Volume 12 Number 3

December 1998

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Found an injured raptor?
Contact Debbie Delevan of Chesapeake Birds of Prey, Inc.

Phone: (410) 692-2794
Fax: (410) 329-1221
E-mail: raptors@bellatlantic.net

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CONTENTS

January Program Features Breeding Bird Research
Volunteers Needed
Some Dues Are Past Due
Calendar of Events
MOS Scholarship Deadline
1999 Nest Box Sale & Workshop
Belize Trip
Feeder Tour
Field Trip Committee Wants Your Help
Harford's Avian Visitors
1999 Mid-winter Count
The Twenty-Seventh Annual Rock Run Christmas Bird Count
Great Backyard Bird Count
Field Trip Reports
Electronic Birding
HARFORD CHAPTER - MOS FIELD TRIPS DECEMBER 1998-FEBRUARY 1999
NEST BOX RESERVATION FORM

Eric Cromwell and several students from Aberdeen High School will be the guest speakers at the January meeting. Eric and the students started a nestbox program earlier this year. Bluebird boxes were constructed and placed at Susquehanna State Park and given to local community members. In the programs first nesting season, three of the eleven boxes were occupied by bluebirds. However, the majority of the boxes were used by the dreaded European House Sparrow. At the start of the fall term the new advanced level Environmental Science class started to look at the program. They wanted to see what changes could be made to provide more cavities for not only bluebirds but all native cavity nesting species. They also wanted to see if it would be possible to deter sparrows from using the houses. During their presentation, students from Aberdeen High School will outline the previous program, explain what changes will be made this year, and introduce their monitoring program.

The January meeting will be held on Friday, January 8 at 7:00 PM at the Churchville Presbyterian Church. There is no dinner at this meeting, so the reservation form is not included.

Please remember our inclement weather policy: If Harford County Public Schools are closed for the entire day or if they close early, the meeting will be postponed one week. If the schools open one or two hours late, the meeting will be held as scheduled. If the meeting is postponed one week and we again have inclement weather on the rescheduled day, then the event is canceled. Please call Larry Fry at 410-452-8539 before 5 PM if the weather is questionable.

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The bird club needs volunteers for the positions listed below. Please call Larry Fry if you wish to help the bird club.

• NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Les Eastman has done an excellent job with the newsletter over the past twelve years. He has asked to be relieved from this position and the club is searching for someone to replace him.
• CLUB HISTORY: The most recent club history was prepared in 1993 so we need someone to update the document from 1993 to 1998
• NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE: A nominations Committee of two or three persons is needed to prepare a slate of officers before March 1999

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If you have not paid your 1998-99 dues, the first line of your mailing label will read, "NOT RENEWED AS OF DECEMBER 1, 1998." If you do not renew your dues by February 1, 1999, you will be removed from local and MOS mailing lists and this is the last newsletter that you will receive. If you have any questions about your membership, please call Joyce Gorsuch at 410-287-6165.

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The deadline for applying for MOS scholarships to the Audubon Ecology Camps in Maine or Wyoming or the Ornithology Camp in Maine is January 30, 1999. Each scholarship covers the cost of tuition, room, and board for the six-day course in the areas of ecology, conservation, and natural history. Each applicant must write a letter of application indicating reasons for wanting to receive the scholarship, and must provide a resume and two letters of recommendation. Priority is given to those who will be working with young people and passing on the knowledge that they have gained. Applicants need not be members of MOS, but they must be endorsed by a member or a chapter of MOS. Many from Harford County have won such scholarships in the past and we are hoping for others. If you have further questions, contact Jean Fry, state scholarship chairperson at 410-452-8539.

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The Harford Bird Club will team up with the Leight Estuary Center in Edgewood to hold the sixth annual nest box workshop on Saturday, February 6 from 10 AM to 1 PM. For a minimal cost to cover materials (wood and hardware), you can order a rough-cut, cedar nest box. On the day of the workshop, pick up your prefabricated kit at the Leight Estuary Center for immediate assembly or assemble it at home. Then mount your nest box outside and wait for your new neighbors to fly in.

