[MDOsprey] "The Bird Who Snagged Me"
Phil Davis (pdavis@ix.netcom.com)
Wed, 25 Aug 1999 21:49:39 -0400
All -
Tried a hunch yesterday ... didn't work out, but thought I'd relay it to
you anyway ...
Called the DC Metropolitan Police Harbor Patrol HQ at Water Street,
SE. Hoped I'd be able to talk to a patrol officer who would know
instinctively whether the "snags" are in MD or DC.
Probably got a desk officer ... once I convinced him I was not trying to DO
anything TO the pelican ... rather, just WATCH it ... he became more
cooperative. He pulled out his map and explained to me that the boundary
runs from from Jones Point to Fox Ferry Point (TA DAH!).
He said so if you stand at Jones Pt and look at Fox Ferry Point, if the
snags are on your right, they are in MD, on your left, they are in DC.
So, while this is not a news flash, it makes me think more and more that
the snags are in MD waters. [Again, I have not been back to Jones Pt to
test any of these hypotheses).
I asked my friendly gendarme if I happen to stop by Harbor Patrol HQ if I
could look at his map ... thinking it might show some depth gradients ...
he said "sure", but it's the same map you can buy at a nautical store ... hmmmm
I noted to Sherm the other day that the annotated photo (from the Microsoft
Terraserver web site) I sent to Fran and she, in turn, posted on the MOS
web site, shows light and dark pixels where "I think" the snags are ... and
this location appears to be clearly in MD waters. We do not know when the
photo was taken, however.
DC birders -- are these snags indeed stationary from year to year?
BTW, the bird has now been well seen in MD, DC, VA waters. So, you realize
this has just become a game of mental gymnastics (or something ...)
Not so briefly after all,
Phil
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Phil Davis
home: PDavis@ix.netcom.com Davidsonville, Maryland USA
work: PDavis@OAO.com Greenbelt, Maryland USA
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