Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2004 20:02:04 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "George M. Jett" Subject: Charles County Today - Rough-legged Hawks and more! 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 I got some well appreciated help today while continuing to work on the = big Charles Co. year list for the Atlas Project. Stan Arnold, Mike = Burchett, Matt Hafner, Bill Hubick, Jim Stasz, and Gwen (that's Brewer), = and I spent about six hours freezing our buns off and checking a few key = spots. =20 I had a list of target birds. Rick Blom had many years ago asked if I = had ever had a Rough-legged Hawk at Allen's Fresh. I never had - until = today. Two carloads of crazed listers and Gwen met on Allens Fresh Road = about 9 AM. An odd dark buteo flew ahead of us into a tree on the left = side of the road. It puzzled us at first until it flew - a dark morph = Rough-legged Hawk (#101). I got a rush since this was one of my target = county birds this year, and in the location I had hoped to find it. = Rick was right. A few attempt at getting pictures did not produce much. = Tomorrow when the crazed are gone. While I was securing permission to enter a farm from the property owner, = Jim, Matt and Mike were checking out the Field Sparrow flock and found = an adult Chipping Sparrow. E. Meadowlarks, a Brown Thrasher, and some = other species were in the mixed flock I missed. The Chipping Sparrow = will come. Some had also picked up American Pipits there. The hawk was = beautiful. =20 Being very cold but pleased, we headed into the farm that borders = Allen's Fresh on the east side. I had had Tree Sparrows earlier in = January, one of Matt's target birds, so we headed off. We soon found = several Northern Harriers, one Cooper's Hawk, one Sharp-shinned Hawk, = and one American Kestrel. Barn Owls nest on this property, but were not = to be found today. We also picked up Red-headed Woodpecker, a lifer = for one. We missed Pileated Woodpecker today, the only one of the = local seven woodpecker species. Good numbers of Savannah Sparrow were = around and a couple Swamp Sparrows. Heading over to the reliable Tree Sparrow spot, we flushed an American = Bittern (#102). This was a total surprise at this time of the year in = the frozen wetland, and not on the target list. Even more pleased, we = proceeded and found the Tree Sparrows for the listers. We had another = Sharp-shinned Hawk fly by at the Tree Sparrow spot. =20 While in the farm, we also kicked up a light phase Rough-legged Hawk. = What a day! After 30 years of birding in Charles Co., I finally find = Rough-legged Hawk - both morphs in a single day. I think the weather = has a lot to do with this situation. It has been very cold and snowy up = north this year, so the species has moved further south than normal. If = you would like to see Rough-legged Hawks, get out to the right habitat = and start looking. The right habitat is large open areas and often near = wetlands. =20 We next went to the Harry Nice Bridge to look for Great Cormorant. Fair = numbers of DC Cormorants and a few Ducks, but no Great Cormorants. The = Ducks contained both Lesser and Greater Scaup (#103). This day has = turned out to be better than I had expected. It even got Jim out of the = woodwork. =20 We then headed to the Charles Co. Landfill to see if the 1st winter = Glaucous Gull was still present. Some needed it for a county bird, and = some needed for a lifer. Both categories were satisfied. Matt picked = the bird out of the garbage quickly before Jim and I could (or wanted = to) get out of the car. That done, I instructed Matt to find me a = Lesser Black-backed Gull. We had two Greaters, and in short order Matt = said "I got one." The bird was partially obstructed by several Herring = Gulls, but the head and tail were exposed. The bird was a 3rd year = plumaged animal, with part of the lower mandible being pale, and the = legs still pink (not yellow as in adult). # 104. =20 Pretty much frozen by now, some headed back to Calvert Co. via our house = (looking for Rusty Blackbirds), and some headed to Benedict to look for = Horned Larks. The earlier report from the Stasz entourage had not = located the larks which I'd had on Wednesday. We went anyway because = Stan and Bill needed Coot and Canvasbacks. We found two coots and large = collection of canvasbacks, as well as Ruddy ducks, a pair of Common = Goldeneye, a couple Scaup, and Mallards. Stan exclaimed that "with this = many Can's, there must be a Redhead Duck". He was right. #105 for the = month. There were actually several, but all you need is one. Along the = way we picked up at least six Bald Eagles at various locations. At = Benedict we watched while an adult and 2 young birds fought over and = took apart a Ruddy Duck. With Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawk along = the way, a pretty good raptor day as well. =20 We were pleased and considered looking for the elusive Charles Co. Rock = Pigeons, but considering the time and the fact that I had not had my nap = yet, went back to our house in Waldorf. Once at the house we studied = the 100 + Rusty Blackbirds and waited for Hairy Woodpecker, = White-breasted Nuthatch, and Fox Sparrows that have been around. Stan = and Bill considered the late hour, thought about the crab soup at = Sandgates, and decided to head south. Before leaving, they were = delighted with the Ruby-crowned Kinglet display at the suet (beef fat) = feeder before they left though. I don't know what Jim, Matt and Mike = found when they stopped at the house on their way to Calvert. Perhaps = something better. After all left three Fox Sparrows, Hairy Woodpecker = and White-breasted Nuthatch did show.=20 All in all, a pretty successful day. Thanks to all for the help and = comradery. =20 What will February bring? My target was to get to 120 by the end of = February. That may be accomplished more easily with today's result. Regards to all and hoping for warmer weather. 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 =========================================================================