Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 20:30:33 -0800 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Kevin Graff Subject: Southern Cecil County, 11/29/03 In-Reply-To: <004301c3b7ab$c8448450$6401a8c0@HERKY> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii HI all, I had plan to return to my weekend home in Ocean City after a Thanksgiving dinner w/ my mother's family. My cousin called before I was ready to leave for O.C. and wants us at his buffalo farm in Harford County for Thanksgiving Saturday afternoon. This is my dad's family and I decide to go with them. I had nothing to do saturday morning, later found out that my Cecil County list was low. Best birding was at Grove Neck Road with several thousands acres of farmlands. It was huge and it is beautiful and loaded with massive flocks of blackbird species. I never been birding in southern Cecil County, but did mostly at Conowingo Dam. Saw two massive mixed flocks of grackles and blackbird headed NE toward Rt 213. Estimate was at 8000 total. I lost track of it until I head north on my way home on Rt 213 near Rt 310 (Town Point Rd/Cayots Corner Rd) and saw same flocks from Grove Neck earlier. I pulled over on shoulder at northbound lane and scan 4 seperate flocks at corn field on left (southbound Rt 213 S of Rt 310). It took me several tries to count them because of an adult Bald Eagle landed nearby, later flushed by Redtail and again by Northern Harrier. After scan several flocks from my scope for quite some time and after 25 minutes of scanning and waiting for raptors to leave, I easily pick out a immature male Yellow-headed Blackbird in a single flock with 2000 Common Grackle near woods edge near Town Point Road. This is my second large flocks of blackbird species in Cecil County. First was at Conowingo Dam about 3 years back with Baltimore Bird Club trip and several of us picked out a male Yellowheaded Blackbird with about 75,000 grackle/blackbird flock on cecil side headed north. Weather: extremely cold and 35+ mph wind, 38 to 43 degree, PS to PC Carpenter Point area, brief trip, too many trailer parks and lack of birds in that area -Boat landing at Chestnut Point 1 Pied-billed Grebe, 21 Black Vulture, 3 Turkey Vulture 74 Mallard, 2 Bald Eagle (both 1st year, 2 minute ariel display), 3 Am. Crow, 2 Fish Crow, 8 European Starling -Craft Haven Campground & Marina 2 Mallard, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Ring-billed Gull 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker -Along Carpenter Point Rd. 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1 Blue Jay, 3 Carolina Chickadee, 3 Tufted Titmouse, 3 Northern Cardinal, 1 "Slate-colored" Junco Elk Forest Road 3 Turkey Vulture 46 Canada Goose - farm pond 2 Mallard - farm pond 6 Bald Eagle (4 adult, 1 1st, 1 2nd) 1 Red-tailed Hawk 2 Rock Dove 4 Mourning Dove 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 25 American Crow 2 Tufted Titmouse 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet (parking lot at Canal WMA) 1 American Robin 1 Northern Mockingbird 5 Eastern Towhee 7 White-throated Sparrow 18 "Slate-colored" Junco 1 Northern Cardinal 3 Common Grackle 2 Brown-headed Cowbird 131 19 species Mammals 1 Gray Squirrel Grove Neck Road & northern half of Grove Neck Wildlife Sanctuary (southern half was used by lone hunter) ADC Map Cecil County, page 23 & 24 2 Black Vulture 8 Turkey Vulture 18 Snow Goose 158 Canada Goose 2 Green-winged teal - large pond at Grove Neck WA 2 American Black Duck " " 5 Mallard " " 3 American Wigeon " " 3 Hooded Merganser " " 1 Bald Eagle (Rt 213 & 310) 1 Northern Harrier (Rt 213 & Rt 310 2 Red-tailed Hawk (1 at Rt 213 & Rt 310) 1 American Kestrel 1 Killdeer 1 Laughing Gull 110 Ring-billed Gull - actual # 3 Rock Dove 2 Mourning Dove 2 Northern Flicker 2 Horned Lark 5 Blue Jay 8 American Crow 9 Eastern Bluebird 9 American Robin 2 American Pipit 2 Cedar Waxwing - 4WD trail at wildife sanctuary 266 European Starling 2 "Western" Palm Warbler - 4WD trail 4 Northern Cardinal 3 Field Sparrow - 4WD trail 2 Savannah Sparrow 6 Song Sparrow 7 White-throated Sparrow 4 White-crowned Sparrow - roadside thickets 8 "Slate-colored" Junco 3382 Red-winged Blackbird 1 Eastern Meadowlark - w/ starlings 1 YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD - w/ massive flocks 1 Rusty Blackbird - 4WD trail near large pond 7132 Common Grackle - 2 flocks: 132 & 7000 8 American Goldfinch 11,189 41 species Mammals 2 Gray Squirrel Kevin Graff Jarrettsville, MD weekday Ocean City, MD weekend ocean_city2001@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =======================================================================