Hi Rob, et al:

A couple related notes ...

1. From analyzing the digital images, it appears that the bird was a juvenile!

2. The paragraph below is from our 1995 article in MD Birdlife:

"An interesting, related anecdote was relayed to me by a Virginia birder.
It seems
that during the survey work for the Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas one summer
in Northern
Virginia, a nestling fell to the ground. Being a young nestling with few
feathers, it
was unidentifiable at the time. However, the bird was nursed until it was
larger and
was identified as a Pine Siskin (!). I understand that this was the first
Pine Siskin
nesting record for the state of Virginia."

3. As I recall, this year (winter of 2003-2004) was not a good one for
siskins; and our article states that neither was the winter of 1994-1995
that preceded our previous summer sighting.

I'm not sure what all of this means ...

Phil


At 14:12 06/22/2004 -0400, Rob Hilton wrote:
>This reminds me of the one I saw in Ocean City Md. on about July 3, 1988,
>calling from the top of a house....I heard it while I was scanning the
>flats and islands in toward the mainland.  I did eventually see it, and
>watched as it took off toward the south.  If I remember correctly, there
>had been a big influx of siskins into the Middle Atlantic Region the
>autumn before.
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Maryland Birds & Birding [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
>Behalf Of Phil Davis
>Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2004 1:32 PM
>To: 
>Subject: [MDOSPREY] Davidsonville PINE SISKIN (!!!)
>
>
>MD Osprey:
>
>Today (June 22, 2004), a Pine Siskin visited our feeders, here at
>Davidsonviile, MD (Anne Arundel County) in the coastal plain. Strangely, it
>was also nine years ago (July 3, 1995) when we also had a summer feeder
>visit by a Pine Siskin [Maryland Birdlife 51(4):150].
>
>In past years (but so much recently) we have traditionally had good siskin
>numbers here in the winter, even when others were not seeing these birds.
>
>This is not a records committee "reviewable" sighting, but we will forward
>a report and photos to the Maryland Birdlife and North American Birds
>season report editors.
>
>This should make an interesting Atlas footnote ...
>
>Keep your eyes open!
>
>Phil
>
>
>==================================
>Phil Davis      Davidsonville, Maryland     USA
>                  mailto:[log in to unmask]
>==================================