Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 02:26:42 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Mark Hoffman Subject: Maryland/Worcester County March Big Day-Part 4-Species MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit POST-SCRIPT: The next day we birded Hickory Point in the early morning. Species not seen the day before were Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Gray Catbird (both singing), but there was no indication that skipping Hickory had been a mistake. This location is somewhat out of the way, but had been the main forest bird spot in the prior March run. We also saw the Le Conte's at Vaughn again. On leaving Worcester around noon, we decided to test the competing shorebird theories. Like many experiments, the results were equivocal with only Greater (6) and Lesser (3) Yellowlegs at the Rt. 12/113 pond. No pec or dow. SPECIES SUMMARY A target list was prepared, with 123 category "A" species, which were thought to be 95-100% birds. A category "B" was also created, to target tough species, but those believed to be possible. The B list included 51 species. We ended up getting 116 As (94%), 17 Bs (33%) and 3 "write-ins". Both the A and B lists were tailored to our current knowledge of the birds present in the county (e.g. Harlequin Duck was thought to be present, so it was an "A", no eiders had been seen in weeks, so neither species made the "A" or "B" list). In the listing below, category B species are so indicated, and the write-ins are in all caps. Species list (136 total) (** indicates not seen on prior 3/31/99 big day): Red-throated Loon (Ocean City Inlet - 30) Common Loon (Public Landing - 1, Eagle's Nest - 6) Pied-billed Grebe (Big Mill Pond - 1, Vaughn WMA/North - 1, singing) Horned Grebe (Vaughn WMA/Central - 20, Public Landing - 1) Northern Gannet (Ocean City Inlet - 20) Double-crested Cormorant (several locations) Great Blue Heron (several locations) Great Egret (George Island Landing - 2, West OC - 6) Snowy Egret (George Island Landing - 1, Riggins Ridge Road Pond - 3) Little Blue Heron (West Ocean City - 2 ad.) Tricolored Heron (West Ocean City - 3) Black-crowned Night-Heron (West Ocean City Pond - 10) Glossy Ibis** (Stockton Marsh -1, Bayview Farm - 8) Black Vulture (George Island Landing Road - 3) Turkey Vulture (many locations) Snow Goose (Ocean Pines Ponds - 3) Canada Goose (many locations) Brant (Skimmer Island - 15) Mute Swan (West OC Pond - 1 imm., present 3/22) Wood Duck (Vaughn WMA/Central - 15) Gadwall (Vaughn WMA/North - 10, West OC Pond - 40) American Wigeon (Bayview Farm - 6) American Black Duck (many locations) Mallard (many locations) Blue-winged Teal (Vaughn WMA/North - 1, Bayview Farm - 1) Northern Shoveler (Vaughn WMA/Central - 1, Vaughn WMA/North - 10, West OC Pond - 20) Green-winged Teal (many locations) Canvasback (West Ocean City Pond - 5) Ring-necked Duck (West OC Pond - 15, Berlin Sewage Ponds - 10) Lesser Scaup (West OC Pond - 60) Surf Scoter (Ocean City Inlet - 1) Black Scoter** (Ocean City Inlet - 1) Oldsquaw (Skimmer Island - 2) Bufflehead (many locations) Hooded Merganser (West Ocean City Pond - 1) Red-breasted Merganser (many locations) Ruddy Duck (West Ocean City Pond - 32, Berlin Sewage Ponds - 20) Osprey (many locations) Bald Eagle (Vaughn WMA/Central - 1, West OC - 1) Northern Harrier (Vaughn WMA/Central -4, Truitt's Landing - 4 [m. & f. courting on 3/30], Eagle's Nest - 1) Sharp-shinned Hawk** (Along Rt. 12 - 1) NORTHERN GOSHAWK** (Vaughn WMA/Central - 1, imm. male, 4th or 5th county record) Red-shouldered Hawk (Blades Road - 2) Red-tailed Hawk (several locations) American Kestrel (several locations) Wild Turkey (B) (Vaughn WMA/Central - 1, Along Rt. 12 - 1) Clapper Rail (B) (Taylor's Landing -1, MLH and JLS only) King Rail** (B) (Truitt's Landing - 4) (last year's effort had large rail [sp.] only) Virginia Rail (Truitt's Landing - 8, Vaughn WMA/Central - 1) SORA** (Truitt's Landing -1) American Coot (West Ocean City Pond - 1, Berlin Sewage Ponds - 30) Black-bellied Plover (Eagle's Nest - 40) Piping Plover (B) (Eagle's Nest - 7) Killdeer (several locations) American Oystercatcher (Eagle's Nest - 6, Skimmer Island - 10) Greater Yellowlegs (Rt. 12 @ Rt. 113 pond - 5) Lesser Yellowlegs (B) (Rt. 12 @ Rt. 113 pond - 42) Ruddy Turnstone (Ocean City Inlet - 20) Sanderling (Eagle's Nest - 15) Pectoral Sandpiper (B) (Rt. 12 @ Rt. 113 pond - 1) Purple Sandpiper (Ocean City Inlet - 40) Dunlin (Eagle's Nest - 250) Dowitcher (sp.)