I had a rewarding day counting birds in the northwestern part of Carroll
County as part of the winter bird count on January 19. The day ended around
5 PM at an overgrown field along Keysville Road with two Short-eared Owls
and 8 Northern Harriers (four females/immatures and four silvery males). One
of the owls buzzed a harrier that was perched on the tip of a cedar tree. A
nearby singing White-crowned Sparrow added a nice touch. The field can be
accessed from a muddy pullout near an abandoned house and barn just before
the sharp curve as you are heading north from Keysville.
Other highlights included four adult Red-headed Woodpeckers along Ruggles
Road about a mile west from Route 194, a Common Raven a little ways farther
on the same roadway, and approximately 50 White-crowned Sparrows feeding
in a flock along the shoulder of Bullfrog Road near the Monocacy River.
Jim Wilkinson
Columbia, MD |