[MDOsprey] Pac. Loon, other goodies on Susquehanna
rick (rblom@blazie.com)
Fri, 26 Nov 1999 06:40:21 -0500
Brian Monk and I spent about two hours Thanksgiving morning at Bald
Friar Road. Joined by Steve Sanford and others we had excellent looks at
the Pacific Loon, mostly on the Cecil side of the river. Overcast days are
perfect for observation at the site.
It was a fairly big day for Tundra Swans. We saw about 200 and
heard at least six flocks we did not see (fog isn't all good). In one flock
we had two Snow Geese trying to stay with the swans.
The condiditons were ideal for the river, spitty and overcast, the
kind of day that has produced good birds in the past this time of year.
Along with the loon, we had:
Common Loon 10
Pied-billed Grebe 3
Lesser Scaup 70+
OLDSQUAW 100+
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER 5
Common Merganser 35
Red-breasted Merganser 20
Bufflehead 6
Common Goldeneye 2
Ruddy Duck 40
Bonaparte's Gull 200
FORSTER'S TERN 8 (getting late)
We also had a flyover PURPLE FINCH and a probable RED CROSSBILL,
also a flyover that unfortunately called only twice. Not certain.
Most of the ducks were in single sex flocks, as is typical with
mergansers and Oldsquaw (soon to be Long-tailed Duck). Birds were
definitely on the move and being knocked down by the weather and I expect
the next two or three days to be productive on the river.
The Oldsquaw and the White-winged Scoters were numbers 248 and 249
for my year list in Harford.
Rick
The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken
seriously.
-- Hubert H. Humphrey
Rick Blom
rblom@blazie.com
4318 Cowan Place
Belcamp, Maryland 21017
(410)575-6086