If any of you are PG listers and don't have wild turkey yet, there has been
a flock (I counted 30 a few days ago) using a series of fields off Croom Rd
(SW side), between Croom Station Rd and Mt Calvert Rd.  Croom Road is not a
place you can stop and watch wildlife - there is no shoulder and traffic is
not high but it is steady.  This is strictly a drive-by opportunity.  They
are not always present there, but for about 3 weeks now they have normally
fed somewhere out in the fields at some point during the day.  These fields
are used by them every spring, but rarely are they visible there the rest
of the year.  The area is frequently hunted, and probably will be during
the spring season this year.  I notice them most often either at mid-
morning or mid- to late-afternoon.  The longest I have seen them out
feeding is only about 1.5 hours, so it is not a sure bet you'll see them.

The feeder/yard birds here have dropped abysmally in diversity.  Seems like
the winter passerines have all dissapeared except for white-throats and
juncos.  And now we have been invaded by common grackles and cowbirds,
which happens every year at this time.  It makes me question the value of
feeding at this time, at least around here.  These marauding pests can
empty our feeders in a matter of a few hours, and often do.  Despite their
seemingly euphoric and raucous behavior, they are quite nervous and often
flush in unison at almost any movement, but then very quickly return and
continue with the raucous feast.  There have been large flocks (some exceed
1,000) of grackles around here for the last couple weeks, but fortunately
only a fraction of them (about 100-125 birds) are using the feeders with
any regularity.  I wonder why they don't all come in to feeder stations?
It seems there are always 15-20 or more that simply hang out in the trees
while the others are rioting on the ground.  Maybe the ones in the trees
are scouts?  I look forward to them moving on, and the arrival of the
neotropic migrants!  Meanwhile I can stay amused watching for migrant
raptors (it's not in a spring flyway like Ft Smallwood, but we get a few
here) and water dependent birds (waders, waterfowl, grebes, loons, gulls,
etc.).

Jeff Shenot
Croom MD