Folks are still seeing the Collared Dove in Frederick County. I saw it on Sunday 8/20/2006. I got some decent photos with my digiscoping outfit too (see http://alx.al.umces.edu/~jchurch/birds/EUCD8-06.html).

J.B.

John Hubble posted seeing a pair of Blue Grosbeaks along Russell Road awhile back. I tried to refind them the following Monday but there was too much truck traffic. I couldn't hear very much and felt that I was in danger of being run over.

I returned the following weekend (August 5th) and had better luck. I heard one singing from somewhere far away and was going to count it (with some reservations). Then as I was preparing to leave, I heard it much closer to the car. I stopped and there was a male singing on the phone wire.

So there is a Blue Grosbeak (probably a pair of them) along Russel Road. If you are coming from Allegany County (i.e. up from Barton), you go just past the last building on the right on up to the first gate +/- on the left. That is where I had the singing male.

J.B.

Wow ... the Prospect of a Townsend's is pretty exciting. Someone should go out looking for that bird. Thanks for posting that here Joe & Carol.

Highlights for me on the Allegany Count were Golden-winged Warbler and Henslowe's Sparrow on Old Legislative Road. There was also a Willow Flycatcher, Vesper Sparrow and Bobolinks there.

I didn't have any “migrants” yesterday but I did find a lot of good birds on territory such as Chats, Redstarts, Prairie Warblers, Louisianna Waterthrushes, Prairie Warblers, Wood Thrush, Acadian Flycatcher, .

Sore misses were Hairy Woodpecker (perhaps being quiet at this time or year). No Chestnut-sideds and as I mentioned ... “no migrants”. I usually have a couple of Magnolias or something on this count. I'll work on posting a formal report of the count results as soon as they are all in.

J.B. - Frostburg

Friday morning about 9:30am we saw what we think is a Townsend's along the road just past the swamp to the right that goes back to the meadow. First impression was Black-throated Green but the black cap and stripe through the eye were not "right" and the song was definitely not "right". I posted this on MDOSPREY, too. It would be nice if someone else can confirm (or deny) this bird.

Joe & Carol McDaniel
Grantsville, MD (and Monrovia, MD)

I've had a possible Oregon Junco in my yard a couple of times. I managed to get a few digiscoped photos. It seems to appear (like many birds) when the weather gets cold, windy, and snowy and the feeders are well filled (which is most of the time).

http://alx.al.umces.edu/~jchurch/junco.html

There is a lot of debate about the validity of Oregon Junco sightings in the east and most of them turn out to be a currently recognized subspecies of Slate-colored junco (J. h. cismontanus). This subspecies is thought (by some) to be a hybrid between Oregon and Slate-colored Junco (read more by following the links on the page referenced above). I haven't decided yet whether I fully beleive this to be an Oregon Junco or just something that looks very much like an Oregon Junco.

J.B.

Mourning Dove - 1
RB Woodpecker - 1
Downy W-pecker - 1
Blue Jay - 2
Am. Crow - 5
BC Chickadee - 5
E. Tufted Titmouse - 2
WB Nuthatch - 1
N. Cardinal - 4
Song Sparrow - 2
FOX SPARROW - 3
Am. Tree Sparrow - 1
WT Sparrow - 4
SC Junco - 14
House Finch - 5
Am. Goldfinch - 35

I'm off tomorrow to chase the Hammond's Flycatcher seen & photographed today in Monkton (northern Baltimore County). Wish me luck !

11/20 with Ray Kiddy and the Gaffneys
At Rocky Gap (Allegany County)
PB Grebe - 1
Canada Goose - 90
Long-tailed Duck - 1
Hooded Merg. - 3
Ruddy Duck - 34
Am. Coot - 10

We birded the North Branch spray fields from 7:00 - 8:30 am
Mallard - 30 (all flyovers)
Am. Pipit - 2 (flyovers)
Carolina Wren - 1
Winter Wren - 1
N. Mockingbird - 1
WC Sparrow - 15
Song Sparrow - 20
Swamp Sparrow - 5
RW Blackbird - 15
Am. Goldfinch - 4

There were no ducks at McCagh's pond on Mason Road (en route to Rocky Gap) but I heard some Purple Finches flying overhead while we were stopped.

Saturday 11/19

Piney Reservoir
PB Grebe - 1
Hooded Merganser - 2
Mallard - 18

Meadows Campground
Am. Black Duck - 2
Lesser Scaup - 3

Deep Creek Lake
Canada Goose - 40
Hooded Merg. - 1
Mallard - 15
Am. Coot - 25

Broadford Lake
Canada Goose - 15
Hooded Merg. - 25
Mallard - 15
Am. Black Duck - 1
Ruddy Duck - 15
Hairy Woodpecker (heard) - 1

Trout Run WWTP
RT Hawk - 2
Mallard - 10
Mo. Dove - 15
Am. Crow - 100
E. Starling - 10
Song Sparrow - 3
Snow Bunting - 1

A Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow was found on Saturday November 5th at the North Branch Spray Fields (the fallow field at the end of the road that goes beyond the North Branch C&O Canal access area). We also saw a Sedge Wren there that day. The NSTS was re-found on Sunday November 6th. See Mike Burchette's Post about that November 5th sighting and more.

Fran Pope posted to the Garrett Natural History Listserve (a Yahoo Group) that she had found a Eurasian Wigeon at Broadford Reservoir (Mtn. Lake Park). I beleive it was Sunday but the date and time of the post were confusing (the post said 12:58 Monday 10/31 yet I read it 10:30 pm Sunday night). I tried to re-locate it this morning (Monday 10/31) with no success.

I'm currently in Evanston, Illinois (Chicago +/-) at Northwestern University. I'm learning how similar the birds here are to those in MD.

Highlights from this am (9/20/05) at NU:
Cooper's Hawk - 1
YB Sapsucker - 1
RB Nuthatch - 2
Bay Breasted Warbler - 1
Blackpoll Warbler - 6
Palm Warbler - 3
Am. Redstart - 2
Nashville Warbler - 1
Myrtle Warbler - 20
RC Kinglet - 2
GC Kinglet - 1
GC Thrush - 1 (flyover pre-dawn)
Swainson's Thrush - 8 (6 flyovers pre-dawn and 2 seen)
White-throated Sparrows - 9

J.B.

I don't know much about the results of the Fall Count because I didn't attend the tally. For me some of the best birds were a nice Bay-breasted Warbler, 6 Cape May Warblers, 3 Tennessee Warblers, a few Blackpolls etc. What else was seen ?

J.B.