A leisurely walk of about 4.5 mi. from 0945-1245 resulted in only 20 spp. of birds, beginning
with the last bit of early sunshine, ending with the first snow flakes, on a cold, breezy and
overcast day. The doggie brigade was a no-show, other than a few at the picnic area, yield-
ing a solitary walk along the upper lake in Thoreau-like splendor. From the smallest ( the
Carolina Wren) to the "tallest" (Pileated Woodpecker), the scant number of passerines
did give up a few good sightings:

Canada Goose--3, distant flight
Turkey Vulture--3 (bet they were hungry)
MERLIN--1, A female; virtually certain the same one seen several times since last fall
                  and sightings spanning at least 3 yrs. The area must afford a good living.
Mourning Dove--10
PILEATED W'PKR--1, very industrious if mostly silent female.
Red-bellied W'pkr--2
Downy W'pkr--3
A Crow--3
F Crow--1
C C'dee~3
WB Nuthatch--2
C Wren--4
A Robin--6
N Cardinal~18
E TOWHEE--1, resplendent male
DE Junco--2
WT Sparror--5
FOX SPARROW--1, "working" in tandem w/Towhee
Song Sparrow--4
Mallard~37; Whoops--almost forgot the omnipresent "Dipper" (o.k., dabbler)

Paul Noell
Balto. MD