Four plans are available from which to choose. They are:

Orders for boxes must be placed by Friday, January 8. To order, fill out and mail the form on page 11 or call Randy & Diane Robertson at 410-273-9029. Included with your order, we ask that you make your check out to "Harford County MOS." After all orders and checks are in, our expert carpenters will purchase the required cedar and hardware, and cut out each box to the proper dimensions. If you plan to assemble the box at the Estuary Center, please bring your own hammer and Phillips screwdriver.

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Jean and Dennis Kirkwood will be leading a trip to Belize in Central America from June 30-July 8, 1999. The trip is limited to twelve participants and will visit three areas of the country including a side trip to Tikal, Guatemala, the ancient capital of the Mayan empire. The trip two years ago produced over 180 species of birds and several club members were among the participants. The cost is $2,389 and is all inclusive of travel, meals, and lodging. Contact Jean or Dennis for more information or to make your reservations at 410-692-5905 evenings, or by e-mail to kirkwoodd@netfox.net.

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Register now for the Eighth Annual Feeder Tour, to be held on the morning of Saturday, January 16. This time the tour will only make two stops, rather than the traditional three, so that you can spend more time with each host. Another new feature of the 1999 tour will be introduced when we leave Harford County to visit the first host family, Gary and Barbara Pensell of Perryville. The Pensell's riverfront home offers a lovely view of the Susquehanna River and its varied waterfowl. The morning's other stop will be the historic Darlington residence of Art and Ann Helton. The Helton's home dates back to the 18^th century, and is the feeding ground for many songbirds at numerous stations. The tour is limited to 15 participants -- if you would like to register, call coordinator Bill McIntosh at 410-734-6517 no later than Wednesday, January 13. In case of inclement weather, the tour will be postponed until Saturday, January 23.

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The Field Trip Committee is always looking for new places to sponsor field trips, and the next one could be right outside your home. Do you think your neighborhood or a location near your neighborhood is a good birding area? Let us know and we'll add it to the chapter's field trip calendar as soon as possible. You are always welcome to lead the trip you suggest, but we understand that some people are leery about leading trips. Not to worry -- the committee will help find an experienced birder to be the "bird identifier" while you simply serve as "tour guide". Pass along your suggestions to any of the following committee members: Harold Boling, Debbie Bowers, Tom Congersky, Les Eastman, Mark Johnson, Dennis Kirkwood, Russ Kovach, Mary Procell, Randy Robertson, Joe Vangrin, or Dave Webb.

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October and November can almost be thought of as "pot luck" months for birding. This is the time when the last of our summer residents and fall migrant bird species will be moving through and when the winter residents begin to arrive. This provides the unique challenge of finding the earliest arrival of winter species and having the last record of the year for migrating species. November is also, of course, the last gasp of warm weather birding, making this time of year even more important to birders! With the cold weather on the way, let's keep the birding hot by reviewing Harford's Avian Visitors for October and November 1998.

Passerines are probably the most "enjoyed" group of birds by people due to the birds' feeder and backyard visits. We'll start off by sampling some of the more notable passerines reported in Harford County during October and November. The earliest report of White-throated Sparrows came from Harford Glen on Sep 28 (GF). Several Golden-crowned Kinglets and the earliest report of Dark-eyed Juncos arrived from Pylesville on Oct 7 (J&LF). While not exactly in a backyard or at a feeder, the Brewer's Blackbird in Havre de Grace on Oct 9 still classifies as a passerine (RB). Gunpowder State Park, just south of Fallston, provides good birding on relatively lightly traversed trails, as was evidenced by the Fox Sparrow located there on Oct 20 (BM). A Snow Bunting is definitely one to brag about on a yard list, and when one lives near the Bradenbaugh Flats this is not impossible! One Snow Bunting was reported sitting on a nearby driveway on November 3 (DK). A Brown Creeper slinked up a tree in one member's yard on Nov 4 (DB). The same yard revealed both a Hermit Thrush and a Purple Finch on Nov 19 (DB). So often visited for eagles and gulls, a visitor from Pennsylvania decided to try for passerines at Conowingo Dam and saw Winter Wren and Ruby-crowned Kinglet in addition to a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker there on Nov 22 (AB).

