Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 20:32:36 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Sherry Peruzzi Subject: Centennial Park (Howard Cty.) Comments: cc: Ken Board MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Ken and I walked around Centennial Lake in the late afternoon, and were pleased to see our first Tree Swallows of the year -- a flock of about 20 was swooping over and around the lake, especially on the south shore from the boat launching ramp to the dam. The Blue-winged Teal pair reported by Kurt is still there, as is the Northern Pintail pair. There were Pied-billed Grebes at the deep end near the dam (1) and opposite the concession dock (2), and 2 American Coots in the wildlife management area. An Eastern Phoebe, which we'd first seen last Wednesday (3/24), was again hawking insects from the same tree at the Frog Pond (the seasonal pond on the north side near the dam, which has been larger this spring than I'd ever seen it). The Fish Crow pair that has been in the woods above the concession dock rest rooms for the last month or so is still there -- we heard them in that location, and also saw a pair of Fish Crows (perhaps the same pair?) flying from the lake across Centennial Lane toward the northwest. The FICR is only a Possible in my atlas block, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll cooperate and let me upgrade them this year. Red-winged Blackbirds were all over the place, claiming territories and trying to outdo each other displaying their red epaulets. We were amused watching one displaying from the top of a flagpole on the paddleboat dock. We also heard frogs at the Frog Pond whose trills sounded exactly like an alien space ship in a low-budget science fiction movie. Does anyone know what species that is? Sherry nightheron =at= despammed =dot= com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================