Our Mid-Winter Count on January 20 was much colder than in
previous weeks, had morning snow showers, and was windy most of
the day.  The species total for the 12 counting parties was 76,
not bad for mid-winter in the Piedmont, but 9 less species than
in 2006.   

Dave and Maureen Harvey and Felicia Lovelette counted at Piney
Run County Park, and they had the most unique (one-party
observed) species, including Tundra Swan; Canvasback; Bufflehead;
Ring-necked and Ruddy Ducks; Coot; Bald Eagles (3); and a Herring
Gull.

Bob Ringler got two unique species - a Common Loon at Liberty
Lake, and 50 Brown-headed Cowbirds in a Starling flock at
Wakefield.

A team of Howard County birders who helped on our count, Grazina
and Mike McClure, and Sue and Wes Earp, got the only owl, a
Barred Owl.  Jim and Carol Wilkinson, got the only Red-headed
Woodpecker (northwest county).
 
Dave and Michelle Hudgins got the only Fish Crow (Hampstead
area);  Marc and Tammy Schwaab got the only Mute Swan
(Westminster area); Don Jewell found a Gray Catbird at Kridler's
Schoolhouse Road; and Don and I got American Tree Sparrows, 4 at
his feeder near Deep Run, and 3 at the Brown Road wetlands (Union
Mills).

The counting party with the most species was the
Harveys-Lovelette team with 49 in 6.5 hours of counting, followed
by Ringler and the Jewell-Ellis team with 44 species each.   

Birds that we missed this year were Wood Duck, Northern Pintail,
Red-breasted Merganser, Merlin, Wilson's Snipe, Eastern Screech
Owl, Great Horned Owl, Common Raven, Red-breasted Nuthatch,
Savannah Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, and Purple Finch.  We did
get three species that we missed last year - Common Loon (1),
Eastern Phoebe (6!), and Common Grackle (9).

Bill Ellis
Compiler