The dog and I managed to get out for a late afternoon walk today 
(3:15 to 4:30 pm) at the National Wildlife Visitor Center, also 
known as the South Tract of the Patuxent Research Refuge, in
Prince George's County.  Most of Cash Lake is covered with a 
thin layer of ice, so all of the waterfowl were concentrated around 
the aerator near the dam.  A quick count produced the following:

Canada Goose - 85
American Black Duck - 40
Mallard - 30
NORTHERN PINTAIL - 1 male
Ring-necked Duck - 105+
Ruddy Duck - 1

I was especially glad to find the pintail, a county bird for me.  
Since it was late in the day, there wasn't much activity in terms 
of land birds, and I found nothing out of the ordinary.

Yesterday afternoon, I made a brief stop at Schoolhouse Pond in 
Upper Marlboro (from about 2:45 to 3:15 pm).  I thought it was 
curious that a Tundra Swan was foraging with the resident 
Trumpeter Swan, on the far side of the pond.  As I approached on 
the boardwalk, the Tundra Swan nervously paddled out to the middle 
of the pond, while the Trumpeter stayed where it was, right beside 
the boardwalk, and continued to forage (paying no attention to me).  
Some time later, the Tundra Swan took off and circled around the 
pond several times, honking loudly, before it came back down.  
That in itself was worth the 50 cents I put into the parking meter.  


Elaine Hendricks
Greenbelt, MD  (PG County)



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