Hi All,

I did my first two miniroute surveys of the season down in Caroline County in the Goldsboro and Greensboro area along the Delaware line. Early during my Goldsboro SE route I encountered singing DICKCISSELS at stops three, four and five on the route and heard more through my car window between stops. I came back after my second miniroute to get a better feel for how many birds were present. All of the birds I located were singing males, some of whom got into chases as well as song-duels. The birds are southwest of Goldsboro on Union Rd at the intersection with Davis Rd, along Davis Rd, and along Bridgetown Rd in the direction of Bridgetown to the intersection with Wharton Rd. The fields in this area are hay, mostly orchard grass, with some brome. I counted at least *nine* DICKCISSELS in this area, there may have been as many as 11. 

Other highlights of the morning included VESPER SPARROWS on Jarrel Rd near its junction with MD-287, and on Drapers Mill Rd about a mile SW of Ervings Chapel. I also had two more Vesper Sparrows on my second route, but they were in the Delaware part of the block. I also had meadowlarks, and lots of Horned Larks, and Grasshopper Sparrows for the morning, but, sadly, no bobwhites. I had Louisiana Waterthrushes on the Choptank on MD-287, Prothonotary Warblers in two places (one in DE), Worm-eating Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, and Ovenbirds on three of my 30 total stops. There was also a YELLOW-THROATED VIREO, two Bank Swallows (passing through still?) and a rough-winged swallow near the (unpaved) beginning of Bridgetown Rd at the south end of Goldsboro. The total stops winner for the day was Chipping Sparrow, recorded on 21 of 30 stops.

Good Atlasing, 

Walter Ellison
MD-DC Atlas Coordinator - MOS
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"