Harney Road Excursion

Roger Stone (rogs@erols.com)
Sat, 29 Aug 1998 21:55:28 -0400 

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Howdy All,

Yesterday (Friday) I took the trip up to Emmitsburg to check out the =
Harney Road Ponds.  Many thanks to Ottavio, Wilbur and Norm for the =
great directions!  However....instead of coming up Route 15, I came over =
on Route 140 from Westminster.  Then the "D'oh" factor kicked-in!  =
Somewhere along the way was a small sign that I thought said Harney =
Road.  (It actually must have said Taneytown....uh, see the similarity?) =
 And along THAT road was a sign for Mason-Dixon Road (as opposed to "the =
Mason-Dixon sign".)  It seemed to be on the wrong side of the road, so I =
reversed all your directions in the e-mails and spent half an hour =
searching for, and not finding, all your landmarks.  (And cursing you =
soundly!)  Finally, I gave up and went over to Route 15, dropped south =
about five miles, found the real Harney Road and drove right up to the =
ponds (retracting all my curses along the way!)

First I went to the Mason-Dixon elevated pond where I ran into a nice =
fellow-birder named John who helped me locate my life Pectoral =
Sandpiper.  We also had Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer and Semipalmated =
Plovers, and at least two of the peeps.  At one point John spotted what =
we thought was a Virginia Rail, but it disappeared into the tall grass =
before we could get a positive ID on it.  It reappeared, but only =
briefly.  (More on this bird (?) later.)  Then John had to leave and I =
spent a while trying to sort out the peeps at a distance - and not =
relocating the Rail.  ( I still haven't positively identified a Western =
SP.)

Eventually I left and went over to the farm with the smaller pond, which =
appears tragically dry and cracked.  Didn't have as much luck there.  =
Only Killdeer, SP Plovers, one Spotted SP, and two peeps.  I almost had =
one of them turned into a Baird's, until he moseyed over next to the =
other and turned back into a darned Least.  (I think.....  I suppose =
they could have both been Baird's, but I'm not confident enough to make =
that call.)

Then I went back to the big pond, where I saw a bunch more Pectorals, =
along with the Yellowlegs and peeps and several Wood Ducks, a couple of =
which were in autumn eclipse plumage.  (Oooh!)  Of course I kept looking =
for the Rail, and finally found a bird in exactly the same location.  =
But instead of being a Rail, this bird had to be a juvenal Sora - small =
round bird, with a short, thick yellow bill.  (Same bird or not?  =
Hmmm....)  After a couple of minutes it disappeared in the same =
direction the earlier bird had gone.  (But it WAS another lifer!)  Also =
saw what must have been Bobolinks popping up, then disappearing down =
into the tall grass.

So all in all a pretty nice outing -- a nice assortment, two definite =
life-birds, and potentially two more!

Oh!  For anyone who knows me -- Thursday night I finally saw my first =
Nighthawks, circling over  the Amoco station in Sandy Spring, MD!!  =
Travelling down 108 I saw what looked to be a huge Chimney Swift.  =
"Could it be, could it be???"  I almost wiped-out an entire line of =
traffic <g> as I made an abrupt left turn, squealed into the station, =
stopped the car at a 45-degree angle, jumped out of the car, =
(frantically whipping the lens caps off my binocs), and stared straight =
up into the sky.  The woman on the pay phone ten feet away must have =
have  thought I was nuts!  (And she might not be far wrong.)  But there =
it was, fluttering overhead, where it was joined by another, then =
another, then another.....  There must have been at least ten of the =
beauties in good light circling right over my head -- magnificent!!

If you're still with me...happy birding to you!

Roger Stone
Germantown, MD

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Howdy All,
 
Yesterday (Friday) I took the trip up to = Emmitsburg to=20 check out the Harney Road Ponds.  Many thanks to Ottavio, Wilbur = and Norm=20 for the great directions!  However....instead of coming up Route = 15, I came=20 over on Route 140 from Westminster.  Then the "D'oh" = factor=20 kicked-in!  Somewhere along the way was a small sign that I thought = said=20 Harney Road.  (It actually must have said Taneytown....uh, see the=20 similarity?)  And along THAT road was a sign for Mason-Dixon Road = (as=20 opposed to "the Mason-Dixon sign".)  It seemed to be on = the wrong=20 side of the road, so I reversed all your directions in the e-mails and = spent=20 half an hour searching for, and not finding, all your landmarks.  = (And=20 cursing you soundly!)  Finally, I gave up and went over to Route = 15,=20 dropped south about five miles, found the real Harney Road and drove = right up to=20 the ponds (retracting all my curses along the way!)
 
First I went to the Mason-Dixon elevated pond = where I=20 ran into a nice fellow-birder named John who helped me locate my life = Pectoral=20 Sandpiper.  We also had Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer and = Semipalmated=20 Plovers, and at least two of the peeps.  At one point John spotted = what we=20 thought was a Virginia Rail, but it disappeared into the tall grass = before we=20 could get a positive ID on it.  It reappeared, but only = briefly. =20 (More on this bird (?) later.)  Then John had to leave and I spent = a while=20 trying to sort out the peeps at a distance - and not relocating the = Rail. =20 ( I still haven't positively identified a Western SP.)
 
Eventually I left and went over to the farm = with the=20 smaller pond, which appears tragically dry and cracked.  Didn't = have as=20 much luck there.  Only Killdeer, SP Plovers, one Spotted SP, and = two=20 peeps.  I almost had one of them turned into a Baird's, until he = moseyed=20 over next to the other and turned back into a darned Least.  (I=20 think.....  I suppose they could have both been Baird's, but I'm = not=20 confident enough to make that call.)
 
Then I went back to the big pond, where I saw = a bunch=20 more Pectorals, along with the Yellowlegs and peeps and several Wood = Ducks, a=20 couple of which were in autumn eclipse plumage.  (Oooh!)  Of = course I=20 kept looking for the Rail, and finally found a bird in exactly the same=20 location.  But instead of being a Rail, this bird had to be a = juvenal Sora=20 - small round bird, with a short, thick yellow bill.  (Same bird or = not?  Hmmm....)  After a couple of minutes it disappeared in = the same=20 direction the earlier bird had gone.  (But it WAS another = lifer!) =20 Also saw what must have been Bobolinks popping up, then disappearing = down into=20 the tall grass.
 
So all in all a pretty nice outing -- = a nice=20 assortment, two definite life-birds, and potentially two more!
 
Oh!  For anyone who knows me -- Thursday = night I=20 finally saw my first Nighthawks, circling over  the Amoco station = in Sandy=20 Spring, MD!!  Travelling down 108 I saw what looked to be a huge = Chimney=20 Swift.  "Could it be, could it be???"  I almost = wiped-out an=20 entire line of traffic <g> as I made an abrupt left turn, squealed = into=20 the station, stopped the car at a 45-degree angle, jumped out of the = car,=20 (frantically whipping the lens caps off my binocs), and stared straight = up into=20 the sky.  The woman on the pay phone ten feet away must have = have =20 thought I was nuts!  (And she might not be far wrong.)  But = there it=20 was, fluttering overhead, where it was joined by another, then another, = then=20 another.....  There must have been at least ten of the beauties in = good=20 light circling right over my head -- magnificent!!
 
If you're still with me...happy birding to=20 you!
 
Roger Stone
Germantown, MD
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