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Subject:

Fort Armistead and Blue Mash, 1/22

From:

Joel Martin

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Sat, 22 Jan 2011 20:05:09 -0500

Today I visited Fort Armistead between 1:30 and 2:30, hoping for another  
look at the Harlequin Duck. I did not see it during that hour, in fact ducks  
were scarce -- 1 Mallard, 1 Canvasback, 3 Greater Scaup, 5 Ruddy Ducks and 
8  Bufflehead.
 
Late this afternoon I ventured out for the Short-eared Owls  at Blue Mash 
in Montgomery County, arriving around 4:50 at the Zion Road  entrance and 
walking back to the pond behind the fence. A couple of NORTHERN  HARRIERS 
hunted over the landfill as it got darker, and at 5:15 a pair of GREAT  HORNED 
OWLS hooted back and forth in the woods. A pretty Red Fox trotted across  the 
pond as the ice heaved and creaked. Finally, at 5:40 I picked up some  
movement and a flash of color against the darkening mass of the landfill mound.  
One, then a second SHORT-EARED OWL soon appeared above the horizon. To my  
surprise they soon began making a beeline toward the edge of the woods on my  
left where, I noticed, a Great Horned Owl was perched. Both SEOW's swooped 
and  dived around the GHOW for a couple of minutes, one of the birds barking 
 occasionally, before they disappeared back over the landfill. It was a 
nice  little show. I don't think I've ever seen one owl species harassing 
another.  Both owls were county birds for me.
 
One the way back to the car I played a few bursts of Screech-Owl tape but  
got no reply. 
 
Joel Martin
Catonsville, MD