Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003 15:28:20 EST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Louis Nielsen Subject: Southern sweep Willets MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Yesterday, 9/16, I spent the day in a run down Rt. 301, Birds of interest: A dawn check of Schoolhouse Pond in Upper Marlbora provided a Great Egret, six Wood Ducks, a Gray Catbird and a first winter Pied-billed Grebe. Rt. 225 in Charles County gave me a flyover Cooper's Hawk. Myrtle Grove had a lot of the expected birds along with a Hermit Thrush, ten Cedar Waxwings and a flock of over fifty Common Grackles. Mattawoman NEA off Rt. 224 gave me huge numbers of ducks: Mallards, Black, Amrican Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, a few Pintails and lots of coots. As I first reached the edge of Mattawoman Creek, a first year Bald Eagle put all the birds up which slowly resettle a little farther away from the near shore -- naturally. As the birds returned to drop into the broad sweep of water plants (effectifely making finding some of them a labor) I spy first one and then, a few minutes later, a second Willet droping down among all the ducks. Problematical arrivals, as the Eastern sub-species is said to prefer sandy beaches along the shore. This habitat does not qualify. The "Western" Willet is an "inland bird". Does this broad sweep of water at its confluence with the Potomac qualify as inland? Also I think it is getting late for the "Western". Although the morning was overcast and gray there is no mistaking the gaudy black and white wing pattern of the Willet, broad, white band of white along the primaries and secondaries, black primaries and an otherwise gray bird. Size rules out all the smaller shorebirds. I was unable to relocate the birds at rest, just a bit too far away and the scene choked with green plants and thousands of ducks. Also noted at Mattawoman: a Pileated Woodpecker, over twenty-five Great Blue Herons, eight Great Egreets, an adult Bald Eagle on the far shore which remaind perched for the entire hour I was there. A few thousand Canada Geese. Eight Forster's Terns. A run over to St. Mary's County. The trees and brush along Bushwood Road just past Ignatius E Mattingly Rd. were hopping with juncos and white-throats, a couple of towhees and one lovely Red-headed Woodpecker. Bushwood Wharf was bereft of birds but for a few at a great distance. The two that I managed to id: two female Black Scoters and a Forster's Tern. I welcome comment or reaction to the Willet business. Lou Nielsen Reisterstown, MD clodvigii@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 ======================================================================= =========================================================================