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Subject:

Patapsco Pond Report, 12 Jan 08, and New Eagle Nest

From:

Stan Arnold

Reply-To:

Stan Arnold

Date:

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 09:29:47 -0800

This is a second attempt to transmit this message.



Hi Folks,

 In my first birding outing in several weeks, Charlie Kucera and I  visited 
most of the ponds along the Patapsco River in northern Anne  Arundel Co. 
yesterday morning (12 Jan).  There were no exceptional  finds, but two drake 
N. Pintails were unusual.  A description of the  ponds, with locations, can 
be found at the following website by clicking  on "Patapsco Ponds" in the 
lower left:

http://mysite.verizon.net/cakarbutus/index.htm

 We began with the easternmost pond, and worked our way westward.  Here's 
what we saw:

    Pond 14 (Belle Grove Rd.):

 Canada Goose--17
Great Blue Heron--1
B. Kingfisher--1

    Pond 13 (Belle Grove Rd.):

 DC Cormorant--1
Great Black-backed Gull--1

    Pond 12 (Belle Grove Rd.):

 Canada Goose--31
Bald Eagle--1 adult

    Pond 11 (Nursery Rd.):

 no waterfowl; one Red-shouldered Hawk

    Pond 10 (Barkwood Ct. off of Nursery Rd.):

 Canada Goose--180
Gadwall--8
Mallard--3
N. Shoveler--9
Hooded Merganser--7
Great Blue Heron--2
Ring-billed Gull--1
B. Kingfisher--1

    Pond 9 (Oregon Business District, off of Nursery Rd.):

 Canada Goose--7
Gadwall--14
Mallard--4
N. Pintail--2 drakes
N. Shoveler--17
Green-winged Teal--6
Red-shouldered Hawk--2

    Pond 7 (off of Nursery Rd.):  this once almost inaccessible pond has 
undergone a surprising cleanup, and now has a gravel path surrounding it, 
and a small wooden bridge at one end.  Despite the clean-up, the  pond still 
maintains a wild ambiance.  My article on the Patapsco Ponds mistakenly 
identifies this pond as being a storm-water pond.  This is  incorrect.  The 
actual pond, now accessible, is a few hundred feet away from the storm-water 
pond.

 Mallard--4

    Pond 6 (River Rd.)

 Canada Goose--2
Hooded Merganser--6
Great Blue Heron--1

    Near Pond 6, along River Rd., Charlie and I were easily able to view  a 
new Bald Eagle nest discovered by Brian Sykes last week.  The new nest  was 
constructed only a couple hundred feet away from another eagle nest  that 
Sykes discovered in 2005.  Charlie and I watched two adult Bald Eagles fly 
away from the area of the new nest as we drove slowly along River Rd.

    Pond 3 (River Rd.)

 Canada Goose--9
Great Blue Heron--1

    Pond 2 (Furnace Br. Rd.)

 Mallard--2

    Pond 1 (Furnace Br. Rd.)--just a mudhole--no birds



    While the finds were not particularly notable on this mild winter day, 
it was great being out in the almost balmy, windless weather.

 Stan Arnold
Glen Burnie