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Subject:

Blackwater NWR Eagle Festival

From:

Sonnie Sussillo

Reply-To:

Sonnie Sussillo

Date:

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 18:49:36 -0400

My husband and I were 2 of the over 50 in Terry and Norm's caravan at 
Blackwater yesterday morning.  Thanks to both of them for a morning very 
well spent.  We were near the back of the caravan for the first hour so I 
missed some of the birds Norm and Terry found; too bad, since a couple would 
have been new birds for me.  But after a time, most of the crowd went off on 
their own, and we ended up with a manageable few cars and 10-15 people 
gathered at the masters' feet -- or scopes, as it were.  So I still ended up 
with 3 new birds on the day.  

I thought I'd add to Norm's list of birds seen during the day at Blackwater, 
with the caveat that we made a second loop after lunch.  Some of these were 
on that round.  I'm sorry, tho, that I don't have counts for all seen.

Am Black Ducks  4
Ring Neck Ducks
Comorant (I'm pretty sure it was a double crested)  1
Ospreys   3
Female No. Harrier 1 (the Harrier yesterday was a Male)
Am White Pelicans  5:  a note about the Pelicans.  They're sneaky!  On our 
second loop, I saw 5 birds coming in over the tundra swans, but noticed their 
black wing tips.  So stayed with them until they were clearly in sight; we were 
thrilled!  Watched them land and sit for a few minutes some ways off from the 
swans, then pick up again and cruise over to land in the middle of a large 
group of swans.  They all but disappeared in the crowd.  If you didn't know 
they were there, you would have to look at every bird of over 100 to find 
them and they were at scope distance, not distinguishable with just binocs.
  
We went back to the refuge this morning before driving back to DC and found 
a great white egret on a little pond.  

Also of note yesterday was a delmarva fox squirrel just off the side of the 
road.

In addition, we took Norm's suggestion and went to the end of Oakley in 
Cambridge looking for redheads both yesterday afternoon late and this 
morning.  Yesterday, many, many canvasbacks, a fair number of ring-necks 
and maybe a dozen wigeons.  Today: one male redhead!  Thanks, Norm!

Lastly, both Friday late afternoon and yesterday afternoon, we saw a dozen 
or more adult and imm. surf scoters on the Choptank around the pilings of the 
Rt 50 bridge.  I thought I saw a white-winged scoter, but wouldn't count it 
since I couldn't get a good fix on it before it dove out of sight.