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Subject:

Atlas season shifts to 3rd gear

From:

Walter Ellison

Reply-To:

Maryland Birds & Birding

Date:

Fri, 7 May 2004 15:16:52 -0400

Hi Everybody,

May is here and many birds have started nesting or arrived and started to defend their breeding territories. This is rendered obvious by the regular sights of robins, grackles and other early nesters fetching and carrying victuals for their nestlings. Nancy and I have noticed several species' fledglings over the last week including baby cardinals giving their two-note twitter, Canada goslings, and wing-quivering little House Finches. Barn Swallows are collecting mud from puddles for their adobe haciendas, and we caught sight of a female yellowthroat (where males have been singing for two weeks) sneaking around with a few wisps of grass in her bill.  By May 10 there will be 66 species in safe dates, but far more species are showing breeding behavior before their appointed safe dates. One fun way to obtain an NB code for Tree Swallows that my companion Nancy taught me could work for others - take a feather (say a chicken feather from a down pillow) and toss it into the air near a pair of Tree Swallows. More often than not one of the birds will sweep up the falling feather out of the air to take it to its nest hole. Now is a good time to explore your block and find where newly arrived birds appear to be staking a claim and to look for the first few confirmations of the 2004 nesting season.

Good Atlassing,

Walter Ellison
MD-DC Atlas Coordinator - MOS
23460 Clarissa Road
Chestertown, MD 21620
phone: 410-778-9568
e-mail: 

"A person who is looking for something doesn't travel very fast" - E. B. White (in "Stuart Little")

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