I think today's snow brought every bird within 5 miles to my feeders!  In 
addition to the usualy suspects, I had three unusual (for me) winter feeder 
birds today: BH Cowbird, RW Blackbirds (2), and an Eastern Towhee. The 
Towhee was in my feeder tree, but I never really saw him eat anything.

Other birds today:

Flicker
RB Woodpecker
Downy Woopeckers
White-thoated sparrows
House Sparrows
House finches
Tufted Titmouses (mice?)
BC Chickadees
Grackles
Cardinals
Juncos
...and mourning doves... and speaking of doves:

I have noticed that the mourning doves seem to swallow the safflower seeds 
without removing the shells.  Is this typical of doves?  I don't think I 
have seen other birds eat the seed whole.  Any dove experts out there?

Jenny



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Speicher, James (NIH/NIAID)" <>
To: <>
Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2005 2:01 PM
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Re Amused and Feeder Birds in S FRED Co


> As a native, born in DC, which, as everyone knows, is a suburb of MD, it's
> been my experience that it's the "transplants" who seem cause all the
> trouble on the roads during inclement weather here :)
>
> Seriously, as a sometimes hiking trip organizer, your first concern has to
> be the welfare of the people whom you have "invited" to attend your outing
> and may be put in harms way as a result.  Your second concern is to know 
> for
> a fact by canceling that someone (from Vermont?) isn't going to show up at
> the gathering site and be waiting in 6-foot snowdrifts for the rest of the
> group to gather.
>
> Be a little more tolerant of us Frank, you'll soon see that we are well
> adapted to our environment.  Also, since I live close enough to chuck a
> snowball your way, be ever vigilant  :)
>
> On a Feeder note:
> Three WP species (Downey, Flicker, & Red-bellied) this morning and now
> afternoon at the suet feeders
> Lots of sparrows, mostly house, but also W-throated
> W-crowned not seen today, but are around somewhere
> H finches
> Tufted T-mouse
> Cardinals
> B jays
> And a rare (for me) Carolina Wren
>
> Jim Speicher
> Jspeicher-at-niaid.nih.gov
> Rockville @work :(
> Broad Run_S. FRED Co @home :)
>
>
> Subject: Re Amused and Feeder Birds in S FRED Co
> From: Frank Boyle <ravenfrank AT EARTHLINK.NET>
> Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2005 05:00:49 -0500
>
> Hello All
>
> The recent string of mid-winter & other count postponements brings to mind
> why I miss New England...