I've noticed that this recent sightings section isn't very recent. I discovered a Tree Sparrow at the feeders today 3/7/07. I saw one a few weeks ago here too. They seem to show up in ones and twos when the snow gets bad. Now if I could just keep the Starlings out of the suet cakes. Lots of Juncos in the yard and some were singing today. I haven't seen any Fox Sparrows yet but I think its about time for them to start moving through.

Here is what I posted to the MDOSPREY this morning:

I saw 27 Common Loons at Rocky Gap this morning. There were also 2 SURF
SCOTERS, 24 Ring-billed Gulls, and 3 Herring Gulls. There was an
Orchard Oriole singing in the parking lot and some Myrtle Warblers in
the little island of trees near the beach. There was also a
White-Crowned Sparrow near the island. There are lots of Tree and Barn
Swallows around.

At North Branch there were 2 Lesser Yellowlegs and 3 White-crowned Sparrows.

At Piney Reservoir (Garrett County) there were just 3 Red-breasted
Mergansers, 2 Osprey, a Pied-billed Grebe. I also saw a Cooper's Hawk

We had a great Trip on Saturday 4/8/06
Finzel Swamp
Wood Duck - 4
Mallard - 4
American Green-winged Teal - 2
Virginia Rail - 1 (calling)
Ruffed Grouse - 1 (drumming)
Song Sparrow - 5
Swamp Sparrow - 5

Piney Reservoir
Common Loon - 8
Pied-billed Grebe - 5
Double-Crested Cormorant - 20
Great Blue Heron - 4
Canada Goose - 10
Mallard - 2
Gadwall - 4
Bufflehead - 2
Lesser Scaup - 8
Red-breasted Merganser - 10
Bald Eagle - 1 (Adult)
Osprey - 2
Tree Swallow - 40
American Robin - 1

Meadows Campground
Common Loon - 1
Ring-necked Duck - 1
Killdeer - 1

The Bird Club held its annual trip to Town Hill on Saturday October 15th, 2005. Ray Kiddy and J.B. Churchill met at the Mason's Barn Park-n-Ride at 7:30 am and arrived at Town Hill ~8:00 am. Charlotte Folk and Kathleen Helker arrived at Town Hill around 11:00 am +/-. Charlotte told some funny jokes. Ray stayed until 3:00 pm and the rest of us left around noon. The full list follows.

BIRDS
UNID Raptor 1 (possibly Red-shouldered Hawk)
Turkey Vulture 3
Black Vulture 7 (groups of 3 and 4)
American Kestrel 2
Merlin 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 53
Cooper's Hawk 5

This forum is for posting your bird sightings from Western MD and further abroad. Please feel free to post about the birds you've been seeing at home (at your feeders) or while out birding.

Ok ... let me get the ball rolling. If you aren't reading the archives of the MDOsprey, you could be missing quite a lot of good stuff. For example the Sedge Wrens that were near the intersection of Blank and Bald Knob Roads this summer. I also had a Stilt Sandpiper and a Baird's Sandpiper at North Branch on August 28th. Slightly further afield there was a Long-tailed Jaeger in Charles Town WV that I managed to see on August 26th.