Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 13:59:27 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Michael Bowen Subject: Re: C & O Canal--miles 25 and 26 In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Ralph Wall's experience along Miles 25-27 of the C&O Canal during the C&O Canal winter count last Saturday closely parallels my own with respect to one species. I covered between Mileposts 40 and 44, a stretch that straddles the Montgomery-Frederick county border. In that 4-mile stretch I had 20 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (versus 23 Red-bellied and 18 Downies). Sapsuckers were rarely out of my hearing and I may have missed quite a few. Their soft "mews" were everywhere. There were hunters along my stretch of the river and the only ducks seen were 6 very wary Hooded Mergansers. Mike Bowen Bethesda At 08:26 AM 1/25/2004 -0500, Ralph Wall wrote: >The annual C & O Canal winter count yesterday (Sat., Jan.24) covering >miles 25 and 26 (which abut the Hughes Hollow area) produced some >surprisingly high counts of several wintering species, including 12 >Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, 6 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and 14 Brown >Creepers. > >Although the Potomac River was mostly frozen, the open water produced >seven duck species: 12 Black Duck, only 2 Mallards, 22 Lesser Scaup, 1 >Common Goldeneye, 12 Bufflehead, 11 Hooded Mergansers, and 5 Common >Mergansers. > >The highest count award went to American Crow. A raucous flock of an >estimated 500 individuals were spread throughout the trees, over the >ground, and on the river ice, a reassuring sign given the West Nile >Disease threat to this species. > >A total of 36 species were tallied by our three-man team. > >Ralph Wall >Great Falls, VA > > > > >======================================================================= >To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com >with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey >======================================================================= D. H. Michael Bowen (Mike) 8609 Ewing Drive Bethesda MD 20817-3845 Tel/Fax: (301) 530-5764 e-mail: dhmbowen@yahoo.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================