Blue Mash Nature Trail, Zion Road Section, Montgomery County, 11 Jan 07, 
0730-0845

It was an invigorating walk in the cold, crisp and clear early morning air.  
Delicate formations of ice crystals graced the foliage and ground.  Finally, 
much more seasonal weather than in weeks past.  I was in the mountains of 
western NC last week where honeybees and butterflies were busy pollinating 
flowers in bloom on the Biltmore Estate.

There was a Cackling Goose among the 200 or so Canada Geese standing on 
the iced-over inner pond.  It's so much easier to pick out a Cackler from his 
Canuck cohorts when they are standing side-by-side rather than when 
swimming together.  The outside pond was about 25% clear of ice and 
contained 45 Ring-necked Duck and 9 Bufflehead.

Sparrows are still conspicuously absent with only 1 immature White-crowned 
and 1 White-throated Sparrow observed.  The rest of the birds were the usual 
suspects to include doves, woodpeckers (2 Pileated), crows, jays, chickadees 
& wrens of the Carolina persuasion, and mockingbirds.

Tom Marko
Oney, MD