Autumn migration for passerines is generally conducted through mid-September, but some groups of birds delay migration into late September and October. A species not generally associated with migration past early October is the Common Nighthawk, and the last report this year came from Havre de Grace on Sep 30 (DW). Shorebirds and waterfowl most definitely do migrate well into October, and Tydings Island Marina in Havre de Grace is a great place to see both this time of year. An Oct 5 visit to the marina revealed Dunlin, a Pectoral Sandpiper, an American Golden Plover, and both Northern Shoveler and Ring-necked Duck (DW). That same day witnessed a notable migration of Canada Geese, with an estimated movement of 18,400 birds flying over Belcamp in a six-hour period, in addition to 34 Snow Geese mixed in (RB)! Several dowitchers visited Tydings Marina on Oct 9, joined by an adult Franklin's Gull (RB). For some time now, one adult Red-headed Woodpecker has frequented a farm on Stafford Road just north of Susquehanna SP, but on Oct 19 an immature "red-head" was located nearby (LE), adding up to a total of at least four sightings in Harford County since August. Lake Mitten near Pylesville was frequented by several duck species later in the month, highlighted by Ring-necked Ducks on Oct 26, Lesser Scaup on Oct 27, and Hooded Mergansers on Oct 28 (J&LF).

November is without a doubt duck and gull season in Harford County. Election Day was highlighted by a birding trip along the Susquehanna River upstream of the dam that revealed both Red-throated and Common Loons, in addition to Black Scoter, Oldsquaw, Bufflehead, and Bonaparte's Gulls (RB&BMn). Bufflehead also visited Lake Mitten on Nov 6 (J&LF). Two Laughing Gulls were cracking up at the sight of two birders scoping them out at the Promenade on Nov 9 (DW&MW). While not a duck, the Northern Harrier on APG on Nov 16 probably wouldn't mind eating one if it had the chance (GF)! Only one report of one of our largest native waterfowl, the Tundra Swan, flew in on Nov 17 (J&LF).

As is evident by the Harford's Avian Visitors reports, October and November in Harford County can be prime birding months. We host late autumn migrants, winter resident birds, waterfowl, and shorebirds all at the same time! The real beauty of November, however, is that we can look forward to the Christmas Bird Count and the rare and unusual gull species at Conowingo Dam, in addition to winter irruption species that may visit in the next three months. Enjoy the holidays, but, of course, always keep an eye out for Harford's Avian Visitors!

OBSERVERS: (AB) Adrian Binns, (RB) Rick Blom, (DB) Deborah Bowers, (LE) Les Eastman, (GF) Greg Futral, (J&LF) Jean and Larry Fry, (DK) Dennis Kirkwood, (BM) Barbara Meserve, (BMn) Bryan Monk, (DW) Dave Webb, (MW) Marsha Webb

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The 1999 Mid-winter Bird Count will be held Saturday, January 30, 1999. This will be our 11^th annual count. During the past 10 years we have developed some worthwhile statistics. In 1998, we added three new species, Ruddy Duck, Tree Swallow and White-winged Crossbill to our list. This brings our total over the ten-year period to 130.

The mid-winter count encompasses the entire county and all birders are invited to participate. If you don't want to count an assigned area, you may do a feeder count, or take a few hours and count in your neighborhood. Count sheets will be available at the next meeting, or you may call the coordinator, Bill Pfingsten at 410-838-5732 and request an assigned area, or ask for a count sheet to record your feeder birds.

Thanks to the hardy birders who have participated during the past 10 years. Your dedication in counting in cold, damp, foggy and icy conditions is greatly appreciated.

