Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2001 22:35:28 EDT Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Mark Hoffman Subject: Assateague/Worcester--08/24/2001 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Worcester Birders -- I was able to squeeze in another one-day trip to Assateague Island, and Worcester County, on Friday, August 24. I hoped the frontal passage during Thursday night/Friday morning might result in a good migrant flight at Bayside. Although winds were from the desired northeast, the cloudy skies and somewhat stalled nature of the front (with rain off and on over the lower Eastern Shore during the night), would seem to have put a halt on any migration reaching the coast. At Bayside, I only had two fly-over warblers (redstarts). The distinct highlight was a pretty female/immature type Golden-winged Warbler, squeaked up in the Vireo Grove. Always a joy on the coast. I decide to walk up the northern end of Assateague, something I had not done in several years. The sand wash-over has changed the landscape a fair amount, but there is still a lot of good shorebird habitat. In particular, the area north of where the old McCabe house use to be, seems very promising. Formerly, this was mixed marsh edge/bayberry, but it is now all barren with shallow pools. The farther north "HUGO flats" (to the east of the large offshore marsh island, south of the Channel Marker #11 island) are a bit smaller due to sand intrusion, but still held a fair number of birds. I made it as far north as the "Big Mound" (famous for its Wilson's Plovers nests in '76 and '85) opposite the OC Airport. Highlight on the North End was two Upland Sandpipers in the tall grass/sedge along the bayside. Have seen them in this habitat here and at Fox Hill several times. Much more difficult in the county now that their favorite cattle pasture at McMaster Road has been cultivated. One the way back, I lucked into a nice immature Lark Sparrow, feeding along the Oyster Shell road, that goes north from the main paved road to the State Park day use area. It was consistently hanging out with a flock of Field Sparrows, the first time I have noted this behavior among the many LASPs I have seen on Assateague. Usually it is the Clay-coloreds that flock with the Fields. The birds frequented the area north of the large patch of phragmites on the east side of the road, up to, and slightly beyond, the boundary between the State Park and the National Seashore (marked by the dirt road that goes off to the east to a handicapped accessible waterfowl blind). The flock was mostly on the east side of the road. After a refreshing shower at the State Park bath house, I needed to beef up my August '01 Worcester list, and hit several ponds - Griffin Road (had 5 turkeys here), Ocean Pines, West OC. Traffic was bearable, so I also did Skimmer Island near dusk and had Lesser Black-backed. Ended the day at the Berlin Sewage Ponds, with a neat mass of swallows (virtullant all Trees, 2500, despite it still being late-August, and Chimeny Swifts) swirling over the ponds. All in all a nice day! Weather: Clear, NE wind, 10-15, temp mid-70s to mid-80s. 08/24/2001 Assateague Island/Bayside 0545-0845 Double-crested Cormorant 4; Great Egret 8; Snowy Egret 15; Little Blue Heron 15; Tricolored Heron 12; Glossy Ibis 3; Osprey 1; Northern Bobwhite 10; Black-bellied Plover 1; Semipalmated Plover 1; Killdeer 2; Greater Yellowlegs 4; Lesser Yellowlegs 15; Spotted Sandpiper 1; Western Sandpiper 1; Least Sandpiper 20; Pectoral Sandpiper 20; Short-billed Dowitcher 2; Laughing Gull 80; Ring-billed Gull 1; Herring Gull 50; Great Black-backed Gull 2; Caspian Tern 3; Royal Tern 15; Forster's Tern 2; Mourning Dove 2; Common Nighthawk 1 (often difficult to find in Worcester, flying around the point, at one point perched in the large pine on the SE edge of the parking lot); Chimney Swift 1; Downy Woodpecker 1; Eastern Kingbird 15; White-eyed Vireo 2; Fish Crow 15; Purple Martin 2; Tree Swallow 10; Barn Swallow 50; Carolina Chickadee 1; Carolina Wren 4; House Wren 1; American Robin 2; Gray Catbird 60; Brown Thrasher 15; European Starling 4; Cedar Waxwing 2; GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER 1 (rare along the