Moderately Big January
rick (rblom@blazie.com)
Sat, 6 Feb 1999 08:14:37 -0500
I cannot compete with Marshall Iliff's big January, but I ended the
month with 96 species. The difference is that they were all in Harford
County. I was not trying for a record and there are several easy species I
could have tracked down. Topping 100 is certainly possible. The highlights
were all three swans, all three white-winged gulls, and Common Black-headed
Gull.
So far I have added two in February, Lapland Longspur and Savannah
Sparrow, both in the Perryman area. I spent three hours in the wind walking
Canning House Road and saw 20-80 Horned Larks and 2-5 laonspurs, but the
birds moved a lot, the fields are huge, and the flocks were small, so I
cannot tell how many birds there were.
The large field on the right side of Chelsea Road, i/2 mile before
the entrance to the Sod Run Sewage Plant in Perryman, has woodcock
displaying over it every evening this week, with a high count of 12. There
are also Great Horned Owls calling at dusk there, but no Short-eared Owls,
which is why I was there.
I think the big year record for Harford County is about 205, held
by Dave Webb. I doubt I will be around enough to make a serious run at it,
but I think it is possible to get between 215-220 in a good year.
Rick
"A great many people now reading and writing would be better employed
keeping rabbits." Edith Sitwell
Rick Blom
rblom@blazie.com
4318 Cowan Place
Belcamp, Maryland 21017
(410)575-6086