Happy New Year!!!

     My first bird of the year was actually a beautiful Red-Tailed Hawk
while I was driving to Greenbury Point.  After birding for half and hour I
headed over to Thomas Point Park to meet Dan Haas and search for waterfowl.
Off to the right of the main park road was a very large flock of canvasbacks
which we estimated at about 550 birds. Dan was able to find a redhead in the
flock. Also present were 53 tundra swans 3 mute swans, and several
buffleheads and mallards.  Further down the road a juvenile bald eagle
appeared with a female bufflehead in it's talons.  The eagle made a circle
over the bay and then dropped the dead bufflehead which was caught by an
adult bald eagle about 15 feet below.  Very interesting to witness.  Also
present at the end of the point were several long-tailed ducks, surf scoter,
red-breasted mergansers, and scaup.

Total counts are as follows:

Location:     Greenbury Point
Observation date:     1/1/09
Number of species:     20

Canada Goose     65
Tundra Swan     6
Mallard     14
Bufflehead     14
Ruddy Duck     28
Red-tailed Hawk     1
Ring-billed Gull     X
Herring Gull     X
Mourning Dove     7
Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
Downy Woodpecker     1
Blue Jay     1
American Crow     X
Carolina Wren     3
Northern Mockingbird     5
Song Sparrow     2
White-throated Sparrow     5
Dark-eyed Junco     1
Red-winged Blackbird     15
American Goldfinch     1


Location:     Thomas Point Park
Observation date:     1/1/09
Number of species:     17

Mute Swan     3
Tundra Swan     53
Mallard     35
Canvasback     600
Redhead     1
Greater Scaup     5
Lesser Scaup     5
Surf Scoter     3
Long-tailed Duck     6
Bufflehead     150
Common Goldeneye     2
Red-breasted Merganser     2
Bald Eagle     2
Ring-billed Gull     X
Herring Gull     5
Great Black-backed Gull     7
American Goldfinch     X

Happy new year birding,
Chris Murray
Annapolis Md