Hi Folks,

Today six members of the Howard Co. bird club made the rounds of the
Columbia lakes and Triadelphia Reservoir to look for waterfowl.  The four
lakes of Columbia were underwelming, particularly Centennial, where
yesterday's nice collection of waterfowl had moved out.  However,
late-in-the-day visits to the Brighton Dam quarry (marginally viewed from
Springdale Drive--a residential area) and Triadelphia Reservoir saved us
with good varieties of ducks and grebes.  Triadelphia Reservoir was accessed
from Pigtail, Brighton Dam, and Greenbridge Rd.  We tallied 59 species for
the day, with 13 ducks and two grebes.  The list follows with the more
noteworthy birds in caps.

Canada Goose--everywhere
Mute Swan--1 (Lake Elkhorn)
Am. Wigeon--2-3 (Brendel's Pond, Union Chapel Rd.)
Am. Black Duck--4 (Brighton Dam)
Mallard--everywhere
N. Pintail--2 hens (Centennial Park)
Canvasback--1 drake (Centennial Park)
REDHEAD--1 drake (Springdale Drive quarry)
Ring-necked Duck--widespread (Lk Elkhorn, Cent. Pk, Wilde Lake, Springdale
Dr)
GREATER SCAUP--2 or 3 drakes (Springdale Dr)
Lesser Scaup--6 (Springdale Dr)
Bufflehead--1 drake (Greenbridge access to Triadelphia)
Hooded Merganser --6 (LE); 2 (Cent Pk)
Common Merganser--500-1000 (Triadelphia Res.)
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER--1 drake (Greenbridge)
HORNED GREBE--4 (Greenbridge)
RED-NECKED GREBE--1 (Greenbridge)
Great Blue Heron (3 on nests at Lake Kittimaquandi)
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
OSPREY--1 startling us with a close-by plunge into the water (Greenbridge)
Bald Eagle--1 adult and 2 juveniles (Greenbridge)
Red-shouldered Hawk (very vocal pair at L. Elkhorn)
Red-tailed Hawk
Am. Coot--2 (lake Elkhorn)
Ring-billed Gull--widespread
Herring Gull--1 adult (Wilde Lake)
GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL--1 adult (Lake Kitti.)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher--1 (Cent. Park)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy woodpecker
N. Flicker
E. PHOEBE--1 (Lake Elkhorn)
Blue Jay
Am. Crow
Fish Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet--just 1 (Cent. Park)
E. Bluebird
Am. Robin
N. Mockingbird
Eur. Starling
E. Towhee
FOX SPARROW--1 (Lake Elkhorn)
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco (Greenbirdge Rd., Mont. Co.)
N. Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird--1 female
House Finch
Am. Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Participants were Jo Solem, Kurt Schwarz, Bill and Gayle Hill, Tom Feild,
and Stan Arnold.

    While scouting for this trip yesterday (Friday, 11 March), I also saw:
TUNDRA SWAN--80 flying fairly low over Lake Elkhorn about 7:15 a.m.
Ring-necked Duck--over 100 at Brendel's Pond on Union Chapel Rd. (still
there today per Bill Hill)
AM. WOODCOCK--about a dozen at Annapolis Rock Rd., peenting, chattering,
flying, displaying from about 6:30 to about 6:50.

By the way, woodcocks have been very active and in good numbers at their
traditional haunts at UMBC and Southwest Area Park (both in Balt. Co.).

Stan Arnold
Glen Burnie