Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2003 13:01:57 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Walter Ellison Subject: Eared Grebe and Red-n. Phalarope in Chestertown MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi All, At 10:00 this morning after a post office run to do some atlas mailings, = I checked the aeration ponds visible from the north side of John Hanson = Rd west of MD-289 southwest of Chestertown and located a young Eared = Grebe in first basic plumage. It was hanging out with black ducks and = Mallards along the southeast shore of the near pond. Also present was a = single juvenile Red-necked Phalarope in the southwest corner of the = pond. Other birds present included 200+ shovelers, Blue-winged and = Green-winged teal, 8 Ruddy Ducks, and 55 Caspian Terns. The grebe was seen in rather poor light but had a black cap, solid dusky = neck, reddish brown lower neck and breast, a pale whitish chin strap, = and a single white wing patch confined to the secondaries - seen as the = bird preened, peaked profile when alert, and small spike-like recurved = bill. The phalarope had a dark mantle with pale lines along the edge of = the scapulars. Ruddy Ducks are becoming more widespread in small numbers = on ponds in the county. Waterfowl migration is starting to heat up. Good Birding, Walter Ellison 23460 Clarissa Road Chestertown, MD 21620 phone: 410-778-9568 e-mail: rossgull@crosslink.net "A person who is looking for something doesn't travel very fast" - E. B. = White (in "Stuart Little") =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================