Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 20:55:17 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Lee-Ann Taylor Subject: woodies out back - more novice excitement MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable As long as novices are not being sneered at, I saw my first-ever wood = ducks, 3 pair, today from my kitchen window. WOW are they stunning to behold. Behind my home, for the past year, I've had what I refer to as my new = 'waterfront property'. =20 The beaver lodge is visible from my kitchen window. The beavers dammed = up a storm=20 water management pond overflow mechanism and the water from a former = creek rose=20 about 4 feet winter/spring 2002/03. Lots of interesting things have occurred since then including home owner disagreements about what-to-do. = After fighting with public works to try to save the trees early last spring, followed = by the beavers who had been drowned out of their previous lodge, building on higher ground, I've decided to = just=20 enjoy it for however long it lasts (I have offered to apply for grant = money related to managing wildlife/watershed/marshland in human habitat communities which might = allow us to build a=20 decking replacement for the walkway that is now underwater and a major = complaint of some=20 of our community homeowners). In January I also saw my first-ever Hooded Mergansers - also a 'WOW how = cool are they'! You can see my level of competency is about at the 'not a mallard' stage = wrt the ducks :~) As in 'oh, that's not a mallard, what could it be?' Last summer we had a family of Green Herons nesting, and the shift in = ecology has assisted in the restoration of my birding interest. I have my eyes/ears out for any = herons to come this year so they can be atlased. lee-ann, enjoying mostly lurking in this fun and interesting mdosprey = community, and yes, I did place a vote in the Lsoft contest.=20 location Close to Old Bowie, MD (nearer Glendale & NASA than what folks = consider Bowie) =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=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 =========================================================================