This comes under the category of Someone Needs to Look. This afternoon from 3:30-5:15 I visited Gunpowder Falls State Park where Jennifer Branch joins the Big Gunpowder near Harford Road (DeLorme 58A3, ADC 28J2). I walked about a half mile downstream from Harford Road crossing Jennifer Branch. This is riparian woods with lots of sycamores. The steep slopes above the river are heavily forested with beech and oak. It looks like excellent Barred Owl habitat and a Great Gray could hide here easily. Upstream on the south side are the National Guard Armory and the Hickey School; on the north side the National Guard Training Site and the police shooting range, all of it forested. I also worked up Jennifer Branch to above the powerline cut. There is a major power junction and substation here with dozens of big towers sprouting from an extensive broomsedge field with woods along the edge. This should be a good hunting area. Housing developments press in close against the park and power company property.
By the way, I saw no owls. Don't let that stop you from looking though. There is a small parking area on the east side of Harford Road, the south side of the river. Expect to get your feet wet if you go up Jennifer Branch. The trail crosses the stream three times.
Bob Ringler
Eldersburg MD
---- Phil Davis <> wrote:
> MD Osprey:
>
> This is just a prudent "heads-up," not a call for action ...
>
> This past Wednesday, I was contacted by Mark Alt, the President of the
> Minnesota Ornithological Society. He had received a terse email from a
> couple in Maryland reporting a Great Gray Owl and supposedly it was
> photographed. Unfortunately, the couple did not subsequently forward the
> photo as promised and repeated attempts by Mark Alt and me to contact them
> via email did not elicit any further responses. We have both "sleuthed" the
> Internet trying to determine an address or phone number, but have been
> unsuccessful so far.
>
> The reported location was at the Gunpowder River and Jennifer Run. From
> some map detective work, this location seems to be off of Harford Run,
> immediately south of the Baltimore/Harford County line (in Baltimore
> County), just below the Gunpowder River.
>
> At this point, we don't know if the report was true, a mistake, a prank, or
> even perhaps, a Barred Owl.
>
> Since there was an unconfirmed report on January 9 of a possible Great Gray
> in Cashtown, PA, seven miles west of Gettysburg, I wanted to go ahead and
> let the birding community know, just so that people can keep their eyes
> open even further.
>
> Phil
>
>
> ===================================================
> Phil Davis, Secretary
> MD/DC Records Committee
> 2549 Vale Court
> Davidsonville, Maryland 21035 USA
> 301-261-0184
> mailto:[log in to unmask]
>
> MD/DCRC Web site: http://www.MDBirds.org/mddcrc/rcindex.html
> =================================================== |