Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 13:10:35 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Fred Shaffer Subject: Green Heron at Schoolhouse Pond During my lunchtime walk around Schoolhouse Pond, I was surprised to see a Green Heron flush up from the edge of the pond. I saw the bird, through binoculars, both in flight and when it came to rest on a log along the backside of the pond. The bird was clearly an adult, with the bluish-green back, yellow legs, and rusty sides to the throat. Definitely an out of place bird this time of year, and one I hadn't seen at the pond since early September. The bird was still on the log when I left. Also present was a Great Blue Heron and Great Egret. Is there a record of Green Herons occurring in this area before in January? Ducks present were over 20 Northern Shovelers, 1 male Gadwall, and a pair of American Wigeon, plus the usual Mallards. The pair of Mute Swans have also returned. I had planned to sort through the large number of gulls that had gathered at the pond during the morning, but when I got outside I saw that they had all dispersed. I scanned the sky as its not unusual for Bald Eagles or Red Tailed Hawks to pass over and scare the gulls off. I found the eagle, but it looked suspiciously like an adult Golden Eagle. I watched as it soared over the pond. The bird was completely dark, with no traces of white underneath, either on the body, wings, or wingtips. As the bird soared away from the pond, it held its wings in a slight dihedral, not as pronounced as with a Turkey Vulture. Of course, both species of vultures also come over the pond every day, but this bird was definitely an eagle based on the tail (size & shape) and overall size. Of the hundreds of gulls at the pond that had been present in the morning, only a handful of Ring-billed Gulls remained. Fred Shaffer glaucousgull1611@aol.com Crofton, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================