Hello Birders,

While birding in the Granite Area of Patapsco Valley State Park today I had
a Woodcock flew from in front of me and landed only yards away ...or so I
thought. The woodcock stayed low the ground moving it¹s wings like mourning
dove attempting to land. It appeared to stop just over a small hill but I
could not relocate it from the hilltop. Just before I turned away, I thought
I heard snickering from  under a small spruce.

The Ravens were spotted from an opening fairly deep into the park. Two bird
chased after each other and called with a wonderful and strange cry ­ a
single syllable that sounded like ³kwaank,² with a ringing bell quality.
Flying in circles, they often rolled, dove and appeared [to me] to be
enjoying a game. This show lasted twenty minutes before they drifted off to
the South.

Other highlights included the six woodpecker (Pileated, Northern Flicker,
Red-bellied, Yellow-bellied, Hairy, Downy), and six sparrow species
(Savannah, Field, White-throated, Fox, Swamp, Song). A single Hermit Thrush
was very nice.

Granite Area 
    2  Black Vulture
    4  Turkey Vulture
  16  Canada Goose 
    1  Red-shouldered Hawk
    1  Red-tailed Hawk
    1  American Woodcock
    4  Mourning Dove
    5  Northern Flicker
    9  Red-bellied Woodpecker
    1  Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
    3  Hairy Woodpecker
    5  Downy Woodpecker
    3  Pileated Woodpecker
  11  Blue Jay   
  10  American Crow
  10  Carolina Chickadee
  22  Tufted Titmouse
    3  Red-breasted Nuthatch
    3  White-breasted Nuthatch
    4  Brown Creeper
  12  Carolina Wren
    2  Northern Mockingbird
    2  American Robin
    1  Hermit Thrush
    5  Eastern Bluebird
    9  Golden-crowned Kinglet
  24  Cedar Waxwing
  44  Northern Cardinal
    6  American Goldfinch
    3  Eastern Towhee
  15  Slate-colored Junco
    9  Field Sparrow
186  White-throated Sparrow
    1  Fox Sparrow 
    2  Swamp Sparrow
  62  Song Sparrow 

Hernwood Area
  5  Black Vulture 
  8  Turkey Vulture
  2  Red-tailed Hawk
  2  Mourning Dove 
  1  Great Horned Owl
  1  Northern Flicker
  2  Red-bellied Woodpecker
  2  Hairy Woodpecker
  2  Downy Woodpecker
  2  Blue Jay   
12  American Crow  
  5  Carolina Chickadee
  5  Tufted Titmouse
  6  White-breasted Nuthatch
  2  Carolina Wren 
  3  Northern Mockingbird
  7  Eastern Bluebird
  8  Northern Cardinal
  4  Savannah Sparrow
11  Slate-colored Junco
28  White-throated Sparrow
  2  Song Sparrow  

Keith Eric Costley

Randallstown, Baltimore County, MD