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Subject:

Bestpitch Ruff - no

From:

Bob Mumford

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Date:

Tue, 7 Feb 2006 21:43:36 EST

I arrived at the pool of water east of Bestpitch at 2:30 and stayed for  
about an hour.  The only shore birds present were five Killdeer.  I  was not as 
lucky as Arlene.
 
While there the farmer who lives in the newish grey house just to the west  
drove up in his pickup truck to see what we were looking at (two Columbia  
birders, Dave and Marcus had arrived).  Howard Wagner looked perhaps like a  
typical Blackwater area curmudgeon, but was a nice, pleasant man,  interested in 
the bird.  I told him about the Ruff, how rare it is in the  Middle Atlantic in 
the winter, that it is a Eurasion bird, etc.  He and his  neighbor, also in 
the pickup, both took careful looks at the National Geo  pictures.  
 
Howard has about fifteen Martin houses in his backyard and told us that  they 
are filled each year starting in Mid-March.  He is obviously aware of,  and 
cares about, birds!  What a pleasant surprise from some of the other  recent 
rare bird location neighbors.  I certainly hope the Ruff appears  again.  If 
anyone finds it, you might knock on Howard's door and see if he  would like to 
take a look.
 
BTW, the Eurasian Wigeon was not a Horsehead; the Harlequin was not at  
Cambridge and I missed the pelicans at Blackwater.  The planets must not be  
alligned!
 
I did see and photograph two unusual looking Canada type geese at  
Blackwater.  They were perhaps four inches shorter than the nearby regular  Canadas, 
their chests appeared browner rather than pale grey, the bills were  shorter and 
the bottom of the black hood appeared straight, rather than angled  down to 
the rear.  Some of these characteristics could, of course, be  lighting, angle 
and their posture.  They appeared too large for  Cackling.  Anyone want to take 
a look, I will forward digitals.  My  film, with one right in front of a 
regular Canada will be back in a week.
 
Bob Mumford
Darnestown