While making my town (Jefferson, MD) trip this morning and diverting along the gravel roads alongside our local mid-sized stream (Catoctin Creek) on the return trip i chanced to see what i at first thought was a GB Heron in flight.  They are common visitors to the creek.  Rather than blow it off as such, i decided to pick up my car stash bins and found it to be an imm. BE!  It soared around for as much as 10' before it moved out of sight.   It looked likely to be in full adult plumage when it returns for the Fall migration.
 
Venus and Jupiter are looking good and chumming up ever more closely in the western sky at dusk - Venus is brighter.   I think Mercury (faint) set for me @1920ish (in the west - setting time listed @1933 in the POST - note that will be 2033 on Sunday) and Mars is ever higher, bright and VERY red in the eastern sky also at dusk...
 
Hoping that this is not out of bounds: 
MPT repeated their really nice BARNS OF MD program this evening - well worth a $60 donation for one, or a $100 donation for 2 DVD copies, if you have any extra cash on hand 800-222-1292.  I haven't seen the whole program as of yet, so no idea if they do a bird tie-in with mention of barn swallows or owls...but i just did :)
 
Jim (Michael) Speicher
Broad Run/Burkittsville area of S FRED CO

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

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