Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2004 15:51:31 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Les Roslund Subject: Some Talbot County Birds in the Snow In-Reply-To: <5.2.0.9.2.20040127113452.04022580@popd.ix.netcom.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The five inches of snow in my part of Talbot County brought a good showing of birds to the feeders. Twenty-six species came to get listed = on my Feeder Watch report for the 25th and 26th. White-throats (60+) and Juncoes (32) topped the list of the 'favored' birds, but there were also hordes of Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles. Today, after Feeder Watch days were over, a Brown Thrasher showed up at one feeding site, along with four Male Towhees. One Red-winged Blackbird showed up adorned in highly unusual plumage. At first I thought it might be a sick bird that did not manage = to keep the snow and ice off. Then, when the bird came closer, it turned = out to be wearing a totally mixed coat feathers, about as many were pure = white as were pure black. The tail was totally white, and held stiffly, as = those of the surrounding set of female redwings. The surrounding males were holding their tails in a rather limp and lowered fashion. But this bird = was male, as shown by a trace of a red bar on each wing. I had hoped the = bird might have been a Yellow-head, for it had tiny yellow patches above each eye, as shown in part for female Yellow-heads, but I am now confident = that it is merely a strangely plumaged male Red-wing, probably a first year = bird. Elsewhere in the neighborhood, there was one White-crowned Sparrow along the lane at Pickering Creek, along with many White-throats. A = dozen Horned Larks were beside Longwoods Road, and Killdeer were at the = roadside several places. On the waters of Leeds Creek, a large open water place = has been retained by the geese. Right now about 4000 are gathered there, = along with the previously reported set of ducks. Additional ducks yesterday included three Ring-necks. And the single Pine Siskin continues to feast from the feeder. 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 =========================================================================