As a researcher at USDA that has grasshopper sparrows in our research fields (don't know if they nest in corn or other fields), I would be interested if Danny could provide additional information either to the list or include me in the distribution list.  Thanks.



Michel A. Cavigelli
Research Soil Scientist
Sustainable Agriculture Systems Lab
USDA-ARS, BARC
Bldg 001, Rm 140
10300 Baltimore Ave
Beltsville, MD 20705

(301) 504-8327 phone
(301) 504-8370 fax

>>>  05/28/04 01:32PM >>>
danny poet wrote:
>
>            Hi all   yesterday at work during  lunch some of the guys
> mentioned  a ground sparrow nest in the corn field they had been working in
> . they marked the location and told me about it .  As  this part  part of
> the grounds  is in my Queenstown  southeast   Atlas block tha covers most of
> Wye Island. I decided io check it out  after work .  turns out it was  a
> Grasshopper Sparrow nest with 4 eggs .  delighed with this find  I decied
> to do a quick check of wye Island  also found a carolina wren sitting on
> eggs  in a bluebird box . Other birds seen  were  a Scarlet tanager male ,
> Red - bellied  woodpecker,   Yellow billed cuckoo ,    bluebirds , osprey,
> Happy birding   Danny Poet   Qeenstown  Md    
>
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Danny - that is a very good find! GRSP nests are seldom discovered, even
when the birds are tracked carefully. And if they can successfully nest
in a cornfield under the right conditions, that would be valuable
information in figuring farming strategies they could live with. If you
have any more details, please reply off-line.

Fred Fallon