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Subject:

Oak Grove Oct 29

From:

"Lovelace Glen (DelDOT)"

Reply-To:

Lovelace Glen (DelDOT)

Date:

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 11:26:49 -0500

Hello All,
	Due to the sustained winds yesterday, I concentrated my efforts on scanning the skies for raptors and scanning the fields (still looking for Meadowlark this year).  The raptors were thin with 3 Bald Eagles, 3 Sharpies, 3 Red-tails, 1 Kestrel and 1 BV.  At times there is a small, but distinct, hawk migration path across my little area - a northwest to southeast path from Bethel Church (the north end of N. Oak Grove Rd) to the middle (curve) of Wild Turkey Rd.  But I seem to have missed all hawk migration here this year (quite likely that I was at work on good migration days).  
	The field searches have yet to find Meadowlark.  The last, and probably most promising, corn field in the area was harvested last week.  Fingers crossed.  On the south edge of my circle on N. Oak Grove Rd (DE), I saw a small flocks of gulls flush out of the next dip in the field that is too far south for me to see.  But I pursued it to investigate and stopped about 1/2 mile south of the circle (approx. 0.6 miles north of DE 20).  In a wet, cultivated field there were gulls (35 Ringers, 8 Laughers, 4 Herring), 122 Killdeer, 4 Dunlin (rare here), 1 Lesser Yellowlegs and 1 Amer. Golden Plover.  Nice birds, but I was frustrated having 2 potential year birds (dunlin & plover) a half mile outside of my circle.
	But on the other hand, persistence pays off.  Back on my farm, I tried to work the lee side of the woods and come up with a few songbirds.  The payoff to this effort was a very rusty Rusty Blackbird.  It was actively feeding in a shallow puddle, finding plenty to eat and quite unconcerned with my presence.  Has anyone else noted that many times when you find a lone blackbird, it is often a Rusty?  

	A belated note from last week (10/22):  A very sparrow kind of day!  They were everywhere with large numbers of Savannah and a late Grasshopper (DE) being the highlights.  Also had a couple of migrant warblers after none the week before - a Northern Waterthrush (DE), male Black-throated Blue (MD), along with the more expected Yellow-rump, Palm and Yellowthroat.

Good Birding,
Glen Lovelace III
Seaford, DE