Large, furry Raccoon last night at 8:45 at milepost 95 on Route 301 on the
west shoulder.

Rigby's Folly, Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, near
Bellevue.  Sunday, March 19, 2006.  8 A.M. - 3 P.M. only and most of that
not spent birding.  The big chop on the Choptank River means it is hard to
see whatever waterfowl are out there.  No gannets today.  They don't like a
strong, cold north or west wind here.  But they DO like some wind. 

WEATHER.  Sky:  clear.  Wind:  NW 15 - W 20.  Temperature in degrees F.: 
38-48.  Tide:  low becoming very low.  Ground condition:  extremely dry. 
Visibility:  would have been good except for abundant schlieren ("heat"
waves).  A cold, windy, but pretty day.

Highlight:  a group of 20 Redheads actively diving with 5 attendant
American Wigeon, the latter acting the way they do around swans, hoping to
pick up any grasses the divers drop.  First Redheads here in 2006.

1 Horned Grebe.  3 Bald Eagles, 2 adults & 1 immature.  110 Surf Scoters. 
12 Red-breasted Mergansers (courting).  2 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 ad. & 1
immie.  7 juncos.  2 Great Blue Herons.  80 Buffleheads.  Only 1 Common
Goldeneye.  2 Ospreys.  Mixed flock of 75 Common Grackles, 40 Red-winged
Blackbirds & 30 or so starlings.  Great Horned Owl calls just once c. 2:45
P.M. in broad daylight.  4 bluebirds acting territorial.  Only 1 Myrtle
Warbler.

Zero Tundra Swans.  They've moved out.  Unbelievable:  zero Canada Geese. 
They seem to leave earlier each year lately.  I can remember one day, an
April 30th, back in the 1970s before resident Canada Geese became an issue,
when there were over 1,000 "real" Canada Geese at Blackwater N.W.R. on that
late date. 

A Gray Sqirrel the only mammal.  No reptiles.

An Orange Sulphur working the edge of the yard.

Vorsythia, Hawthorns and Daffodils pretty far out as is local Quince.  As
usual if ones goes inland a ways, say to the Royal Oak area, all of these
are almost a week farther along than they are next to the still-cold Bay
waters.  I pick 12 daffodils to take home to Liz and Anne.  Six are all
that will fit in the neck of the Wild Goose beer bottles.  "You might be a
redneck if you give your wife a flower arrangement in a beer bottle."  Even
worse, place the bottles inside my white waterman's boots on the way home
to avoid spillage.  Flowering plants seem early this year.

'The force that through the green fuse drives the flower
Drives my green age; that blasts the roots of trees
Is my destroyer.
And I am dumb to tell the crooked rose
My youth is bent by the same wintry fever ...

And I am dumb to tell a weather's wind
How time has ticked a heaven round the stars." - Dylan Thomas.  

LEICA SCOPE TAKES THE PLUNGE.  Walking out the dock it suddenly disengages
from the tripod.  In disbelief I watch it FLOAT for a couple of seconds,
then jump in in my shoes to retrieve it.  Something has gone wrong with the
focus but it looks as if it didn't take on any of the salty water.  Cost as
much as my first car in 1964 (but not allowing for inflation).  Now, how to
get it fixed?  

NO-TILL.  John Swaine has me, as landowner, sign something that will have
the government give him some breaks for using no-till for the next five
seasons.  This year, for the first time in many years, he will plant corn. 
It has been several years since our fields have been ploughed or disked. 
Good!

Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA
19119-1225.  215-248-4120.  Please, any off-list replies to: 
harryarmistead at hotmail dot com  (never, please, to 74077.3176 ....)