Subject: Discovery Park today
Date: Feb 22 13:24:52 2001
From: Scott Atkinson - scottratkinson at hotmail.com


Tweeters:

A brief stop at the locks and a couple Discovery Park edges today on
lunchbreak produced a few more signs of the pending spring. At the
visitor's center I had a flyover Selasphorus, sp., probably a Rufous
Hummingbird, but heard only. Feb. 22 is a very early date of arrival for
me, but then I usually bird very little at this time of year. Also
cooperatively hopping about in the Photinias was a Song Sparrow that seemed
to be in a very good humor, at times seeming to just stop to enjoy the
abundant sunshine. Notably, the bird had a bright red legband. Lastly,
near the north parking lot, a Scouler's Willow (Salix scouleriana) was
blossoming with "pussy willow" catkins, and Indian-plum now blooms
throughout the park...

Very few gulls at the locks this year, a little better numbers were seen in
the channel just east near the F/V Western Enterprise and the Marco docks,
including one somewhat dark-mantled Mew Gull, too far off for close study.
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com