Several hundred American Coots, with a few dozen Gadwall and a 
handful of Lesser Scaup
and Bufflehead, were in Mill Creek today. On the far shore of Furnace 
Bay was a large
flock of Tundra Swans, I am guessing about a thousand, but I had no 
scope so couldn't
get a good look. There were rafts of small dark birds, either more 
coots or Buffleheads,
but again I couldn't tell without a scope. (I wasn't planning on 
going there today, hence
the lack of equipment.)  An immature Bald Eagle and about a 
half-dozen Pied-billed Grebes were
also noted. FYI, if any of you are boaters, there is a lot of very 
big debris, i.e., whole trees,
floating in the Upper Bay. The Susquehanna was the color of milk 
chocolate because they've
opened many of the gates on Conowingo Dam.

Coming up Warburton Road (just north of the community college), I saw 
a Canada Goose
building her nest on the island in the larger of the two ponds on 
that road. This pond is
owned by four large gray domestic geese, and the lead goose was standing guard
over the nest building along with the Canada gander. Any guesses as 
to whether the domestic
goose was just asserting his rights as landowner, or might there be a 
menage-a-trois going on?

This pond also held eight Ring-necked Ducks, seven males in splendid 
spring dress and one female
who didn't seem particularly impressed.

--Pat

Pat Valdata, Elkton, MD | 
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
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