Hi everybody:
I arrived at Elk Neck St. Pk. about one hour before daylight and had some
time to kill. Taking advantage of the open gate to the boat launch area I
made that my first destination. About 1/3 of the way down the road I heard
first one then another Great Horned Owls calling. After listening to them
for 15-20 minutes I guessed that there were two pair calling back and
forth. At one point one of them flew across the road and landed in the top
of a tree and gave me a nice silouette against the beginning dawn light.
Once I was down at the boat ramp it was fairly inactive both on the water
and land. Ten minutes after the Great Horned Owls stopped calling I heard a
not so distant E. Screech Owl call several times.
I headed over to the Turkey Point parking area and slowly made my way to
the point. Since the winds were from the SSW last night I was not overly
optimistic. I decided to spend some time in the partially sunlit forest
edges on the way out instead of heading directly to the point. About half
way up the path I encountered Tim Carney on his return trip from the point.
If my memory is correct his highlights were a Merlin, a Yellow-bellied
Flycatcher and a Nashville Warbler (none of which woud make their way on to
my list). Since the only warbler I had seen up to this point was an
American Redstart I headed directly to the point.
Adding to my slow start was a park employee cutting the grass around the
lighthouse the entire time that I would be there. I spent the first hour
around the perimeter of the lighthouse and had very few migrants. I finally
found a pocket of warblers down in the corner in the woods to the far left
of the lighthouse. The vast majority of them were A. Redstarts, N. Parulas
and Magnolias. I heard several RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES calling and had good
looks at a BAY-BREASTED WARBLER and a TENNESSEE WARBLER. On the way back I
continued to check field/forest edges and added a Chestnut-sided Warbler
and a BLUE-HEADED VIREO.
I then drove over to Bethel MHA, arriving shortly before noon and walked
clockwise along the dike. Through my scope I could tell that there were
some shorebirds at the water's edge at the far end so I continued in that
direction. 3/4 of the way down the path I set up my scope to check out the
shorebirds in the shade supplied by a dead tree. As I began to scope I
heard a chip note behind me. In the tree behind me were several birds. Two
of them immediately flew out, but of the remaining birds there were 1 N.
Parula, 2 Blackpolls and 1 PHILADELPHIA VIREO. At one point the vireo came
down to a lower branch about 10 feet from me which came me the best views
of this bird I had ever seen.
I then started scoping the shorebirds. I saw 6 Lesser and 4 Greater
Yellowlegs, 24 Semi-palmated and 16 Least Sandpipers. There were 2 other
shorebirds further around the edge from the others. After moving closer I
realized that they were 2 STILT SANDPIPERS. After returning back to the car
and looking in Sibley I would say that they juvenile birds. I also saw two
terns flying aroung and dive-bomb/feeding that I had not noticed before.
One was a Forster's tern and one was a COMMON TERN. There were also Green
and Blue-winged Teal present as well as Barn, Tree and Rough-winged
Swallows feeding and drinking over the water. I saw 2 Great Egrets and one
immature Little Blue Heron.
After leaving Bethel MHA I headed back north and then east down Rt. 40 and
then hit a few back roads. My most productive stop was at a dried-up creek
crossing on Carpenter's Point Rd. where I had 8 species of warblers:
Blk-Thr Green (3), Blk & Wht (2), N. Parula(2), Blk Thr Blue (2), A.
Redstart (3),TENNESSEE (3), CANADA (1) and CAPE MAY (1).
It was a beautiful day to be out and for me one of the most rewarding days
I have spent in Cecil County!
Jim Green
Gaithersburg, MD
work in moderation, BIRD IN EXCESS!!!
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