Looked out the window and saw a bird flying toward me from over the frozen
lake. It had a white head. Since it was many times bigger than a
white-headed woodpecker, (which has probably never been seen in MD), I
waited until I could verify that it also had a white tail and declared it to
be the third BALD EAGLE ever to fly over the lake across the road. I know
these things are off the endangered list but does that mean they're becoming
as common as sparrows?
When 3 of them fly by my house in just one small quarter of a century,
they're getting pretty numerous.
On my most recent trip to western MD I drove around part of Antietam
Battlefield looking for field birds. My head was full of things like larks
and pipits and longspurs. The Battlefield had a few JUNCOS and a KESTREL.
Guess we don't get everything we want for Christmas.
And the roads out there were still white - with salt. They sure dumped a lot
of it the other day. Anybody want to wash my truck in 28 degree weather? Lot
of salt on it.
Jerry Tarbell
Looking for white-headed woodpeckers in Carroll County |