Hi Everyone,
I spent a very full day on the Eastern Shore with Mikey Lutmerding and Jim Brighton today, joining up with others on Assateague and randomly throughout the day. As I left the house at 2:30 a.m. for a coveted full day of birding on the coast, a GREAT HORNED OWL was calling non-stop in my neighborhood near Fort Smallwood. At several stops en route to Assateague small numbers of migrants were passing over, including warblers, a VEERY, and a few SWAINSON'S THRUSH. The radar looked promising. As we stood in the Bayside parking lot in the pre-dawn twilight, the mosquitoes were intense, but overhead were steady migrants, mostly BOBOLINKs, along with several SWAINSON'S THRUSH. As day dawned at Bayside, we were joined byJim Stasz, Ed Boyd, Mark Hoffman, Kathy Fleming, Rob
Ostrowski, Mike Burchett, Betsy Bangert, Jared Satchell, and Scott Housten.
Early morning at Bayside turned out much slower for passerines than we had hoped, holding just small numbers of AMERICAN REDSTARTs, EASTERN KINGBIRDs, and a few odds and ends like BALTIMORE ORIOLE, YELLOW WARBLER, and YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. Most conspicuous were large numbers of GRAY CATBIRDs (~25) and BROWN THRASHERs (~12) feeding in the cherries on the wooded edges. Most impressive was the dawn heron flight, made up of over 600 waders: 96 TRICOLORED, 118 LITTLE BLUE, 184 SNOWY, 109 GREAT, 60+ ibis, and about 40 white egret sp. CASPIAN and ROYAL TERNs were always fishing offshore, and small flocks of non-passerines steadily passed by. Among these were SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERs (one flock held a single STILT SANDPIPER), two BLACK SKIMMERs, and a single WESTERN WILLET.
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Bayside Campground was quiet, but offered BLACK TERN (1), BLUE-WINGED TEAL (3), ORCHARD ORIOLE (2), YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER (1), and a few other expected migrants.
A sea watch from the Ranger Station might have seemed slow if not for the steady stream of migrant BLACK TERNs. We were excited to tally 43 during our watch.
Next was Skimmer Island, where a RED KNOT was perhaps the only standout. Two MARBLED GODWITs seen earlier were not in evidence. No Sandwich Terns noted today.
Viewing flats south of the Route 50 bridge on Sinepuxent Bay, we picked out a continuing female BLACK SCOTER, five BLACK SKIMMERs, 40+ AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERs, four CASPIAN TERNs, and three LEAST TERNs.
One private field with poor access in West Ocean City held an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER among many Killdeer. Murray Sod Farms in the northern part of the county made us work for an UPLAND SANDPIPER. In the Swamp Road area, we met up with Mike Walsh and hung out for a while enjoying roadside flora and insects, snapping photos for the Maryland Biodiversity Project. This stretch of road hosted abundant (30+) LITTLE YELLOWs (http://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/viewSpecies.php?species=506), no doubt enjoying the omnipresent Partridge Pea here (http://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/viewSpecies.php?species=3781). The road hosted both species of lady, fresh Painted Ladies (2) and worn American Ladies (2). Several CHECKERED WHITEs were nice to see here as well. CLOUDLESS SULFURs were common everywhere we visited today.
Heading west, we noted that the Old Railroad Road turf farm is looking great for grasspipers. Little was found among the 50+ KILLDEER, but it's worth checking in the coming weeks. Most of the traditional turf farms on Route 331 near Hurlock are in corn this year, but there is one nice open section that held little of interest besides a few Bobolinks and Bank Swallows.
By now the gravitational pull of the Strobels' WHITE IBIS had gained
control of at least two Subaru Foresters, and soon we were at Tanyard in
the drizzling rain. With some work, it was located and thoroughly
enjoyed by me, Mikey, Jim, Jim Stasz, and Ed Boyd. Thanks, Warren! Great find.
A few final stops were well-intentioned but rather quiet. The Easton Airport didn't host any Upland Sandpipers because it's more fun for Jim Brighton to not have them in his home county. Pickering Creek's main pond is now overgrown, but the western impoundment held some expected shorebirds, a Green-winged Teal, and 20+ waders including an immature LITTLE BLUE HERON. Route 309's ponds are barely visible. John Brown Road had lots of birds, but none of the season's more sought-after species. We did get to see John Hubbell, though, rounding out a nice checklist of rare birders.
Great to be out!
If you haven't checked out the Maryland Biodiversity Project, please do - in just a couple months we have cataloged over 5,300 Maryland species, including all of the vertebrates and most of the vascular plants. The site has photos for over 1,500 species from more than 40 talented photographers: http://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/. We've also begun posting daily updates on interesting natural history subjects from where to find Black Terns, to identifying meadowbeauties, to the latest sighting of Dainty Sulfurs in Maryland. Check it out at http://www.facebook.com/MarylandBiodiversity.
Good birding,
Bill
Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland
<bill_hubick...>
http://www.billhubick.com
http://www.marylandbiodiversity.com
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