Hello All,
        For anyone new to my "Oak Grove" posts, I will offer a little
introduction.  Oak Grove is located just on the Delaware side of the state
line between Seaford, DE and Federalsburg, MD.  I have a 50 acre farm that
straddles the line (2/3 of the property in MD, though the house is in DE).
I bird an area that is a one mile radius around the house and call that my
'home' circle.  The habitat is farm fields (mostly corn and soybeans) mixed
with woods (including one sizeable cutoff, partially in the circle) and is
bisected by the Maryland & Delaware RR (I walk the RR to access more
habitat).  I try to bird here every week and conduct a sort of a big year in
a small area.
        After almost completely missing sparrows (2 Field) on the Fall Count
last week, I was happy to find an influx of them this week with 5 species
represented.  Sunday morning's outing consisted of a walk around the
perimeter of the farm and adjacent stretches of the railroad.  I found 2
substantial feeding flocks.  The first was along the RR behind the old
canning house (adjacent to me to the south).  It contained at least 12 Blue
Grosbeak, 8 Indigo Bunting, 6 Chipping Sparrows, 2 Song Sparrows, goldfinch;
Hairy, Downy and Red-bellied WP and Flicker; 4 Yellowthroat, 2 Parulas and a
Palm (2 more Palm had been in the yard).  Large groups of Blue Jays overhead
numbered about 30.  Further down the RR toward the crossing of North Oak
Grove Rd, I found a single female Rose-Breasted Grosbeak that was not
associated with the flock.  It was rather skittish and wound up flying off,
leaving me with only enough look to identify, but not to enjoy.
Nevertheless, it was bird #141 for the year.
        The second large feeding flock was in the cutoff woods to the NW of
the farm (the cutoff borders Kinder Rd at the RR crossing, but this is
beyond my circle).  The first birds I found was a covey of Bobwhite that I
flushed from the edge of the RR.  Had I noticed them sooner, they would have
probably all walked across the tracks in front of me.  As it was, one female
had emerged into the open, I scared her and that scared the rest of them.
At least a dozen of them.  The first covey I have found since Feb '03 and
really nice to see.  Back to the big flock (which was further NW along the
RR) which contained approx 18 Blue Grosbeak; 25 ea. Chipping and Field Sp.;
2 Savannah Sp and a Swamp Sp (first of the season for each); 6 more Indigo
Bunting, 2 House Wrens, 3 more Yellowthroat and associated common birds.
The high numbers are estimates.  There were so many birds coming and going
that it was difficult to count.  Also seen from here were a immature male
Cooper's Hawk and an immature Bald Eagle.
        In all, 43 species for the day and some high counts for several
birds - Blue Jay (30), Blue Grosbeak (32), Chipping Sp. (42), Field Sp. (25)
and Indigo Bunting (14).

Good Birding,
Glen Lovelace III
Seaford, DE