Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2004 20:48:54 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "George M. Jett" Subject: Charles Co. Birds Today Comments: To: SMAS Comments: cc: Robert Ringler , Miliff@aol.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Folks I went a field today looking for waterfowl before the big freeze sets = in. I started out at the Mattawomen Environmental Area off Rt. 224 in = Mason Springs. There were an impressive number of ducks, good geese = numbers, and a few Tundra Swans. This location may be frozen in by the = weekend and the waterfowl will have dispersed. Birds of note: Tundra Swan - 59 Canada Goose - ~ 400 Gadwall ~ 70 American Wigeon - 3=20 American Black Duck ~ 100 Mallards ~ 350 Northern Pintail - 31 Green-winged Teal - 15 Ring-necked Duck ~ 1200; really. The largest flotilla I have ever seen = of this species. I looked but could not find a Tufted Duck. Sorry. Hooded Mergansers - 6 probably more in the back Common Mergansers - 6 Also, about 25 Great Blue Herons, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker female, and = three Killdeer were in the area. I did not count the Ring-billed or = Herring Gulls. =20 I headed to Allen's Fresh next. Along the way I spotted four ducks in = the small pond west of La Plata on Rt. 6. The four were two male = Red-breasted Mergansers and two female Hooded Mergansers. At Allen's Fresh lots of Savannah Sparrows in the fields, and a couple = Marsh Hawks (Northern Harriers) were over the fields and marsh. I also = briefly saw five long-legged shorebirds escaping a raptors pursuits. = Perhaps yellowleg's of some Varity. All were heading away and at a long = distance for my brief view. =20 I headed to Cobb Island. I was not disappointed. Along the way I had = two American Kestrel's perched on the wires. At Cobb Island I birded = from the pumping station. Birds of note were: Red-throated Loon - 1 Scaup sp. flying by - 8 Surf Scoter - 2 females Oldsquaw - ~ 50 Bufflehead ~ 25 Common Goldeneye - 3 Retirement is great. Regards George =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 =========================================================================