Blackwater/Elliot's 2/9/98
Gail Mackiernan (GAIL@UMDD.UMD.EDU)
Tue, 10 Feb 98 08:55:49 EST
Barry and I went over to Blackwater NWR and Elliot's Island yesterday to
look for reported Ross's Geese and other birds. We timed it for afternoon
so as to be out on Elliot's marsh at dusk.
Unfortunately for seeing the Ross's, the huge Snow Goose flock was way out in
the middle of the open water and was impossible to scope even with the Questar.
They seemed very happy out there and never budged all afternoon. We were
interested to read on the log that a GOLDEN EAGLE is being seen regularly --
I can't recall hearing about this bird on the Voice or here on MDOsprey.
A note from Henry Armistead (on 1/29/98) noted it was "adult female" so it
must be a pretty big bird. We drove around all the back roads (Shorter's
Wharf, Egypt Rd., etc.) and although we saw over 30 Bald Eagles of all
plumages, never caught up with the Golden. There were lots of very distant
eagles perched out over the vast wetland so it would be easy to miss this
bird. The most recent sighting on the log was 2/8/98.
at the Linkwood feed facility -- many many gulls flying and in adjacent
fields but nothing out of the ordinary.
We found the road out to Elliot flooded in many places but passable -- although
with the spring tide the water seemed to be getting a bit deeper the longer
we stayed. In any case, we managed to see two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, one
a distant flying bird near Savannah Lake and another perched on a low pole
out beyond the boarded up clubhouse but before the derelict building. This
was a nice adult bird with attractive contrasty plumage. When we found it,
it was being mobbed by a SHORT-EARED OWL, another target species. The time
was around 5:30 pm. There were many NORTHERN HARRIERS about, including a
number of nice adult males, at one time we had a dozen in the air together.
Other birds included about a dozen Bald Eagles and a couple of Red-tails.
There were many Nutria along the verge of the road, driven out of the marsh
by flooding.
We left with water still flooding in over the road --
Cheers, Gail Mackiernan
gail@umdd.umd.edu