If grackles are a sure sign of spring then spring is definately here. We had a flock come through Saturday that numbered in the 1,000s with a lone red-winged blackbird and cowbird. They cleaned up the feeders. I still have purple finches, siskins, creepers and our resident hermit thrush along with the usual. Song and field sparrows showed up in last week's count. The number of species in a two day count is running 23 or 24, most coming the first morning between 7:30 and 9 am. The hermit thrush comes several times a day to clean up under the suet feeder.

Bill, Amanda Spears and I saw the Snowy Owl Sat afternoon sitting on a chimney on a house on the north side of the park in town. One of the homeowners had a name for it, Fred, so it must be in that location often.

Karen Harris
Easton, MD