Re: Gull bonanza at Patuxent WR - Nope
Julie Kelly (jfkelly@ibm.net)
Mon, 04 Jan 1999 01:08:34 -0500
Hey Folks,
Your gulls have all sounded so splendid, and the Wildlife Refuge obs.
location warm and inviting. Lured by the sun and warmer temps, I finally
was able to get out today (Sunday), though very late.
Got to the spot and -- *surprise!* -- not a gull in sight! Went outside to
check the lake from the dam area and still nothing but 4-5 Canadas. So I
explored the new-to-me walkway down to and over the muddy, ice-crusted
marsh. While trying to figure out a sparrow, I heard a Bald Eagle above
and turned my binos that way. OK, they're pretty common nowdays, but most
of all, they're gorgeous! Turning back to the sparrow(s), I saw something
larger. It was a Common Snipe -- again, maybe common for many of you, but
a treat for me, a "long time, no see" bird.
For about 20 - 25 minutes, I watched it through binos and scope as it
probed the mud for food. As dusk fell, it was harder to find with the
naked eye. What camoflage! Then as it headed across a rivulet, I saw it
join another snipe and they moved off into the dark.
I'll have to try for the gulls on another day. Do they prefer the rivers
for overnight, I wonder? (OK, I'll confess it was 4:35 pm when I arrived
today -- reeeally late!)
BTW, on my way out, while still in Kensington, there was a bird that flew
right across Univ. Blvd. in front of the car, an accipiter I'll wager, with
bands on the tail, one broader than the others and pale to white... And on
the B-way, a likely red-tailed overhead... It's been so very long since
I've been birding in the winter, I'm lucky to have made it to PWR in one
piece! Oh, I never did ID the sparrow...
Best to all this new year. May all your strike-outs still produce pleasant
surprises!
Julie Kelly
mailto:jfkelly@ibm.net
Kensington, Maryland