BC Chickadee retraction

GREGORY.B.MILLER@bge.com
Mon, 2 Feb 1998 08:00:48 -0500 

     To all,

     Yesterday I posted a report from Liberty Watershed of a BLACK-CAPPED
     CHICKADEE.  Unfortunately, I did *NOT* refer to my Maryland Yellow
     Book before posting publicly, and did not realize how unusual this
     species was in Maryland.  Additionally, the identification of
     Black-capped vs. Carolina Chickadees is difficult at best.  It is the
     source of much wrangling among birders in many places.

     I grew up birding in Northeastern Ohio where the BC Chickadee is a
     regular, even though Carolinas still outnumber them.  In Ohio, I would
     have stood by my ID with reasonable assurance, but here, out of range,
     I will retract it.  I do not have the bird in hand, do not have a
     photograph, and possess no sound recordings.  I apologize to this list
     for the hasty post.

     good birding,

     Greg Miller,
     Lusby, MD