Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2003 18:56:09 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "George M. Jett" Subject: Charles County Scouting Comments: To: SMAS Comments: cc: Miliff@aol.com, Robert Ringler MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Folks Gwen Brewer and Carol Ghebelian will be leading a fieldtrip for the = Audubon Naturalist Society on Saturday, November 15 to southern Charles = Co., MD. The focus of the trip will be on waterfowl, woodpeckers, and = sparrows. Today Gwen and I did some scouting for that trip. After an = active morning at the house, which included six woodpecker species, an = adult Red-shouldered Hawk, several Hermit Thrush, a few Cedar Waxwing, = and a single Purple Finch, we headed to Bumpy Oak Wetlands to tick = Red-headed Woodpecker - the seventh eastern woodpecker expected in = Maryland. That took about five minutes. Two birds were observed. = Swamp and Song Sparrow were also there. =20 We then headed to Myrtle Grove. The highlight there was two Pied-billed = Grebe, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, and an Eastern Phoebe. Lots of = shooters were out. If you go into any natural area, please be careful = this season. Check the DNR website to see what are the hunting dates. = (http://www.dnr.state.md.us). We then went to the Mattawoman Natural Environmental Area. This = location along the Mattawoman Creek is DNR property but closed to = hunting. The parking area is about 1/2 mile south off Rt. 225 on Rt. = 224 just after Lackey High School in Mason Springs. Park on the right. = The walk to the creek is about 1/2 mile if you take the left fork. This = is the location where we had a Eurasian Wigeon (EUWI) last year about = this time. No EUWI today but lots of waterfowl. Perhaps several = thousand including American Wigeon in the hundreds. Saturday I will do = a census of the creek while the ANS members are being escorted around = the county. Others highlights at this location were four Great Egrets, Pied-billed = Grebe (~12), Gadwall (~100), American Wigeon (~500), American Black Duck = (~50), Northern Shovelers (~20), Northern Pintail (~150), Green-winged = Teal (~15), and Ring-necked Duck (~30). I think these numbers are low = and Saturday I plan to do a more accurate count. Canada Geese, Mallard, = and American Coot were also there, as well as Bald Eagle (2), Northern = Harrier (2), Forsters Terns (~10), a single Belted Kingfisher, and Great = Blue Heron (10). Along the trail in we had both Kinglet species, 40 = Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, and two = Red-headed Woodpeckers. Next we went to Morgantown. The road is still closed but you can park = at the river, and bird. We found two Common Loon, 35 Tundra Swan, = several hundred Double-crested Cormorant actively fishing, a single = Great Black-backed Gull, and maybe 40 Bufflehead. Most of the = waterfront piers were destroyed by Isabel and the birds may have to find = other places to loaf. Forsters Terns were feeding on the River, and an = adult female Cooper's Hawk briefly perched in the tree at the turn in = the road at the river - not long enough for a picture. In total we had 68 species for the day. =20 George Jett =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 =========================================================================