Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 21:27:35 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "George M. Jett" Subject: Gone Birding 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 have been house bound for about two weeks with some surgery, and only = could work on the year yard list. New birds pickup up were Bald Eagle = -#45 (several days), and Herring Gull - #46 (March 1). =20 In an effort to restart my big Charles County fundraiser for the MD/DC = Atlas project, Eric Gofreed took me out to play today. We headed down = to the western side of Charles (Rt. 224) in search of Red-necked Grebe = (RNGRs) along the Potomac. Several had been reported recently from = Westmoreland Park in the evil empire of Virginia but in Maryland waters = (the Potomac). I wondered if I could see them from Riverside (opposite = Westmoreland on the river), MD. =20 No RNGRs but, we did find two Tree Swallows (# 111 in Charles this year) = at Purse's State Park, and a single Osprey( # 112) at Riverside. =20 Other birds of note were in generally a pretty quiet day: A nice kettle of Black (lots) and Turkey Vultures, one Bald Eagle, and = one Red-shouldered Hawk at the Port Tobacco Marina. Good numbers of Common Mergansers at Smallwood State Park (10), = Mattawoman Creek Road (35), and Riverside (6). We had a few Red-breasted Mergansers (6) at the end of Mattawoman Creek = Road, and one male at Riverside. One Cooper's Hawk at the turf farm on Rt. 228 Bald Eagles in a number of locations along Rt. 224 - look up there is = another one. Charles County has the second highest nesting population = of Bald Eagles and that was born out today. Two days ago at the house, = two adults were doing the talons/roll trick over the house. Cool! Killdeer calling at the Port Tobacco Marina. Red Headed Woodpeckers at Purse's State Park and Thorn Gut - adults. One Bluebird at Riverside. Yard birds of note this morning were three Rusty Blackbirds. The large = flock of ~110 have moved along. Three were first sighted on January 8. = I wonder if the remaining birds will lay in until March 8. They cost a = lot to feed, but was an excellent opportunity to study the vocalization = and plumages. I got some pictures as well and shared the flock with a = few. One male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, one Brown Creeper, and two = Ruby-crowned Kinglets are still enjoying the peanut butter tree. Hairy, = Downy, and Red-bellied are regular visitors to the peanut butter tree = and the split peanuts. The only other woodpecker species at the house = today was a Pileated. =20 Two Fox Sparrows remain, two Eastern Towhees, and one Song Sparrow share = the food with the Dark-eyed Junco and White-throated Sparrow. =20 The feed bill will be much less in March. Hoping to get out soon again, and enjoying the longer daylight hours and = warm weather. Regards 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 =========================================================================