Hi Everybody,

It may come as no surpise to anyone who has paid attention to weather forecasts, but Nancy and I have decided to postpone the planned coastal trip for the Kent County Bird Club until next Saturday - 29 January (with a snow date [heh] of 30 Jan). The weather maps suggest that this may be the type of storm New Englanders refer to as a "nor'easter"; this could portend more snow than currently forecast. At any rate we will re-load and meet people at the Dollar General lot across from the end of Spring St. at 8:00 AM on the 29th unless Old Man Winter keeps coming at us in earnest.

In lieu of the trip Nancy and I will be doing some poking around in northeast Kent County during or (more likely) after the storm in search of field birds forced to the road shoulders. These conditions can be spectacular for counting larks, Savannah Sparrows, and other sparrows, as well as great conditions for finding tree sparrow, Lapland Longspur, and Snow Bunting. We may lose all of the snow by the time of our so-called "Larkspur" trip (i.e. larks & longspurs) on 5 February. Anyone interested in joining us may give us a call at the number listed in our signature block. 

Good Birding,

Walter Ellison & Nancy Martin

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")

"Are there *ever* enough birds?" - Connie Hagar as quoted by Edwin Way Teale in "Wandering through Winter"