All,

Following Jim Wilkinson's directions for Dickcissels (thanks Jim!), I went
up to Frederick County this afternoon. On the 0.4 mile stretch of Bollinger
School Road between the sharp bend just south of Route 140 over to Tom's
Creek Church Road to the west, there were at least six(!) DICKCISSELS
singing incessantly between 2:45 and 3:30 p.m. I took a very careful and
accurate count, but there may have been more present. Two were singing from
the telephone wires and allowed me to basically drive right up under them
for good pictures at 20 feet, even though the light was poor. What a great
life bird moment! One was singing from a telephone pole right next to the
lone white farmhouse, one from the tree line running south from the bend in
the road. The rest were further out in the field to the west of the house
and south of the road. There were also at least six GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS and
many HORNED LARKS singing from the fields. An AMERICAN KESTREL was present
at the farmhouse at Route 140 X Bollinger. Bollinger had no traffic on it
the whole time I was there, so you can really take your time and enjoy the
birds.

On Tom's Creek Church Road (going left from Bollinger), I found the pair of
RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS after waiting quietly for five minutes. They flew
into the large dead oak tree on the left of the road, right across from the
large farm pond. They were easy to follow as they flew among the oaks on
both sides of the road. At one point they got into quite an argument with a
GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER. Red-heads are easily one of my favorite
birds...what a great afternoon!

Ok photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yawncelot/


Russ Ruffing

Woodstock, MD

############################

To unsubscribe from the MDOSPREY list:
write to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
or click the following link:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MDOSPREY&A=1