FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Lapwing -- YES!!!

[VBKitchens@xxxxxxx]

VA Birders,

    After learning that the Northern Lapwing, for which we searched in vain 2 
weeks ago, had returned to the wet (and partially snow-covered) farm field on 
Graceham Road in Frederick Co., MD, Pat Blyer, Lori Keeler, Betty Kilgore, 
and I decided to make another try for this bird today.  We were not 
disappointed.

    Since recent reports indicated that this bird was now being seen mainly 
around midday and mid-afternoon, we decided to leave Arlington at 10:00 am this 
morning.  We arrived at the lapwing site about 11:30 am and quickly learned 
that the bird had not yet been seen today.  (A couple from Pittsburgh, who 
apparently had left home about 2:00 am this morning, had been at the site since 
about 6:30 am.)  Most cars had just pulled over on the left side of the road, 
but after driving to the end of the line and not finding a decent place to 
park, 
we turned around and drove back to a vacant spot in the line which had a 
better shoulder on which to pull off--and which had us, unlike most of the 
other 
cars, facing back toward Rt. 550, from whence we had come.  

    This proved to be a stroke of good luck, because after putting on my 
parka, I got back in the car to eat a snack and keep warm.  I don't think I had 
been sitting there for more than 5 minutes when (about 11:45 am) I spotted what 
appeared to be a fairly large bird with dark, round wings flying in across the 
length of the farm field from the Rt. 550 end towards us.  At first, I wasn't 
sure what I was seeing, but as it got closer, I began to suspect it might be 
the lapwing.  When it landed in the back of the field, I quickly got out of 
the car and got my binoculars on it and realized that it was the lapwing.  I 
called out "lapwing" and the other 20-30 people there all quickly got on the 
bird 
with binoculars and scopes.  (Amazingly, few if any of the other people 
there, except Pat, who was sitting next to me putting on her boots, saw the 
bird 
fly in.)  After a few minutes, the lapwing flew again, but this time, it flew 
only a short distance and landed over along the fence at the edge of the field 
with the puddle which appears to be its favorite spot to hang out, according to 
past reports.  The bird was close enough for everyone there to get great 
scope views of it, and I especially want to thank all who let me look thru 
their 
scopes as my tripod wasn't working properly so I couldn't use my scope. 

    We must have watched the bird for more than half an hour.  I heard later 
that the lapwing stayed in the same area for at least 3 hours today!  Also, 
before leaving, I checked my Collins guide to Birds of Britain & Europe, and 
from the pictures in this guide it appears that the lapwing is coming into 
breeding plumage.

    Other birds we saw in the fields on both sides of the road were Killdeer, 
Horned Larks, and Meadowlarks.  Wilson's Snipe reportedly also have been seen 
there.

DIRECTIONS:  From the Capital Beltway, take Rt. 270 (in MD) north to 
Frederick, and then take U.S. Rt. 15 north (or from Leesburg, take U.S. Rt. 15 
north 
all the way) toward Thurmont, MD, which I think is about 10 miles south of the 
PA state line.  A few miles south of Thurmont, turn right onto Rt. 806, and 
continue north a short distance to Blacks Mill Road.  Turn right onto Blacks 
Mill Road and continue to Creagerstown.  In the center of the town, turn left 
onto Rt. 550 (you won't see the route sign until you have gone a short 
distance). 
 Go about a mile at most and turn right onto Graceham Road.  About half a 
mile down the road you should start seeing a line of cars and birders; the 
lapwing field is on your right, and the wet area with puddle(s) which the 
lapwing 
favors is at the far end by the fence.  (If you miss the  first turnoff from 
Rt. 
15 onto Rt. 806, you have another chance to turn onto it a little farther up 
Rt. 15 and then you can go back south to Blacks Mill Road.)  If you have the 
DeLorme Maryland/Delaware Atlas & Gazetteer, the area where the Northern 
Lapwing is being seen is shown on page 72.

CAUTIONARY NOTES:  Graceham is a fairly narrow 2-lane road, and birders 
should all pull off on the same side of the road both for safety reasons and as 
a 
courtesy to local residents and traffic.  This is especially important on the 
weekend, when there is likely to be hordes of birders and more local traffic.  
Also, as mentioned in previous posts, remember that all fields along the road 
are private property, so stay along the road and do not wander into any 
fields.  Finally, it has also been suggested that birders stay across the road 
from 
the area which the lapwing frequents so that it will not be spooked away.  If 
it is there, you should be able to get good scope views from the road--and if 
you don't have a scope, most birders are great people and more than happy to 
let you look thru their scopes. 
 
Val Kitchens
Arlington, VA
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