Hi everybody: I visited quite a few places today, most of them were in Talbot County. Below is a list of my day's highlights:

TALBOT COUNTY

 Miles River Road: 4000+ Canada Geese; this number grew by several more thousand an hour later. Amongst them      was a lone SNOW GOOSE.
    Hermit Thrush         1           (a county bird)
     
Marengo Road
     Winter Wren         1           ( closeout # 92)
     Yellow-bellied Sapsucker       i       (a county bird)

Copperville Road
     Brown Thrasher     1     Flew out to my car and briefly perched on the roof carrier as I was returning to my car

I chased an American Tree Sparrow that Jim Stasz had found earlier on Rt. 33  (the road to Black Walnut Point) south of Lowe's Wharf Rd. but could not relocate it. A MERLIN flew in and landed for a short period of time.

I had to drive down to Salisbury to retrieve a pair of prescription sunglasses that I had left in Ron Gutberlet's car on Saturday. I took some back roads and stopped on Fire Tower Road (WICOMICO COUNTY) to see if the AMERICAN WOODCOCK was still there. We did not see it yesterday (a windy and cloudy day). When I first saw it on Friday it was sunny and not too windy like today. The bird was still there at Peter's Creek crossing. I realized today that the undulating movement made by the woodcock is a direct result of repeatedly lifting its foot and bringing it back down on the surface of the ground/shallow water in an effort to "feel" for earthworms which is its principle diet. In doing so the entire body of the bird rocks gently back and forth. When successful it would then plunge its bill 100% into the ground. It was once again a wonder to watch, and notice that the eyes are really set further back on the head than most birds as a defensive mechanism tol look for potential predators while its bill is fully submerged in its search for food. I am looking forward to their annual evening displays if we ever get rid of all this snow.

On the drive back while pushing 65 mph I was lucky to see a large sparrow fly out of the woods and to the dirt edges of Rt. 50's shoulder in Talbot County just south of the intersection of Buck Bryan Road. After two U-turns I was able to confirm another county bird : a FOX SPARROW. 

I then spent some time looking for some of the birds Jim Brighton had found earlier in the day. The only success I had was finding a LAPLAND LONGSPUR in Talbot County on Rt. 309 north of the intersection of Blades Road (Thanks, Jim). There were many small groups of Horned Larks on many of the roads in this area.

In CAROLINE COUNTY on Mason Branch Rd. at the German Branch crossing I saw my first RUSTY BLACKBIRD of the year.
I then checked Damsonville Road and the paved section of Sparks Road for Longspurs but had no luck; lots of Horned Larks though.

In Denton (still Caroline County) I scanned the Choptank River off of River Landing Road at a small yacht club and saw 13 Great black-backed Gulls and one PIED-BILLED GREBE.

At New Bridge Landing (Talbot Co. side of the Choptank off of Rt. 328) I heard a pair of GREAT-HORNED OWLS calling back and forth on the Caroline County side at dusk for about 15 minutes.

Will be birding my way back home tomorrow. 

Jim Green
Gaithersburg, MD

Work in moderation, BIRD IN EXCESS!!!