Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2004 19:39:50 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "George M. Jett" Subject: Charles County Birds Today and Atlas Challange Comments: To: SMAS Comments: cc: Miliff@aol.com, blkvulture@aol.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Folks Mike Callahan and I went cleaning Barn Owl boxes in the Allen's Fresh, = Charles Co. area. Mike has been trying to establish Barn Owls in the = country for a couple of years. Last year we had two successful nests. = Thanks Mike. =20 While waiting at the barn for Mike to arrive, I spisshed up a single = American Tree Sparrow (# 94 for my big Charles Co. year). When Mike = arrived at the scheduled 10 AM time, we set the ladder on the barn, and = out flew an adult Barn Owl (#95). We cleaned one box and set up another = at another barn. =20 On leaving the area, several birds sprang from the fields near the paved = road. Mike had gone out ahead of me. He stopped, got out of the van, = and yelled Meadowlark. I stopped and looked right to see an Eastern = Meadowlark flying across the field (# 96). Approaching the paved road, = several more EAME took flight with the European Starlings. A pretty = good day I would say. Returning home, very pleased you can imagine, I saw two Starlings near = the suet feeder on the deck. Several Rusty Blackbirds were feeding in = the back and suddenly all bolted. I looked up to see an adult (probably = female) Sharp-shinned Hawk take off from the tree tops. I could see the = notch in the center of the tail clearly, the rufous-banded breast, and = the nice banding in the tail as she soared over me. She circled several = times and headed east. Number 97 for the year. My goal is 100 for = January, maybe 250 for the year in the county. The Atlas Challenge: Why do a big year? It's fun if you don't become obsessed with it. I've = waited a long time to do a big year, and about a year ago decided I = would do the big year in the county as part of a fundraiser for the = Maryland/DC Breeding Bird Atlas project. I decided to donate $1 for = each species I identified during the calendar year 2004. To raise more = money I thought I might offer this. Any other that would like to match = my efforts per species (at any level - 10 cents per species or higher), = would help fund this worthy cause. Some of us did something like this = when Jim Stasz went after the total tick count last year. I offer the = same opportunity to folks reading this message. Many of you cover = blocks and are aware of the need for this project. It needs money, and = a challenge is just another way to help fund the project. A reasonable = goal for this challenge is $1000. Let me know if you are interested in = participating. =20 I was told by the late Rick Blom that three days per week of serious = birding in Charles County could yield 250 species in a year. My best = year of part-time birding has been 212. Maybe 250 is too high and, = perhaps a more modest goal (like Jim Stasz's life list, around 235 I = think) would be more realistic. I have had a fine start and will try = for 250 species and hope others will help me fund the atlas project with = this silliness. I might also learn something about the birds of Charles = County and find that great warbler fallout spot that has eluded me for = 25 plus years. Stay warm. George=20 One post script. On Wednesday, January 14 while birding with Bob = Ringler and Eric Gofreed, we had 100 plus Cedar Waxwings on River Road, = Charles Co. =20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=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 =========================================================================