coast, a beautiful female/imm., in the vireo grove, my 6th for Worcester, 3rd on Assateague, only about 20 county records); American Redstart 2; Common Yellowthroat 12; Yellow-breasted Chat 1; Eastern Towhee 15; Song Sparrow 8; Northern Cardinal 8; Bobolink 2; Red-winged Blackbird 4; Eastern Meadowlark 1; Boat-tailed Grackle 30; Baltimore Oriole 3; House Finch 5; American Goldfinch 5. Assateague Island/State Park North 0900-1030 and 1600-1700 Brown Pelican 2; Double-crested Cormorant 4; Great Egret 25; Snowy Egret 70; Little Blue Heron 5; Glossy Ibis 5; American Kestrel 1; Black-bellied Plover 1; Semipalmated Plover 1; Killdeer 1; American Oystercatcher 1; Greater Yellowlegs 1; Whimbrel 1; Ruddy Turnstone 3; Sanderling 150; Least Sandpiper 5; Laughing Gull 300; Ring-billed Gull 20; Herring Gull 40; Great Black-backed Gull 15; Royal Tern 20; Sandwich Tern 1 (feeding just off beach in large mixed gull/tern flock); Common Tern 20; Forster's Tern 20; Mourning Dove 15; White-eyed Vireo 1; Fish Crow 1; Purple Martin 1; Tree Swallow 30; Bank Swallow 1; Barn Swallow 30; Carolina Chickadee 2; House Wren 2; Gray Catbird 2; Brown Thrasher 1; European Starling 4; Eastern Towhee 2; Field Sparrow 10; LARK SPARROW 1 (imm., photos); Song Sparrow 4; Boat-tailed Grackle 1; House Finch 5; American Goldfinch 2. Assateague Island/North End 1030-1600 Double-crested Cormorant 20; Great Blue Heron 2; Great Egret 6; Snowy Egret 15; Little Blue Heron 3; Tricolored Heron 1; Green Heron 2; Black-crowned Night Heron 2; Glossy Ibis 1; American Black Duck 1; Osprey 5; Northern Harrier 1; Black-bellied Plover 40; Semipalmated Plover 100; Piping Plover 1 (juv.); Killdeer 1; American Oystercatcher 62; Greater Yellowlegs 8; Lesser Yellowlegs 5; Willet 6; Spotted Sandpiper 7; UPLAND SANDPIPER 2; Whimbrel 1; Ruddy Turnstone 38; Sanderling 800; Semipalmated Sandpiper 150; Western Sandpiper 1; Least Sandpiper 120; White-rumped Sandpiper 7; Pectoral Sandpiper 2; Short-billed Dowitcher 2; Laughing Gull 320; Ring-billed Gull 90; Herring Gull 320; Great Black-backed Gull 150; Caspian Tern 20; Royal Tern 210; Sandwich Tern 2 (1 one-year old with flock of Royals, 1 fly-over); Common Tern 60; Forster's Tern 50; Least Tern 2; Black Skimmer 70; Horned Lark 7; Tree Swallow 100; Barn Swallow 8; Seaside Sparrow 1; Song Sparrow 10; Red-winged Blackbird 4; House Finch 13. Griffin Road Ponds 1745-1805 Cattle Egret 6; Little Blue Heron 1; Turkey Vulture 1; Canada Goose 3; Wood Duck 1; Mallard 75; Wild Turkey 5 (on field edge at sharp bend in road); Solitary Sandpiper 3; Spotted Sandpiper 1; Chimney Swift 15; Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1; Eastern Kingbird 1; American Crow 1; Tree Swallow 10; Caroline Chickadee 4; Carolina Wren 2; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1; Gray Catbird 1; Northern Mockingbird 6; Chipping Sparrow 8; Northern Cardinal 4; American Goldfinch 2; House Sparrow 1. Ocean Pines Ponds 1810-1820 Snow Goose 3; Canada Goose 8; Mallard 20; Laughing Gull 80; Ring-billed Gull 1; Fish Crow 10. West Ocean City Pond 1830-1845 Pied-billed Grebe 2; Great Blue Heron 1; Great Egret 20; Cattle Egret 50; Snowy Egret 5; Little Blue Heron 20; Black-crowned Night Heron 4; Canada Goose 60; Wood Duck 3; Mallard 20; Laughing Gull 10. Ocean City/Skimmer Island 1900-1930 Brown Pelican 8; Double-crested Cormorant 25; Great Blue Heron 3; Great Egret 5; Cattle Egret 100 (going to roost); Snowy Egret 10; Little Blue Heron 7; Tricolored Heron 4; Black-crowned Night Heron 7; Mallard 10; Black-bellied Plover 5; Killdeer 1; American Oystercatcher 10; Ruddy Turnstone 5; Sanderling 5; Laughing Gull 750; Ring-billed Gull 20; Herring Gull 300; Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 (one year old); Great Black-backed Gull 60; Caspian Tern 2; Royal Tern 250; Common Tern 10; Forster's Tern 1; Black Skimmer 3. Berlin Sewage Pons 1935-1950 Canada Goose 4; Wood Duck 3; Mallard 10; Laughing Gull 5; Chimney Swift 200; Tree Swallow 2500; Barn Swallow 2. Good birding, Mark Hoffman Sykesville, MD Mhoff36100@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 ======================================================================= =========================================================================