Hi all,
Today I went to Blackwater NWR in hope of seeing the reported White
Pelicans. I made a few stops down Egypt Rd. with the highlights being 3
adult Bald Eagles, Northern Harrier, a flock of 200+ Killdeer, 10+ Horned
Larks, 13 American Pipits and 5 Eastern Meadowlarks. At the Refuge there
were thousands of Canada Geese and dabbling ducks, but no Snow Geese or
Pelicans. After the Wildlife Drive I decided to explore the roads down to
Hooper’s Island checking all the estuaries for Pelicans without luck.
However, on my way back north, I suddenly noticed a suspiciously large
dove on a telephone wire. It turned out to be a Eurasian Collared Dove. As
I pulled off the road and got out of the car, I heard the familiar song of
the Collared Dove, but the song came from a different angle than the one I
initially spotted. I turned my head and indeed a second bird was perched
on the wire right behind me! The first bird responded to the male song and
flew over and landed next to him. I managed to shoot some photos of them
before they flew across the road and landed in a tree in someone’s front
yard (house # 2363). A photo of the male bird has been posted at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37699157@N00/

Back at the Blackwater NWR Visitor Center, I was welcomed by a large flock
of Cedar Waxwings feeding in the fruit trees by the parking lot. They
allowed some very close-up looks. Wild panic spread through the flocks of
waterfowl when an adult Golden Eagle appeared in the sky. I followed it as
it drifted south and was later joined by three Bald Eagles. This bird
barely out of my sight, another adult Golden Eagle showed up right
overhead the Visitor Center. Wow! This bird soared for a while and then
glided north. While standing there, several flocks of Tundra Swans were
heard coming in for landing.
Hopefully, the Pelicans will return shortly.

Good birding,

Frode Jacobsen
Baltimore, MD