** (B) (Rt. 12 @ Rt. 113 pond - 1) Common Snipe (Vaughn WMA/North - 3) Laughing Gull (many locations, Worcester County Central Landfill - 400) Bonaparte's Gull (small pond on Onley Road west of Girdletree -1, Berlin Sewage Ponds - 40 and OC) Ring-billed Gull (many locations, Worcester County Central Landfill - 1) Herring Gull (many locations, Worcester County Central Landfill - 600) Lesser Black-backed Gull (B) (Worcester County Central Landfill - 1 first year) Great Black-backed Gull (many locations, Worcester County Central Landfill -30) Royal Tern (B) (Vaughn WMA/Central - 1) Forster's Tern (Vaughn WMA/Central - 20, Public Landing - 10, Eagle's Nest - 10, and other locations) Rock Dove (several locations) Mourning Dove (Vaughn WMA/Central - 80 and many other locations) Eastern Screech-Owl (Nassawango Road - 1) Great Horned Owl (Truitt's Landing - 2, Vaughn WMA/Central - 1) Barred Owl (Red House Rd. @ Nassawango Creek - 1, Meadow Bridge Road - 1) Short-eared Owl (B) (Truitt's Landing - 1 at dusk) Belted Kingfisher (Vaughn WMA/Central - 3) Red-bellied Woodpecker (several locations) Downy Woodpecker (several locations) Hairy Woodpecker (Vaughn WMA/Central - 6) Northern "Yellow-shafted" Flicker (several locations) Pileated Woodpecker (Vaughn WMA/Central - 1) Eastern Phoebe** (Five Mile Branch Road - 1) Blue Jay (several locations) American Crow (many locations) Fish Crow (many locations) Horned Lark (Big Mill Pond Road - 1, Figg's Landing - 1) Purple Martin (B) (Stockton - 1, George Island Landing - 1, Big Mill Pond Road - 1) Tree Swallow (many locations) Barn Swallow** (B) (Rabbit Knaw Road - 1) Carolina Chickadee (many locations) Tufted Titmouse (many locations) Red-breasted Nuthatch** (B) (West OC - 1) White-breasted Nuthatch (Blades Road - 1, Old Furnace Road @ Nassawango Creek - 1) Brown-headed Nuthatch (Vaughn WMA/Central - 6) Brown Creeper (Steel Pond Road @ Payne Ditch - 1) Carolina Wren (many locations) Marsh Wren (Vaughn WMA/Central - 2, Truitt's Landing - 3 at dusk)) Winter Wren** (Vaughn WMA/Central - 1) Sedge Wren (Vaughn WMA/Central - 2, Truitt's Landing - 2 at dusk)) Golden-crowned Kinglet (West OC - 1, MJI only) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher** (B) (Vaughn WMA/Central - 2, Steel Pond Road @ Little Mill Run - 2, Old Furnace Road @ Nassawango Creek - 1, Old Furnace Road @ Pusey Branch - 1) Eastern Bluebird (many locations) Hermit Thrush (several locations) American Robin (many locations) Northern Mockingbird (many locations) Brown Thrasher (Vaughn WMA/Central - 10) European Starling (many locations) Yellow-rumped "Myrtle" Warbler (many locations) Yellow-throated Warbler (Vaughn WMA/Central - 1, Blades Road - 6, Old Furnace Road @ Nassawango Creek - 2, Old Furnace Road @ Pusey Branch - 1) Pine Warbler (many locations) Louisiana Waterthrush (Blades Road - 1, Steel Pond Road @ Little Mill Run - 1) Eastern Towhee (Vaughn WMA/Central - 6) Chipping Sparrow (many locations) Field Sparrow (Vaughn WMA/Central - 20) Savannah Sparrow (several locations) LE CONTE'S SPARROW** (Vaughn WMA/North - 1, present since January) Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow** (B) (Vaughn WMA/Central - 1, MLH and MJI only) Sharp-tailed Sparrow (sp.) (Vaughn WMA/Central - 3) Fox Sparrow** (B) (Vaughn WMA/Central - 1) Song Sparrow (many locations) Swamp Sparrow (several locations) White-throated Sparrow (many locations) White-crowned Sparrow (Evans Rd. Sparrow spot - 6, 1 ad.) Dark-eyed "Slate-colored" Junco (West OC - 1) Northern Cardinal (many locations) Red-winged Blackbird (many locations) Eastern Meadowlark (Vaughn WMA/Central - 15) Rusty Blackbird (B) (Truitt's Landing - 2 at dusk) Common Grackle (many locations) Boat-tailed Grackle (George Island Landing - 2, Eagle's Nest - 6) Brown-headed Cowbird (many locations) House Finch (Vaughn WMA/Central - 2) American Goldfinch (several locations) House Sparrow (several locations) ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================