Shrike that last bird from the record please:  make it a House Finch.
A superbly colored male.  I'm going to go back to school and try to do
better next time with the old 'name that tune' thing.

Good Birding,

Dan
West Annapolis


On 6/7/07, Dan haas <> wrote:
> I spent the afternoon monitoring the bluebird boxes on the Golf Course
> area of the Point.  The results were a bit mixed.  That said, it was a
> fun day for birding close-up. I don't know if it was my walk, my new
> pish I've been working on, or the way I took notes about the boxes,
> but birds were buzzing me all day.  They were following me around as I
> checked the boxes.  They were perching nearby in clear view for me
> throughout my walk.
>
> Of note, there were three (sometimes 4) Cedar Waxwings that followed
> me for about four boxes.  I was quite impressed.
>
> The Waxwings moved on soon after a Northern Flicker started to pound
> very loudly on a plastic electrical box (literally ten feet behind me
> / nearly scaring the wits out of me).  I don't think it had much luck,
> unless the Flicker's goal was to watch me jump.
>
> I had a Blue Gray Gnatcatcher perching a few feet away while I peered
> into an empty box.
>
> But the best scene for me was seeing two pairs of Purple Martins who
> just very recently moved into the 2 of the 3 houses on the little
> lake.  They were on the first floor of both houses, with the holes
> facing each other.  Upstairs, you ask?  The dreaded House Sparrows.  I
> would have done something about them, but I have seen too much carnage
> already from angry HOSP who's nests I politely removed throughout the
> spring.  I figured that the Martins and HOSP are coexisting fine for
> now, so I left well enough alone.  If anyone disagrees or thinks I
> should have done otherwise, please feel free to let me know.
>
> The rest of the course was riddled with Goldfinches, Robins, Barn
> Swallows and two more Northern Flickers.
>
> After such a birdy trip through the course, I decided to check out the
> Point and the trail behind the Nature Center.  There is a box with
> some Tree Swallows that are about to fledge.  I asked my girlfriend to
> marry me there a few weeks ago, so these about-to-fly chicks have
> sentimental value for me.  (Oh, she said yes by the way.) Anyway, I'm
> proud to report that Mother and Father TRES were hard at work feeding
> the chicks.  Since they must be just about to fledge, I just watched
> them go in and out from a safe distance.
>
> While I was on the point, a Yellow Breasted Chat was going to town
> right behind me as the sun set.  And, there were tens of Tree
> Swallows, Barn Swallows, two Northern Rough Winged Swallows and yet
> another Purple Martin hard at work ridding the point of flying
> insects.
>
> Finally, as I left I saw a Purple Finch with two young perched at the
> entrance to the trail.  I had to do a double take, but I feel nearly
> 100% certain judging by the coloration and the call (which I played
> for review in my car a few feet away).
>
> On this day in 1993, my older brother Jim died in a plane crash when
> his banner-towing Cessna lost power over a field in Selbyville,
> Delaware. We both shared an interest in flight, although we expressed
> it in slightly different ways.  Even still, there could have been no
> better way to have spent the evening.
>
> Go birding.  And stay cool tomorrow... it's supposed to be a hot one!
>
> Dan Haas
> West Annapolis
> 
>