This morning on the way in to meet the carpool in Friendship, I made a last 
minute decision to detour a few miles out of the way to look for Lapland 
Longspurs, etc. on Leitches Wharf Road. If you're not familiar with this area, 
turn off of Rt. 4 at the hospital in Prince Frederick onto Stoakley Road then at 
the stop sign turn right onto Leitches Wharf Road. 


Anyway, there were no field birds at all other than some roadside White-throated 
Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos. But, at the bitter end near the power lines, I 
noticed a large raptor off to the north. As it banked I could see the golden 
head and odd gray and gold underwing pattern of an adult or perhaps second year 
bird. It banked back and forth getting lower with each pass until it dropped 
down out of sight. I waited a few minutes but it did not come back up above the 
bank or wherever it had dropped down below. It's possible that it flew in to 
perch on the power line structure out on the river.

Looking at an aerial map of the area, there are extensive fields on the Calvert 
side of the Patuxent River and with the outflow of the Chalk Point power plant, 
the water will remain open there. There are usually lots of ducks in the area 
though I don't know if GOEAs hunt waterfowl in the water like Bald Eagles do.
 
Tyler Bell

California, Maryland