Hi all,
     The fields directly in front of the welcome center today were very
productive for birds with 23 American Pipit, 6 Horned Lark, 6 Killdeer, as
well as numerous Bluebirds, Savanna Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Cowbirds, and
Starlings.  The Patuxent River was frozen all the way across except for a
small section in the middle where there were 62 Common Merganser diving.
Standing on the ice were thousands and thousands of Canada Geese (surely
every goose in Maryland was here) and I was able to find 2 Cackling Geese.
I was looking out for the Golden Eagle, but did not see it today.

The full report is as follows:
Location:     Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary
Observation date:     1/23/09
Number of species:     47

Cackling Goose     2
Canada Goose     3500
American Black Duck     14
Mallard     45
Common Merganser     62
Great Blue Heron     2
Turkey Vulture     2
Bald Eagle     1
Northern Harrier     4
Cooper's Hawk     1
Red-tailed Hawk     2
Virginia Rail     1
Killdeer     6
Ring-billed Gull     X
Herring Gull     8
Great Black-backed Gull     1
Mourning Dove     23
Belted Kingfisher     1
Red-headed Woodpecker     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     3
Downy Woodpecker     3
Hairy Woodpecker     1
Northern Flicker     7
Eastern Phoebe     1
Blue Jay     6
American Crow     12
Horned Lark     6
Carolina Wren     8
Eastern Bluebird     15
Hermit Thrush     1
American Robin     6
Northern Mockingbird     7
Brown Thrasher     1
European Starling     150
American Pipit     23
Eastern Towhee     7
Savannah Sparrow     2
Song Sparrow     45
White-throated Sparrow     65
Dark-eyed Junco     12
Northern Cardinal     5
Red-winged Blackbird     175
Common Grackle     400
Brown-headed Cowbird     5
House Finch     3
American Goldfinch     25
House Sparrow     20

Good Birding,
Chris Murray
Annapolis MD