of sight in the taller grass. Also present was a Kestrel (perched for a long time on a bale of hay) and a Meadowlark. We then stopped at Lilypons. The highlight there was an adult, breeding plumage Yellow Crowned Night Heron. Also present was 4 or 5 Green Herons, 4 Great Egrets, 3 Great Blue Herons, a Double Crested Cormorant, a Yellow Billed Cuckoo (near the river), many Goldfinch, and singing Common Yellowthroats and Song Sparrows. A lone Osprey flew by. It was a beautiful afternoon, with a nice breeze and towering clouds, before a big thunderstorm came in as we started the drive back. Fred Shaffer Patuxent Bird Club GlaucousGull1611@aol.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================