Hi All,

The Kent Bird Club's Chesapeake Farms late winter field trip was a 
success as we located 52 species. We thank the folks at Chesapeake Farms 
for giving us access to the auto tour during their off-season.

On the way west, along MD-20 just west of Baker's Lane, we saw four 
eagles dogfighting. I noticed that one of the birds was very dark and 
had two white bull's-eyes at the base of its primaries. An adult Bald 
Eagle chased the young GOLDEN EAGLE over MD-20 sending it off to the 
south. This is the first time I have ever seen the two eagle species 
interact. It seems young Bald Eagles are not the only perceived threat 
to nesting pairs of adult Bald Eagles (the young Bald Eagle in the area 
also got sent off).

At Chesapeake Farms we found a big flock of White-crowned Sparrows on 
the multiflora rose-lined grassy shoulders of the private entrance road 
that gave us access to the tour. One of the immatures was overall 
buffier and less blue-gray with no dark brown in front of its eye and a 
orange-yellow bill marking it as a GAMBEL'S SPARROW -- the western taiga 
subspecies that ranges east to north-central Ontario. At the northwest 
end of the tour route Nancy noticed a crow chasing a large dark raptor, 
potentially another young Bald Eagle. However, Nancy spotted the bird 
soaring and we were delighted to add our second young GOLDEN EAGLE of 
the day. A better, and longer, look than that offered by the first of 
the day. Other highlights of the tour were a small flock of Tundra Swans 
trying to walk, with mixed success, on thin ice; two Northern Harriers; 
a male Sharp-shinned Hawk; six Northern Shovelers; nine Green-winged 
Teal; a Brown Thrasher; two Brown Creepers; and a Red-shouldered Hawk.

We wrapped up the trip at the pond adjacent to St. Paul's Church on 
Ricaud's Branch Road. There was a nice selection of waterfowl including 
45 Common Mergansers, 7 Ring-necked Ducks, 6 Lesser Scaup, 2 Ruddy 
Ducks, and a WOOD DUCK, plus five Great Blue Herons (three on Langford 
Creek), and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Thanks to our participants who 
braved the cold breezy weather to help us find and enjoy the birds: Jim 
and Dorothy Dennis; Norm and Linda Dulak; and Ryan Scheuermann.

Trip list: 700 Canada Geese; 11 Tundra Swans; 1 Wood Duck; 4 American 
Black Ducks; 200 Mallards; 6 Northern Shovelers; 9 Green-winged Teal; 7 
Ring-necked Ducks; 6 Lesser Scaup; 45 Common Mergansers; 2 Ruddy Ducks; 
5 Great Blue Herons; 3 Black Vulrtures; 10 Turkey Vultures; 13 Bald 
Eagles; 2 Northern Harriers; 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk; 1 Red-shouldered 
Hawk; 4 Red-tailed Hawks; 2 Golden Eagles; 6 Ring-billed Gulls; 6 Rock 
Pigeons (Chestertown); 3 Mourning Doves (en route); 5 Red-bellied 
Woodpeckers; 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; 2 Downy Woodpeckers; 1 Hairy 
Woodpecker; 3 Northern Flickers; 10 Blue Jays; 8 American Crows; 7 
Carolina Chickadees; 12 Tufted Titmice; 2 Brown Creepers; 4 Carolina 
Wrens; 8 Eastern Bluebirds; 20 American Robins (Chestertown); 8 Northern 
Mockingbirds; 1 Brown Thrasher; 10 European Starlings; 6 Eastern 
Towhees; 2 Field Sparrows; 2 Savannah Sparrows; 26 Song Sparrows; 11 
Swamp Sparrows; 28 White-throated Sparrows; 28 White-crowned Sparrows; 
39 Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Juncos; 8 Northern Cardinals; 200 
Red-winged Blackbirds; 500 Common Grackles; 2 American Goldfinches; 2 
House Sparrows.

Good Birding,

Walter Ellison

23460 Clarissa Rd
Chestertown, MD 21620

phone: 410-778-9568

e-mail: rossgull(AT)baybroadband.net

"Nothing is as easy as you would like it to be, and nothing is as hard 
as you might fear"