The Twenty-seventh Annual Rock Run Christmas Bird Count will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 1998. The Christmas Bird Count is an excellent opportunity to have fun while contributing to one of the largest scientific databases concerning bird populations. You need not be experienced to participate. In fact, many prominent ornithologists have gotten their start with the Christmas Bird Count. The count is simple! The count circle is 15 miles in diameter with center point at the Rock Run Mill in Susquehanna State Park. The circle is divided into sectors in which a group and its leader have 24 hours to count as many species and individuals as they can find. After the count, participants will, once again, descend on John and Lorna Wortman's house for homemade bread and stew to tally the birds and talk about the day's findings. The fee per participant is $5 which is forwarded to the National Audubon Society in order to compile and publish the results.

Our compiler of the past several counts, Dave Ziolkowski, is currently at Indiana University. So, this year we welcome Dave and Macrina Seitz as the Rock Run CBC coordinators.

If you are new to the count, consider this an open invitation to join us. If you're returning, begin building your enthusiasm and strategies now. Either way, write or call Dave and Macrina by e-mail at dseitz@magnus1.com or at (410) 838-2150, to let them know you want to participate in this important event.

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The National Audubon Society and Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology invite all birders to participate in the 2^nd Annual Great Backyard Bird Count on February 19-22, 1999. The data collected would then be submitted to the Cornell internet site. Watch for more information at http://birdsource.cornell.edu.

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On September 17, evening one of this two-night adventure, two birders visited the wilds of the Joppatowne Elementary baseball fields. Our quarry was the elusive Broad-winged Hawk, a bird that lived up to its reputation that night. Although no Broad-winged Hawks made an appearance, several Common Nighthawks flew over in addition to several types of songbirds.

Exactly one week later, three club members met, this time opting for a stroll about Mariner Point Park. Again, Broadwings were nowhere to be found, however there were a few nice sightings. A "Western" Palm Warbler, a Cooper's Hawk, and a House Wren were the most noteworthy of our finds. The critter that we spent the most time observing was a young Black Rat Snake, whose beautiful gray and black dorsal markings are quite different from the uniform black pattern of a typical adult.

Nine birders turned out for this fall walk through Harford Glen. It was a beautiful fall morning and over 30 different species were seen. These included good views of Osprey, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Solitary Sandpiper which behaved perfectly and gave everyone an excellent opportunity to study its distinguishing features, and Pied-billed Grebe. The highlight of the trip, however, was a visit to the banders who had very kindly 'saved' a number of interesting birds for us to look at among which were Gray-cheeked Thrush and Wilson's Warbler. Everyone was most appreciative of the time the banders took to explain and show how birds are netted and ringed.

On Sunday, September 27, six people turned out for the club's walk at Fair Hill in Cecil County. The early morning weather was perfect for early fall, clear and crisp, although it turned quite warm as the morning progressed. Active birding started right in the parking lot, where a group of kinglets put on a show in the trees over the cars. Golden-crowned Kinglets were more numerous than rubies throughout the walk, and were in fact the most prominent of migrants. White-throated Sparrows were present in respectable numbers (several groups of 6 or so) - these were first-of-fall birds for all present. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Red-breasted Nuthatch were also newly arrived. We really had to work for every warbler, and managed to turn up Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue, Bay-breasted, Black-and-white, American Redstart, and a lingering immature male Kentucky. We tried very hard to pull up a Swainson's Thrush when we thought we heard a call note, but we never did see the bird. We did have Wood Thrush, American Robin, and Eastern Bluebird. There were American Kestrels hunting for dragonflies over the Fair Hill hayfields, and we had a close-up look at a kestrel harassing a Red-tailed Hawk. We also had a great look at an immature Bald Eagle circling near the Nature Center: this is a good bird for Fair Hill, which is not near any large body of water. Our owl tape stimulated an answering whinny from an Eastern Screech-Owl. We also had good views of Black Vulture, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Common Nighthawk, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Phoebe, Scarlet Tanager, and Brown Thrasher. We totaled 57 species for the morning and got some good exercise on the rolling hills at Fair Hill.

