Hi Everybody:                                                                                        TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH

I birded western Montgomery County after work yesterday; a quick visit to Riley's Lock had 32 Ring-billed Gulls on the Potomac river loosely drifting downriver. There were no signs of waterfowl which made alot of sense since I later spotted a duck/goose hunter set up in a temporary blind just above the rapids at Violette's Lock. 

                                                                                     
I then spent an hour at Hughe's Hollow starting just after 5 PM. It was rather quiet. The Red-winged Blackbirds have made their present known and before I left I had counted over 250 of them. I did find 39 AMERICAN WIGEON moving around in the far eastern edge of the large impoundment along with 4 AMERICAN COOTS and 3 drake HOODED MERGANSERS. Several times I had pairs of WOOD DUCKS flyover and drop in the western impoundment. 

I finished over on Sycamore Landing Road and had a little better luck with AMERICAN WOODCOCKS than what Andy Martin mentioned the previous night. I heard my first PEENT at 6:21 PM and my last PEENT at 6:39 PM. In between I estimated a total of 4 woodcock with at least 6 flight displays. Early on I was able to pick up several of the flight displays in my binoculars. Twice while standing there I also heard (like Andy) the whistling sounds of American Wigeon flying over the fields. At 6:30 before I left I heard 3 different BARRED OWLS calling from the overall direction of Hughes Hollow. 

It was a nice evening to be out. The car traffic, planes overhead and spring peepers were all at a mimimum which are usually the things that interfere with hearing the woodcocks.

jim Green 
Gaithersburg, MD

work in moderation, BIRD IN EXCESS!!! 

############################

To unsubscribe from the MDOSPREY list:
write to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
or click the following link:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MDOSPREY&A=1