I spent 2 hours at Brighton Dam (Howard/Montgomery) early this morning. At 7:40 a young bald eagle (white-bellied) flew by with a radio transmitter on its back. Does anyone happen to know if anyone local is doing tracking studies with eagles?

Also at the dam this morning:

Bald eagle - 8 
Cackling goose - 7 (group of 5 and a grouplet of 2)
Common goldeneye - 1 (F)
Red-breasted merganser - 3 (MFF)
Canada goose - 1200+
Common merganser - 500+

Generally this time of the year, the mergansers congregate near the dam overnight and start to disperse when it gets light. Today the geese and the mergs were still at the dam end when I left about 9. Might have been the wind direction.

The eagles were having a glorious time in the wind - lots of chattering going on amongst them, which to me sounds like someone playing the upper register of a marimba.

Can't remember the last time I stood on the dam in December being buffeted by the wind and being WARM!!!!

Nancy Magnusson
Ellicott City, MD