Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2004 09:46:54 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Les Roslund Subject: Bird Report from Tunis Mills and from Cambridge In-Reply-To: <5.2.0.9.2.20040105145158.00b19fd0@popd.ix.netcom.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable With house guests and other holiday activities I have not been doing much birding, so merely watched with joy (and some envy) as others = reported their early 2004 sightings. =20 First bird sound of 2004 here was of Canada Geese (of course) since some 4000 of them continue to spend parts of their nights on Leeds Creek right beside our house. The strong call of the female Mallard promptly joined that of the geese during the night-time hours. The Mallard count = on the creek has reached 68! All of the other observations have been of the fully normal and expected species. Bald Eagles continue to carry nesting materials and = are also loitering around the creek in search of easy meals. One flew past = the house carrying a Mallard on Jan 2nd. Another was seen in a field beside Copperville Road on Jan 1st controlling the care of a downed Goose as several vultures and two Red-tailed Hawks watched from a distance. Juncos (39) and White-throated Sparrows (32) showed up for Project Feeder Watch this week, but the overall species count was low. First = Tufted Titmouse of the year did not show up until today. Other birds around = have been: Cardinals (8), Cedar Waxwings (12), White-breasted Nuthatch (2), = Song Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, the usual woodpeckers but no = Sapsucker, Towhees, Carolina Chickadee (2), Goldfinch (7), House Finch (6), and one Carolina Wren. One Sharpie also visits. A visit to Oakley Street in Cambridge yesterday was disappointing. New construction of a condominium building now covers all of the lot = that had been vacant beside Oakley Street in recent years. Cars of = construction workers block Oakley Street, but there were no birds along the shore = anyhow. Further downstream along the shoreline beside Bellevue Avenue (extending beyond Hambrooks Blvd) there were about 2000 Canvasbacks, but no place = to park for easy observation of them. Five Tundra Swan were near by, and = the small pond beside Hambrooks Blvd held twelve American Widgeon and a few Mallards. Perhaps more numbers and species will arrive with the colder weather. =09 Les Roslund Lroslund@bluecrab.org Talbot County Easton MD 21601 =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 =========================================================================