Date: Sun, 1 Feb 2004 09:26:27 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Norm Saunders Subject: Signs of Spring It certainly doesn't appear that any warming trends are on the horizon but it's now 42 days since the first day of winter and that means we're enjoying approximately 21 minutes more daylight per day than back on December 21. Is this enough to trigger physiological and behavioral changes in the birds we see? Well, here are a few possible indicators: 1. We've been hosting as many as 5 Fox Sparrows at our Worcester County feeders since Christmas. This weekend, for the first time this winter, we heard them singing. 2. Red-winged Blackbirds have been around all winter. Today I heard the first "conk-a-ree" of the year. 3. Yesterday Fran and I were watching gulls feeding on the rocks where the old railroad bridge used to come ashore in Ocean City, next to the Coast Guard base. We noted two Herring Gulls that appeared to be in full breeding plumage--pure white heads, bright yellow bills, very strongly marked gonydeal spots. 4. Finally, we spent all day yesterday riding around Worcester, Somerset, and Wicomico Counties looking for birds. We didn't turn up a single Snow Goose all day long. Are they already flocking up and moving up the coast? Anyone else have some (welcome) signs of spring to report??? Norm & Fran Saunders ================================= Norman C. Saunders Colesville & West Ocean City, MD marshhawk@att.net ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================