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Subject:

W. Grebe--retraction; Snow Bunting--yes; OC Warbler in AA Co.

From:

stan arnold

Reply-To:

stan arnold

Date:

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:58:18 -0500

Hi Folks,

With many apologies to those who I convinced otherwise, I have to retract
my sighting of the Western Grebe at Triadelphia this morning.  I was on
location just after day break, and saw a distant grebe while standing at
the pipeline of Greenbridge, looking north beyond Pigtail.  I was teetering
on the grebe's ID, because I just could not see the bill structure, and did
not get an adequate size comparison.  When some Buffleheads swam into the
foreground, I convinced myself that the grebe was a large bird, but I'm not
so sure now.  I had the grebe in the scope and diverted my attention to
scanning the shoreline with my binoculars, and I got back into the scope
just in time to see "the bird" facing directly away with its wings spread
ready to take off.  Well, this was indeed a large bird, so I was absolutely
convinced that it was the Western Grebe as it flew away towards the north,
circled, and then flew past me to the south.  In fact, I was so convinced
that I was looking at the Western Grebe that I ignored the big dangling
feet, and the dark neck band.  By the time other birders arrived, the bird
was still flying, but  distant enough to only show  a black-and white
pattern on a bird with pointed wings.  I'm sure my excitement and
conviction convinced everyone I talked to that I had seen the Western
Grebe, and it wasn't until much later in the morning as I mulled the events
and images in my mind that I began to think otherwise.  The cruel joke that
I unwittingly believed is that the grebe in my scope when I turned my
attention away was the same as the bird flying away when I resumed
scoping.  I'm now convinced that a Common Loon (which I had seen earlier in
the Pigtail area) had slipped into my scopes field of view, and this I
believed to be the grebe.  A loon is difficult to mis-identify,*
unless*you are convinced it's something else, which I was.  I've had
several
conversations with other birders about the power of suggestion, and it's
really tough to make a good ID against false convictions.  Anyway, I'm
still not sure about the grebe I was looking at, but I suspect it was a
distant Horned Grebe, since the Western was not seen again, and I suspect
that the Western departed during the night.  I had told several people that
I had never seen a grebe fly before, and I think that I can still make that
assertion.

I am truly sorry to those who I led to believe that we were looking at the
W. Grebe.  I did this with sincerity, but likely in error.  As I wipe the
egg off my face, I can't help but think of one of Pete Dunne's famous
quotes:  "The only difference between experienced birders and inexperienced
birders is that experienced birders have mis-identified a lot more birds."

So the better news is that the SNOW BUNTING at Lake Elkhorn was showing
nicely this morning.  I probably walked past it twice as I took the path
out to the dam and started walking back, when I turned around, and there it
was, sitting on a rock right out in the open.  I didn't have my scope with
me, so I took my little camera to full zoom, and walked up to within about
10 feet of the bird, clicking away.  As I backed off, there was John
Hubbell right behind me, getting his look at this great county bird.

Yesterday, at the Swan Creek/Cox Creek facility in Anne Arundel County I
spent nearly six hours doing a complete survey, part in the morning, and
part in the afternoon, staying till dusk, hopeful of refinding Matt Grey's
Short-eared Owl.  Though the owl didn't show, after more than six weeks of
dilligent searching, I finally got to see an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, but
not where I expected to find one.  This one was in the corner of the woods
near the office trailer, exactly where I had a Clay-colored Sparrow two
weeks ago.  While the habitat is scrappy woods, it is bordered by some
scrub that sparrows really like, and there were a couple dozen juncos with
the warbler.  The bird was very active and gave me several good looks,
showing its prominent yellow under-tail, but I could never even get it in
the scope for a picture.  Other good finds were the season's first FOX
SPARROW, and the continuing REDHEADs in the north cell.

Again, sincere apologies for the grebe faux-pas.

Stan Arnold
Ferndale


*** NOTE: Swan Creek/Cox Creek is an active industrial site and mitigation
project in northern Anne Arundel Co. Access is at the end of Kembo Road off
Fort Smallwood Road near 695. The site is open ONLY Monday through Friday,
7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please be in your car and leaving at 3:30 p.m..
Remember to always sign in at the office, to be on your best behavior
(people have worked hard to coordinate this access), and to stick to
permitted areas. This Swan Creek map linked here details where you are and
aren't allowed to walk. http://www.billhubick.com/docs/swan_creek_map.jpg.
***

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