Re: [MDOsprey] Canvasbacks & Fox Sparrow at Lake Elkhorn; no Dickcissel
Darius Ecker (eckerd@prodigy.net)
Sat, 18 Dec 1999 05:12:37 -0500
Hi Stan,
It's great to see other people birding Lake Elkhorn. Please stop by and
find a good bird ANY time.
I got a very good look at your bird (the Dickcissel), better than we get at
most field sightings. I had been wanting to study a female, so I was
specific looking for the defining sexual characteristics. I didn't have to
struggle with the ID, since you'd already done that for me.
I stopped by there this wednesday (12-15-99) to try for a photo, put in an
hour and 15 minutes looking for it with no luck. It could still be there.
It seems to stay out of sight a lot. If I eventually get any photos I'll
send them along to you.
Again, thanks for finding this bird.
Good Birding and Merry Christmas,
Darius Ecker (eckerd@prodigy.net)
Columbia, Maryland
----- Original Message -----
From: "Stan Arnold" <blkrail@gateway.net>
To: <mdosprey@ARI.Net>
Sent: Friday, December 17, 1999 6:48 PM
Subject: Re: [MDOsprey] Canvasbacks & Fox Sparrow at Lake Elkhorn; no
Dickcissel
>
> Hi all,
>
> I took another walk around Lake Elkhorn (south Columbia) this afternoon,
and
> came up with a pair of Canvasbacks, near the platform at the back of the
> lake amid a dozen or so Ring-necks. A nice Fox Sparrow was in the
thickets
> along the north edge of the lake all the way back near the bridge. Also
had
> a Sharp-shinned Hawk flying overhead. No Dickcissel today.
>
> Concerning the Dickcissel, when I first found it, I did not note any black
> at all on the throat or upper breast. I only remember there being much
more
> yellow on the throat than the white depicted in the NGS guide. To my
> recollection, the bird I saw had no characteristics of even an immature
> male. However, I have little experience with this bird other than adult
> males in breeding plumage, so my eyes may have missed some important
> details.
>
> Stan Arnold
> Glen Burnie, MD