Hi Folks,

    Despite all water areas being frozen, Southwest Area Park was alive with
activity late this afternoon, mostly from sparrows picking up grit and
what-not along the partly exposed gravely road going back to the boat ramp.
While I haven't seen or heard a pheasant in dozens of visits since last
Spring, as I hiked around today there were pheasant tracks in the snow all
over the place.  I must have seen over a thousand, possibly thousands, of
foot impressions in the snow in three disparate locations within the park,
suggesting a still healthy population of these birds.  As I left the park, I
talked to a fellow who had been sitting in his car watching the wildlife for
over half an hour, and he reported seeing a hen RING-NECKED PHEASANT cross
the road near where the culverts go under the roadbed between the two
"ponds."  This all bodes well for the upcoming Balt. Co. Midwinter Count on
Saturday.

Today's birds:

N. HARRIER--1 hunting north of road to boat ramp
Cooper's Hawk--adult pair
Red-tailed Hawk--1
Killdeer--4
Ring-billed Gull--25 flybys
Herring Gull--1
Am. Crow--75
Fish Crow--2
Carolina Wren--1
Am. Robin--5
N. Mockingbird--1
Savannah Sparrow--14
FOX SPARROW--1
Song Sparrow--19
White-throated Sparrow--48
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW--2 imm
Red-winged Blackbird--250

Disappointing was the lack of Am. Tree Sparrows, which were quite regular
here last winter.

Stan Arnold
Glen Burnie