Morning all,
I took the dog for a walk around the yard this morning, since much of the last snow has melted, figuring it might be some time before we can do this again. Anyway, I was at the back fence checking out the dead trees and holes for roosting owls, as I do this time of year. In one hole I saw something feathery or furry, couldn't really tell from the distance with just bins, so I eventually made my way back home, dropped off Peanut, and took my scope out to the fence. My thinking was that it would probably be a squirrel, but after setting up my scope and staring at it for some time, it turned out to be a gray phase E. Screech Owl! My first ever gray phase (up till now I have only ever seen red phase owls (in the wild)! It had its eyes shut ight but I could see its "ears" sticking up. I will continue to monitor this hole now that I know about it. Not a new yard bird, but now I can take it off my "heard only" list.

I also saw what I think may have been another Merlin, just as I stepped around the corner of the backyard. It was perched high in a neighbors tree next door, and I got only brief binocular views of it before it turned and flew off in the opposite direction. As I was looking at it I thought sure I saw a facial mask, but as I continued to look it took off. By its flight style, I think that's what it was.

My daughter Alli, who works at Patuxent, is at BWI awaiting a flight to beautiful, warm and sunny San Diego for the AOU conference! Lucky her!! I am SO jealous!

Fill those feeders!

Rick Sussman
Woodbine, MD