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Subject:

Re: Unusual Cardinal flock and good evening birds in Mont. Co. (MBC trip)

From:

Harry Lotis

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Date:

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 19:09:39 +0000

Twice I have seen dozens of Robins flocking into one tree. Another time on a Christmas bird count, we encountered what seemed like hundreds of Robins flying thru an open area of woods in a girl scout camp near the southern Potomac. Never have I seen Cardinals flocking.

Harry Lotis
Owings, Md
-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: Jim and Ann Nelson <> 

> Jim Green led a wonderful evening trip for the Montgomery Bird Club to Riley's 
> Lock, Hughes Hollow, and Sycamore Landing Road on Tuesday, March 13. Since I 
> haven't seen a report from him, I want to pass on what we saw. 
> 
> Highlights were a Bonaparte's Gull, Green-Winged Teal, and Tree Swallows at 
> Riley's Lock; Northern Pintail, Hooded Merganser, and Gadwall at Hughes Hollow; 
> and American Woodcock and 2 calling Barred Owls at Sycamore Landing Road. The 
> Woodcock were in the first field on the right as you turn in from River Road. 
> 
> We had an unusual observation at Hughes Hollow. Right around sundown, large 
> numbers of male and female Northern Cardinals streamed out of the woods and 
> across the impoundments, flying from South to North. It took us a minute to 
> realize what we were seeing because none of us had ever seen flocks of Cardinals 
> like this before. For me, they acted like flocks of blackbirds as they moved. 
> They passed through in less than five minutes. My conservative count was 50 
> birds, but I believe there were more than that. 
> 
> Detailed counts for all three locations follow below. 
> 
> Jim Nelson 
> Bethesda, MD 
> 
> Location: Riley's Lock 
> Observation date: 3/13/07 
> Number of species: 20 
> 
> Canada Goose 16 
> American Wigeon 18 
> Mallard 2 
> Green-winged Teal 1 
> Bufflehead 4 
> Common Goldeneye 14 
> Common Merganser 2 
> Pied-billed Grebe 4 
> Great Blue Heron 5 
> Turkey Vulture 12 
> Bonaparte's Gull 1 
> Ring-billed Gull 16 
> Larus sp. 50 
> Belted Kingfisher 1 
> American Crow 11 
> Fish Crow 4 
> Tree Swallow 2 
> Carolina Chickadee 4 
> Tufted Titmouse 1 
> White-breasted Nuthatch 1 
> 
> Location: Hughes Hollow - McKee Beshers WLMA 
> Observation date: 3/13/07 
> Number of species: 18 
> 
> Canada Goose 8 
> Wood Duck 4 
> Gadwall 10 
> Northern Pintail 7 
> Ring-necked Duck 60 
> Hooded Merganser 4 
> Ruddy Duck 1 
> Great Blue Heron 1 
> Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 
> Downy Woodpecker 2 
> Hairy Woodpecker 2 
> Eastern Bluebird 3 
> European Starling 5 
> Song Sparrow 8 
> White-throated Sparrow 3 
> Northern Cardinal 50 
> Red-winged Blackbird 42 
> Common Grackle 18 
> 
> Location: Sycamore Landing 
> Observation date: 3/13/07 
> Number of species: 5 
> 
> Canada Goose 1 
> American Woodcock 6 
> Barred Owl 2 
> White-throated Sparrow 1 
> Northern Cardinal 2