Message:

[

Previous   Next

]

By Topic:

[

Previous   Next

]

Subject:

Better late than never...

From:

Dan Haas

Reply-To:

Dan Haas

Date:

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 14:58:52 -0400

Just a quick, albeit delayed post, regarding the Black-bellied
Whistling Ducks.  I went to Wooten's Landing and then to the little
canoe launch just off of Rt. 4 at the Pax River on that Friday
(dripping, wet, rainy) evening.  I had no luck locating the birds.  It
was my third attempt for the week.  I was hoping for a quick fly over
on their way to an evening roost.   Have their been any other
sightings since Hans' report from late last week?

I spent Saturday morning at the PVSP scrublands in Sykesville.  What a
great spot!   My goal was to see my year BLUE-WINGED WARBLER.  I was
delighted to see, hear and photograph three of these yellow buzzers.
Two Barred Owls serenaded me from the forested edges.  Being that I'd
never been to this spot before, I got so lost in the fine birding that
I nearly completed two loops of the back section before realizing that
I missed the turn!  Once I started to back track, I deleted two
Scarlet Tanagers, two Pewees, an Acadian Flycatcher, a Baltimore
Oriole, three Field Sparrows and an Ovenbird (to name only a few) from
the final tally.

Funny enough, I noticed some footprints in the mud and was thinking to
myself, "I wonder who else is birding here this morning wearing nearly
the same muck boots as I?"  This went on for about another 200 yards
before I noticed a rock and some brush that looked exactly like some
brush and that rock I saw a ways back.  Hey, wait a minute.  I felt
like Chevy Chase in that Oscar-award winning film from the 80's,
"European Vacation," when he was stuck in a London traffic circle.
'Look kids... Big Ben, Parliament.'   I digress.

On the way home to Annapolis, I stopped to see the CLIFF SWALLOWS that
are nesting on the River Road Bridge at Rt. 32.  They were there in
good numbers.  I did see a bit of scuffling going on between a CLIFF
and a pair of House Finches.  Apparently, the swallow did the work and
the finch family moved in once the home renovation was complete.  They
did get into a few scuffles while I was there.  It turns out that they
are living in a mud duplex: the Cliff Swallows on one side and House
FInches in the other.  Entering and exiting at the same time was the
impetuous for their mid-air scuffles.

On Saturday night, I played a gig on the beach at Bay Ridge in
Annapolis.  From where I sang, my view was the Bay Bridge and Kent
Island. People thought I was a bit odd to have binoculars hanging from
my microphone stand, but just in case a Black Skimmer or a
Yellow-nosed Albatross were to fly by... I wanted to be prepared.
Aside from a few Osprey, a potential (but not) Seaside Sparrow and a
GBBGull, it was really just people and music.

OFF TOPIC: On my return trip from my family summer vacation in
Southern NC, I have decided to take a pelagic off Cape Hatteras on
June 27th.  Any Maryland birders (by some odd chance) making the trip?
 Anyone have any suggestions for must-bird locations near the NC / SC
coastal border?  I digress.  Again...

The eBird reports:

Location:     Patapsco Valley SP--Sykesville  (the scrub lands)

Black Vulture     1
Turkey Vulture     2
Cooper's Hawk     1
Mourning Dove     2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo     1
Barred Owl     2
Red-bellied Woodpecker     3
Eastern Wood-Pewee     4
Acadian Flycatcher     3
Eastern Kingbird     4
White-eyed Vireo     4
Red-eyed Vireo     2
Blue Jay     4
American Crow     2
Tree Swallow     10
Northern Rough-winged Swallow     2
Barn Swallow     20
Carolina Chickadee     2
Tufted Titmouse     2
White-breasted Nuthatch     3
Carolina Wren     1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     4
Eastern Bluebird     2
Gray Catbird     11
Northern Mockingbird     2
Brown Thrasher     1
European Starling     3
Cedar Waxwing     2
Blue-winged Warbler     3
Northern Parula     1
Yellow Warbler     2
American Redstart     2
Ovenbird     3
Common Yellowthroat     2
Scarlet Tanager     4
Eastern Towhee     4
Chipping Sparrow     3
Field Sparrow     6
Northern Cardinal     5
Indigo Bunting     5
Red-winged Blackbird     3
Common Grackle (Purple)     7
Brown-headed Cowbird     2
Orchard Oriole     3
Baltimore Oriole     2
House Finch     2
American Goldfinch     8

Location:     Wooten's Landing

Wood Duck     1
Pied-billed Grebe     1
Great Blue Heron     2
Green Heron     1
Black Vulture     1
Turkey Vulture     2
Osprey     1
Chimney Swift     1
Belted Kingfisher     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
Acadian Flycatcher     1
Willow Flycatcher     1
Eastern Phoebe     1
Great Crested Flycatcher     1
Eastern Kingbird     2
White-eyed Vireo     2
Red-eyed Vireo     1
Blue Jay     1
Tree Swallow     1
Barn Swallow     2
Carolina Chickadee     1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     1
Eastern Bluebird     2
American Robin     1
Gray Catbird     2
Northern Mockingbird     1
European Starling     2
Northern Parula     1
Yellow Warbler     2
American Redstart     1
Prothonotary Warbler     1
Common Yellowthroat     1
Eastern Towhee     2
Chipping Sparrow     2
Northern Cardinal     2
Indigo Bunting     2
Red-winged Blackbird     6
Common Grackle (Purple)     3
Orchard Oriole     2
House Finch     1
American Goldfinch     3

These reports were generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Good Birding,

Dan Haas
West Annapolis, MD