Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 22:05:07 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "George M. Jett" Subject: Charles Co., MD Birds Comments: To: SMAS Comments: cc: Miliff@aol.com, bkvulture@aol.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Folks I continue my Big Year quest in Charles Co., MD. Yesterday I went to = the landfill to see what gulls were around. The highlight was the 2000+ = European Starlings. Three gulls species were present. Numbers are = approximate; 2200 Ring-billed, 250 Herring, and 35 Greater Black-backed = Gull. Keep trying is the word of the day. Last year I had Iceland, = Lesser Black-backed, and Thayer's at this location. Yesterday, a few = Fish Crows were mixed in with the American Crows, and two Black = Vultures. =20 Today I had a little better luck. Bob Ringler, Eric Gofreed, and I = spent a few hours at the Pomokey Creek/Bryans Road old sewage treatment = plant. On the way in we had a Cooper's Hawk (#93 for the year in the = county. My January goal is 100.). At the ponds we had a Fox Sparrow, = good numbers of White-throats (~50), and a few Song Sparrows. We also = had a few Yellow-rumped Myrtles and White-breasted Nuthatch. At the = Pomonkey Creek we had about 7 Black Duck, 5 Mallards, two Lesser Scaup, = and 6 Hooded Mergansers. There was some open water but after the next = cold snap, this is likely to become ice again. =20 We then went over to a small wetlands area off River Road where birds of = note were a single Red-headed Woodpecker, one Belted Kingfisher, Hairy = and Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Tundra Swans (?) vocalizing out on the = Potomac River out of sight. =20 Returning to my house, Eric and I spotted two Bald Eagles eating from a = deer carcass on the side of Mill Hill Road. We turned around and I got = some pretty close range shots of the adult. The second year bird flew a = bit away from the carcass, but I still took some shots of this bird. = The young bird appeared very white over all when I first saw it. =20 Picture this. An adult bald eagle staring at me with the rib cage of = the deer with red meat hanging from the bones. Bird on left, carcass on = right. White head, large bill, sharp eyes, black body and the bones. = Yesterday I had a red fox eating from the carcass but no camera. = Generally I have had five to seven Turkey Vultures and maybe a Black = Vulture at the body. =20 Tomorrow no birds except at the house, but maybe Barn Owl on Friday. = Rusty Blackbirds are still present at the house (at least 15). 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 =========================================================================