Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 19:41:04 -0600 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: marty cribb Subject: worcester weekend MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello Everyone, long weekends are wonderful even when you're = semi-retired and I enjoyed reading all the posts on MDOSPREY when I = returned this evening to Smith Island. I started out the weekend leaving = the island and traveling to St Marys Co for a brief visit to Point = Lookout SP where I had hoped to see the NOSH at Pax R but could not = hook-up with an escort to the Navy Base. Point Lookout was very quiet = with very few birds on either the bayside or river side of the point. = Highlight was 8 WWSC off the causeway. I then left late afternoon for = Worcester Co after being informed of the RAZO at the OC Inlet. First = stop Sunday morning was to meet up with Tyler Bell and Jane Kostenko for = the group effort at E A Vaughn. I was fortunate enough to view 2 = CLAY-COLOURED Sparrow plus numerous other sparrow sp including 1 LeCONTE = SPARROW. The CCSP was a life bird. We also had a great look at 1 GOLDEN = EAGLE being mobbed by Crow SP. On to OC next where a quick look for the = RAZORBILL was unsucessful. I tried again to locate the De TUDU at Silver = Lake and Spring Lake with the same results. Back to OC where I met up = again with Tyler and Jane and they already had located the RAZO which I = was able to view for about 1 hr while it preened for long periods at = slack tide and when the tide started running in it started to feed in = the slight chop at the tide line along with 23 RED-THROATED LOONS, 8 = COMMON LOONS, and 10 HORNED GREBES. At least 20 PURPLE SANDPIPERS. 24 = RUDDY TURNSTONES, 20 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS, 40 SANDERLINGS were = present along the south jetty and along the rocks on the seawall on the = north side of the inlet feeding on the exposed mussel beds. There were = also 12 BLACK DUCK and no sign of the Harlequin Ducks reported earlier. = I returned again on Monday morning under clear skies and very light = winds to search again for the RAZO and after 1-1/2 hrs was unable to = relocate. I did however, get good looks at 8 NORTHERN GANNETT, 12 HADU, = (3 males flying from the ocean thru the inlet and into Sinnupuxent bay = and 8 males and 1 female along the south jetty). I then returned to E A = Vaughn WMA to briefly cheque out the central area where we were able to = get good looks at 3 more LESP in a field that had huge #'s of mostly = SASP with the occasional SOSP and WTSP. The only other significant = species were approx 15-18 EASTERN TOWHEE. A great weekend of birding = which included 2 life birds, (the CCSP and the RAZO) and great company. = Good Birding to all, Marty Cribb, Smith Island, Md =20 ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================