GREAT DAY IN HARFORD COUNTY!!!
rick (rblom@blazie.com)
Sat, 17 Apr 1999 21:30:26 -0500
I spent two hours at midday standing on the small grassy hill in
front of my house in Riverside today. There was a reasonably good, small
hawk flight going on (and I'm an idiot for not getting out earlier). The
view to the south and west is unobstructed and I have suspected that it
would be possible to get regular hawk flights here in the spring. This is
the first day that I tried, spurred by the record day at Ft. Smallwood
recently.
A lot of birds other than hawks were also flying (see list). This
may be the best placed hawk watch in Maryland: At a normal pace it takes me
12 seconds to walk from where I watch to my kitchen and the coffee pot.
Common Loon 16
Double-crested Cormorant 365
Great Blue Heron 14
Great Egret 1
Black Vukture 8
Turkey Vulture 23
Osprey 12
MISSISSIPPI KITE 1
Bald Eagle 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk 48
Red-shouldered Hawk 3
Broad-winged Hawk 265
Red-tailed Hawk 7
American Kestrel 9
Black-bellied Plover 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 4
unidentified shorebirds 14
swallows 100s plus at least one of each Maryland
species
except Cliff.
Details on the Mississippi Kite, which is notably early, will
follow when I have the time to transcribe my notes. The kite is a county
bird for me, number 282, not counting for the moment, Slaty-backed Gull and
Trumpeter Swan. The kite put on a remarkable show, in view for nearly ten
minutes, watched most of the time through the scope.
I doubt tomorrow will be as good but I expect to give it a try, but
earlier this time.
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