Hello All,
	As previously reported, I found a Lark Sparrow on my farm Saturday morning (9/30).  When first found, I flushed from some small pines a the corner of the woods across the railroad track that border the farm.  I heard an unfamiliar heavy chip note, but I got too close before finding it and it flushed.  It perched in a tree where I got a half decent, but somewhat obscured view of it.  The main field mark I could see was a heavy malar stripe combined with an unstreaked chin and chest.  And I am thinking 'what else does that equal other than Lark Sparrow?'  The bird bounced to the next tree where I promptly lost it.  I sat and waited for 20 minutes with no bird, so I moved on.  I went back to the pond and about the 3rd bird to pop up in the short trees around the pond was the Lark Sparrow.  This time, I got a much better look, seeing the entire head and face pattern clearly and the central breast spot.  Not wanting to flush the bird, I retreated and went to make the initial post.
	Late in the afternoon, the gaggle of MD birders came by.  We began searching at the pond with no luck and then broadened the search through the soybean fields.  After pointing out the Mason-Dixon marker, we continued through the fields on the DE side on the line.  It flushed from the soybeans and perched in a tree about 30' on the DE side and then disappeared down the RR tracks.  Some (all?) of the group got to see the bird even if it was not the hoped for Caroline Co bird, but nice for me to get it in both states.
	Other birds in the morning were 3 Black-throated Blues, a Bay-breasted Warbler (greenish wash to flanks and undertail, uniformly green above with no apparent streaking), 2 Redstarts, a Black&White, a RC Kinglet, and a group of sparrows (6 Savannah, 5 Song and a White-throat) acting like they were moving in for the winter.  Also the first Grackle in some time and the first House Finch since May.  In the evening, I added an imm. Chestnut-Sided and a late great Crested Flycatcher (well scrutinized trying to make it something better).  Some of the others saw a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Black-throated Green and Parula.

	On Sunday (10/1), my plan had been to search for the sparrow early, but rain from 7-9:15 AM changed that idea.  Once it cleared, I decided to scan corn stubble field for the Meadowlark still missing from the year list.  No luck there, but it also led to a lot of scanning the skies for hawks.  I found ~70 TV, 3 Bald Eagle, 3 Red-Tail, 2 Sharpies, 2 Kestrel.  And then one more bird seen at considerable distance that I am still debating on.  I came across a bird with long, slender pointed wings.  My first thought was a large falcon.  As it banked riding a thermal, I could see the top side of the bird well lit.  It had a dark tail, dark wingtips, and a silver/gray back and wings.  The underside of the bird was only seen in silhouette.  And then it flapped several short, quick wingbeats.  At this point, I start thinking Mississippi Kite.  It was too far away to tell any more detail and I watched for more Kite-like flight behavior, but it only soared until it glided away to the west (oddly, into the wind) and disappeared.  I am hesitant to call this bird because of the distance (better part of a mile, I am guessing) and the date (what is a reasonable late date for Kite?).  However, the wind blew out of the southwest most of Saturday ahead of the warm front and rain of Sunday morning, potentially bringing this bird off course.  Secondly, given the marks of gray back, dark wingtips and dark tail, I cannot come up with another viable candidate.  I am open to comments.

	I plan to look for the sparrow this evening and I will post results accordingly.  For those who like the statistics, Bay-breasted Warbler and the Lark Sp. (obviously) were new for the year (total at 144, Lark was #197 all time on my Oak Grove home list); the Kite is potentially 145/198.

Good Birding,
Glen Lovelace III
Seaford, DE