Message:

[

Previous   Next

]

By Topic:

[

Previous   Next

]

Subject:

All Clear on the E. Front (L. Roland)

From:

PAUL NOELL

Reply-To:

PAUL NOELL

Date:

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:45:39 -0500

Clear, crisp weather beckoned me out to Lake Roland for a stroll and in-
cidental birding. With most of the fall colors gone with the latest leaf drop,
the predominent hues remaining were various shades of brown or bronze,
with the occasional burst of red a welcome relief. A starting 39 deg. F,
edging up to 45 deg. F at the end and a light breeze, made for a brisk amble.
As expected, bird activity was sparse, mostly in single digits. In addition to
a wide scattering of Chickadees, Tits, Cardinals, WT Sparrows, Mallards
and one small group of Juncos, the following was observed:
    1 lone PB Grebe
    1 lone GB Heron
    1 lone (f) Gadwall, feeding w/Mallards
    1 lone RT Hawk, variously aloft & perched
    1 lone B K'fisher, heard only
    1 lone RB W'pkr
    1 lone Downy W'pkr    
    1 lone A Robin
    1 lone Song Sparrow, singing lustily
.....You get the idea. Other than a few Jays (heard only) & C Wrens (heard
only), the only other offering was a flock (murder) of about 50 A Crows,
wheeling and dealing overhead. I did succumb to making a series of ex-
posures of the starkly white and persistent contrails of passing jets against
a bright, blue sky, with various bare limbs outlined against this brilliant 
montage. Oops! Almost forgot: a newly sprouted grouping of the tasty 
(when young) Brick-cap Mushroom, Hypholoma sublateritium, on a de-
caying log made for an irresistible "photo-op" for this dilettante mycolo-
gist.

Paul Noell
Balto.  MD