Many birders, young and old showed up for the banding demonstration at Harford Glen. Everyone enjoyed the up close looks of the Northern Cardinal and Indigo Bunting. After the demonstration, a few birders stuck around to go for a walk. Highlights included a Green Heron and Solitary Sandpiper near the board walk. Also a patch of six warblers was found that included Black-throated Green, Black-and-white, Magnolia, and a Northern Parula. Everyone had a wonderful time trying to identify the little yellow birds.

Three intrepid birders decided to make a go of it on a damp, rainy Sunday to Soldier's Delight. This was the first significant rain in our area for weeks, and earlier weather reports were foreboding. Yet, since we were "there and awake" we took to the trails on a rather wet, yet beautiful trek though the serpentine barrens. Highlights were Black-and-white Warblers and juvenile Blackpolls. Raindrops through the trees made detecting motion in the trees rather difficult. We did spot several endangered Fringed Gentians along the streamsides among other wildflowers. We hope to try this trip again in the spring in better weather conditions, though.

Due to unfavorable weather conditions, leader Charlie Gant postponed the trip to Cape May, NJ on Saturday, October 10 to the very next day. Charlie's decision proved to be a good one as that Sunday produced the highest hawk totals yet of the fall season. Unfortunately, only one person showed up for this spectacular trip.

Charlie tells us that he and Sharon Pearson shared great looks at many migrating raptors, which included approximately 2500 Sharpies, 300 Cooper's Hawks, 500 American Kestrels, 150 Merlin, and 25 Peregrine Falcons. They also reported seeing many different ducks, swans, and geese -- including a rare Eurasian Wigeon. Hopefully a few more club members will come out to enjoy this field trip when it is offered in the future.

On the morning of October 14, three birders gathered at Eden Mill Nature Center. Our walk began at the canoe parking area and continued through to the meadows. The night before brought a cool front to the area, so the weather was great on that morning! The trip yielded twenty-two species including; large numbers of White-throated Sparrows, Purple Finch, both species of Chickadees, an Eastern Phoebe, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk. The Eastern Phoebe was seen near the bridge over Big Brand Creek. Although our group was small, the 2-hour outing was a good beginning to a wonderful autumn day.

A remarkable number of birders attended the October 17 outing to the fields adjacent to the Big Gunpowder River in search of sparrows. The two birders were treated to a variety of sparrows, including White-throated, White-crowned, Field, Swamp, Savannah, Song, and Dark-eyed Junco. Non-sparrow birds of interest included Eastern Meadowlark, American Wigeon, Wood Duck, both Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawk, and a large number of Eastern Palm Warblers! It was obvious that the birds were not discouraged by the low turnout, which led for a great morning of birding for the two attendees.

About one dozen birders, including several new to club trips and activities, enjoyed a beautiful Sunday morning in the woods and fields near the world-famous Bradenbaugh Flats in northwest Harford County. Our first stop along Little Deer Creek produced Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebirds, Eastern Phoebe, and a small flock of Wood Ducks. In the open fields along Harford Creamery Road, we enjoyed very cooperative Savannah Sparrows, a Northern Harrier, two Cooper's Hawks, American Kestrel, and a fly-by American Pipit. We finished with a walk through the field and woods of Newark Farms North where we found a female Black-throated Blue Warbler and Eastern Towhee. The morning total was 42 species.

October 24 proved to be a glorious birding day. Under sun-drenched skies, ten birders, led by Marcia Whitmyre, meandered along the trails of Turkey Point in Elk Neck State Park, eyes scanning the horizon for a variety of hawks which frequent the area.

Almost immediately, as if to greet us, a Cooper's Hawk appeared, then quickly dropped out of sight. On the way to the cliffs, many varieties of birds were sighted. Among those seen were flocks of Cedar Waxwings, the Golden- and Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, Downy, Hairy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. The cloudless sky allowed us to get a good peek at Palm Warbler and the Yellow-rumped Warbler. The cheerful song of the White-throated Sparrow seemed to accompany us along the trail, which also revealed Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee and Eastern Bluebird. When we reached the cliffs surrounding the lighthouse, we stretched out on the grass and were entertained by a show of Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks and several immature Bald Eagles; we watched as flocks of Blue Jays flew overhead, along with the periodic appearance of a Red-headed Woodpecker.

