Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2001 22:33:55 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Jim Stasz Subject: Re: Ruff, Avocet, DE birds, Dickcissels MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Folks! I just got back from a trip to the pond on Kibler Rd., Caroline County. A better description of the location is the WEST side of Kibler Rd., about .25 miles South of R. 314. When I left there at 8:30, the only remaining bird was a single Great Blue Heron. I arrived at the pool about 5:45. Glen Lovelace III arrived shortly. Later on Fred Shafer, Stan Arnold, Joan Decarli, and Danny Poet came in search of the birds. The American Avocet, a male in near breeding plumage, was obvious. The Ruff was not to be seen. Staring about 8 PM, small groups of shorebirds took off to the east. At 8:16 the Avocet set off east with a group of yellowlegs. At about 8:25, a group of 14 previously unseen Pectoral Sandpipers, and a single larger bird with a distinctive U-shaped white rump patch, headed out. I believe I was the only one who got the field marks before the bird disappeared to the ENE. The tally: Killdeer 8 Greater Yellowlegs 16 Lesser Yellowlegs149 American Avocet 1 Spotted Sandpiper 1 Least Sandpiper 247 Pectoral Sandpiper 14 Reeve 1 Short-billed Dowitcher 2 Laughing Gull 325 Northern Bobwhite 3 Great Blue Heron 2 Chimney Swift 1 Mallard 1 Blue Grosbeak 2 Although I suspect the birds left and headed to the coast, this pool is well worth a look any time you visit the area. Last year this pool had a flock of more than 200 American Golden-Plover, up to 7 White-rumped Sandpipers, and a smattering of the more common species. Good Birding! Jim Jim Stasz North Beach MD jlstasz@aol.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================