Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 12:39:19 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Walter Ellison Subject: Kent Bird Club Blackwater NWR trip 23 Nov MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi Everybody, The Kent County Bird Club (three members plus assoicate Parke John) went = to Blackwater NWR and Elliot Island for late autumn birds on Sunday. We = located 75 bird species for the day. About mid-morning we caught up with = Harry Armistead's group and enjoyed keeping a sort of loose caravan with = them for the rest of the day. It was very helpful to be able to learn = from Harry's deep knowledge of the byways and fowl of southern = Dorchester County. The highlights were herons, waterfowl (not diverse but numerous), = raptors (especially the eagles), woodpeckers, winter land birds, and = some nice specialties of the house. Among the above were three egret = species including double-digit Greats, a Snowy, and two Cattle Egrets = feeding with a flock of geese (substitute grazing action in place of = cows?); two young Black-crowned Night-Herons; 36 Bald Eagles (20 = adults/distant near-adults, 14 young birds, and 2 distant = indeterminate); two Cooper's Hawks; 11 Northern Harriers (some very = close, one calling raspily); well-seen handsome adult female and male = sapsuckers; two adult Red-headed Woodpeckers near pull-out #5 on the = Wildlife Tour at Blackwater responding to human-made Barred Owl hooting; = a latish young Eastern Phoebe; at least seven cute squeak-toy = Brown-headed Nuthatches; and a flock of a dozen Eastern Meadowlarks with = starlings - their jizz-mimics. Many winter birds also responded to our = Barred Owl imitations and squeaks including four Brown Creepers, many = kinglets, eight Hermit Thrushes, and Winter Wrens. It was a pleasure to = be out in the picturesque loblollies, and golden autumn marsh grass in = the autumn mist and warm Indian Summer weather. We hope to see you next = time, either after the Lower Kent County CBC or for the 4 January = Eastern Neck NWR New Year's annual list kickoff. =20 Our complete list follows: Snow Goose; Canada Goose; Tundra Swan; Mute Swan; Wood Duck; American = Black Duck; Mallard; Northern Shoveler; Northern Pintail; Ring-necked = Duck; Pied-billed Grebe; Double-crested Cormorant; Great Blue Heron; = Great Egret; Snowy Egret; Cattle Egret; Black-crowned Night-Heron; Black = Vulture; Turkey Vulture; Bald Eagle; Northern Harrier; Cooper's Hawk; = Red-tailed Hawk; American Kestrel; American Coot; Killdeer; Greater = Yellowlegs; Least Sandpiper; Dunlin; Laughing Gull; Ring-billed Gull; = Herring Gull; Great Black-backed Gull; Forster's Tern; Rock Pigeon; = Mourning Dove; Belted Kingfisher; Red-headed Woodpecker; Red-bellied = Woodpecker; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; Downy Woodpecker; Hairy = Woodpecker; Northern Flicker; Eastern Phoebe; Blue Jay; American Crow; = Fish Crow; Carolina Chickadee; Tufted Titmouse; Brown-headed Nuthatch; = Brown Creeper; Carolina Wren; Winter Wren; Golden-crowned Kinglet; = Ruby-crowned Kinglet; Eastern Bluebird; Hermit Thrush; American Robin; = Northern Mockingbird; American Pipit; European Starling; Yellow-rumped = (Myrtle) Warbler; Eastern (Rufous-sided) Towhee; Savannah Sparrow; Song = Sparrow; Swamp Sparrow; White-throated Sparrow; Dark-eyed = (Slate-colored) Junco; Northern Cardinal; Red-winged Blackbird; Eastern = Meadowlark; Common Grackle; Purple Finch; House Finch; American = Goldfinch. Until Next Time, 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 =========================================================================