The crisp, fall day left us all with a sense of quiet contentment, only slightly dampened by the absence of Red-shouldered and the Red-tailed Hawks, making us more eager for a return trip to this secluded paradise.

On October 25, nine birders combed this Delaware Bay hotspot with hopes of seeing rare and unusual birds, and of missing the countless sunbathing snakes in the roads. None were disappointed (except the snakes)! Over 65 species of birds were spotted, including a few spectaculars! While observing a soaring Peregrine Falcon, an American Bittern was discovered less than thirty feet away! The bittern put on a 20-minute show, including the "stuck-up" hiding behavior for which they are so famous. Later, a pair of late migrating Swainson's Thrushes were seen posing on the Bear Swamp Trail. Duck species identified included Black, Mallard, Pintail, and Ruddy. Also, many shorebirds such as Dunlin, dowitchers, and Black-bellied Plover were frequenting "The Hook" to challenge all who attended.

Four people met on hOWLoween night to search for those elusive hunters of the night, Owls (not goblins). We had perfect weather with a clear sky and a bright moon. We began our trip at Bower's Farm, just north of Rocks State Park looking for Eastern Screech-Owls. While we were not able to call any in and get a look, we did get a distant response to our calls. We then tried for Barred Owl and hit the jackpot. Two owls responded almost immediately to our calls from no more than twenty feet away. It took less than 5 minutes to get them into the trees over our heads where we were able to enjoy the view for as long as we wanted. We then tried for Great Horned at the farm, but had no luck. We decided to stop in Rocks State Park on our way home to get a second chance at Screech and Great Horned. We didn't get any more Screech, but heard Great Horned without having to even call. We then ended our evening, minus tricks and full of treats.

The morning was beautiful with lots of sun, cool breezes and coots. There were four of us birders present including a new potential member for our club and birding. While scouting the birds before the actual walk, Carol approached me and asked if I knew about a possible bird club in the area. I invited her to join the walk, provided her with binoculars and Jean, Phil and I enjoyed our bird walk much more being able to show someone new to birding the joys of our hobby.

We saw hundreds of American Coots, many Mallards, Fish Crows, a couple of Double- crested Cormorants, Ring-billed and Great Black-backed Gulls, Forster's Terns, Song and House Sparrows, cardinals, mockingbirds, starlings, grackles, and Pied-billed Grebes.

Overcast skies and no wind combined to create perfect viewing conditions for seven birders on the annual Harford Waterfowl Tour held on November 8. We started just before sunrise along the shore of the Gunpowder River to witness the great mass of blackbirds rising from the marshes of Aberdeen Proving Ground. First appearing as a wisp of smoke in the distance, an immense flock of Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds soon flew right before us with a thunderous rush of wingbeats and a chorus of squawks, clicks and creaks. What an awesome sight! Oh yes, back to the waterfowl.... Despite the absence of a large raft of diving ducks that we had hoped to see, there were still a few small flocks of Lesser Scaup and Ruddy Ducks. The best birds seen here were a distant Red-throated Loon, a flyby Wood Duck and a flock of about 30 Bonaparte’s Gulls.

Next we drove to Havre de Grace, where at the Promenade we discovered a hen Redhead among the many Mallards and American Coots. To the south of Tydings Marina, many dabbling ducks feasted on SAVs. Among them were Gadwall, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler and even a few Bufflehead. The tidal mudflat provided a resting place for Killdeer, Dunlin, Forster's Terns, and many gulls.

We finished by driving across the county with high hopes for finding the Brant that Dennis Kirkwood had seen the day before in Madonna. We saw plenty of Canada Geese, some Green-winged Teal and a Ring-necked Duck in our search, but could not turn up the Brant. Despite this miss, the trip was still a success, totaling 50 species including 14 waterfowl.

