Western MD trip report
Miliff@aol.com
Mon, 1 Feb 1999 20:07:59 EST
Hello all,
Spent the weekend birding Garrett County with Jim Stasz and Greg Miller (a
recent convert to the more local and less expensive (and more fulfilling :-) )
pleasures of county listing.
We started off Saturday before dawn at Cranesville Swamp where it took us only
a couple minutes to elicit a response from a Saw-whet Owl. We enjoyed his
tooting for a good 20 minutes, and got good sound recordings of it, until dawn
approached and we headed for Swallow Falls. No finches there (got chickadee
and Red-breasted Nuthatch for my year list). From there we checked Herrington
Manor and then drove Snaggy Mt. Rd. where we kicked up a grouse (year bird).
We birded several Pleasant Valley sites looking for Rough-legged Hawk without
success but did have:
* 8 Black Vultures and 9 Turkey Vultures as they were getting up of a roost
near the Gortner Rd./Rte. 219 Intersection. We later saw 3 Black Vultures
from the pond on Smouse Rd. S of Loch Lynn Heights. Last March we had 4
Blacks and several Turkey vultures in northern mile of Blue Ribbon Rd., so
they may have taken up residence in the area. Black Vulture is (was?)
extremely rare in Garrett County.
* One male Lapland Longspur among 250 Horned Larks at a freshly manured field
at the intersection of Joni Miller and Paul Friend Rd.. As I recall, this is
the second county record.
Broadford Reservoir had a small open water patch that held 6 Redheads, 4
Greater and 8 Lesser Scaup, 13 Canvasbacks, 3 Bufflehead, 6 Ruddy Ducks, 4 A.
Wigeon, as well as several coots, Ring-necked Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, Black
Ducks, mallards, Canada Geese. Deep Creek Lake was frozen and the two open
patches had nothing different and few birds in general.
Our best bird was at New Germany S.P. where a Fish Crow flew over calling.
Sure surprised us! Later we had an adult Northern Goshawk roosting on a
treeline north of Grantsville (another year bird).
On Sunday we birded with Ray Kiddy in Allegany County. Best birds of the day
were a male Wood Duck and 2 Black Vultures at Rocky Gap (no other waterfowl
there except Mallards and Canada Geese), 2 Golden Eagles at Dan's Rock being
harassed by ravens, and a nice group of White-crowned Sparrows at Mexico
Farms.
As you might expect, we went finch-less for the whole weekend and I ended
Jauary without getting siskin, Purple Finch, grosbeaks, or anything better.
Best,
Marshall Iliff