Not that I would want to discourage anybody, but...
I was at Cromwell Valley Park this morning from about 10 to 11 and 
talked to others who had arrived earlier such as Mark Linardi, Stan 
Arnold, and Leslie Starr. No one saw the Northern Shrike. In fact I 
saw or heard almost no birds at all other than the almost permanent 
female Kestrel on the telephone line. Also I saw a Cooper's Hawk 
arrive in the area as I left. That, and the uninspiring cold, gray 
weather, might account for the lack of little birds, and therefore 
absence of the shrike.

Mark raised the question of how late Northern Shrikes have been seen 
around Maryland. I did a non-exhaustive search on Osprey and found 
that they have been seen in Talbot Co as late as March 18, 2005(Bob 
Ringler et al), and Anne Arundel Co (Stan Arnold et al) as late as 
March 20, 2005.

So you have a whole 'nother month to find it at Cromwell!

Steve Sanford
Randallstown, Baltimore County
scartan^at^verizon^dot^net
-- Non lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate.  --