Matt Hafner joined Larry and me for a great birding weekend. We stopped at Blackwater on Friday afternoon, birded all day at Chincoteague on Saturday, and stopped at Deal Island on Sunday. We ended with a total of 93 species. Matt had five life birds! Highlights were American White Pelican, 6 Clapper Rail at the marsh edge by Tom's Cove, a Gull-billed Tern at Blackwater, 29 Marbled Godwits grouped together at one spot in Chincoteague Bay off South Main Street at low tide, 11 Tri-colored Heron in the marsh just off the causeway into town, and a first-winter Franklin's Gull at Tom's Cove. A total of 11 Bald Eagles and dozens of Turkey Vultures were seen as well as a large number of Northern Harriers. There was a wide variety of waterfowl, but not any great number of any one species.

Ten persons, including four students and their teacher, Don Webb, from Havre de Grace and one student from C. Milton Wright, endured an extremely windy day at Eastern Neck with temperatures between 32 and 42 degrees (not counting wind chill). The white caps on the Chesapeake Bay told the full story of the wind chill index. A total of 53 species was seen which was 9 less that last year's trip. Highlights were eight White-crowned Sparrows at Chesapeake Farms, a pair of Short-billed Dowitchers at a farm pond near Kennedyville, several Horned Larks on fields near Kennedyville, and a Cinnamon Teal pair to the east of the entrance bridge at Eastern Neck. The Cinnamon Teal was seen at low tide and was a life bird for eight persons on the trip and a life bird in Maryland for the other two participants. Snow Geese, Tundra Swans, field birds and passerines were noticeably absent in fields of Kent County and the refuge due to the severe winds. Difficulty with focusing scopes with the winds made it especially difficult to sort out species in the large mixed flocks of waterfowl.

Eight club members and guest co-leader Bob Rinker embarked upon a long 4.5 mile birdwalk along the scenic hiking trails of Broad Creek Camp on a cool, sunny Sunday, November 22. Hopes for finding winter finches never materialized, and in general there were fewer birds to be found than expected. Still we managed fantastic looks at several species including Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Bluebird, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Green-winged Teal. Some folks also caught brief views of Hermit Thrush, Hooded Merganser, and American Coot. The trip ended on a high note when a Pileated Woodpecker flew overhead just as the weary group piled into their vehicles. In total, 36 species of birds were seen.

About ten birders, including visitors from Baltimore County, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, enjoyed a beautiful day at Harford's premiere birding location. Gulls were very few in number and only the usual species, except for one Bonaparte's about the dam. Bald Eagles were numerous and obliging, given us excellent looks at immatures and mature birds. A side trip to Stafford Road produced three Red-headed Woodpeckers thanks to the scouting of Les Eastman. The group finished the morning with a walk through the woods to view the Conowingo Lake finding one Lesser Scaup, two Pied-billed Grebes, and one cormorant. 39 species was our total.

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Twenty-five percent of the club is on-line! At least, that is how many for whom I have e-mail addresses. If you have an e-mail address and did not receive an e-mail copy of this newsletter, that means I don't have your e-mail address. I would like to include members' e-mail addresses in the next club directory. The directory will be available at the May meeting. So, if you haven't heard from me, send a message to les_eastman@netfox.net so I can get your address into the directory. You will also receive an electronic copy of this newsletter and all future newsletters. In addition, if you want, I can put you on the list to receive electronic reports of the birds being seen in the county.

I would like to start "Member's Page" on the Harford County Bird Club web site. This page could include bird stories, poems and art by our members. If you have some bird photography that you are proud of and would like to show the world, I'll take that, too. I would also like to include pictures of our activities, so if you have pictures taken at meetings or field trips I would like to use them. I am open to suggestions for other ways to improve the web page, so let me hear your ideas. Visit the web page at http://birdclub.harfordhasit.com.

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Here are the Harford Bird Club field trips for the next few weeks. If you would like further information about a particular field trip, please contact Dave Webb.

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