It's been a while since I've been out there, and I hesitated to go this
morning, knowing it would be full of obnoxious ground species such as
two-legged yakkers, cell-phone talkers, and poop-dog walkers. Glad I did
though - great looks at good birds and there were a couple of people besides
me interested in what was out there:

two CANVASBACKS - very close to the path just past the north end of the dam.
great lighting, no camera...
three BUFFLEHEADS - one male, two females, a bit further out from the
Canvasbacks
two RING-NECKED ducks
one GREATER SCAUP - nice light again, green head, never wore a ball cap
three female HOODED MERGANSERS - one had a fish half its length
two KINGFISHERS in aerial combat, one desperately weaving to get the other
off its six, machine gun blasting
one RED-TAILED HAWK perched on a low limb, possibly contemplating an attack
on a yakker.
one RED-SHOULDERED HAWK
one RUDDY DUCK - I think, didn't get a good look
lots of CEDAR WAXWINGs feeding on berries in the parking lot. observed a bit
of berry-passing
one EASTERN BLUEBIRD
usual assortment of Whitethroats etc.

One thing I'm wondering about is all the mowing of the meadow areas (the
"weedy fields" 1 and 5 in the "Birding Howard County" book). As I recall,
they were always overgrown and full of finches, sparrows and such, but
lately it seems like everything not in the trees has been mowed. Is there
some environmental reason they're doing this, preventing forest encroachment
perhaps, or just the passion for mowing stuff?

fdp

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Fred Pierce (DNRC)- avialantic.com
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