Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 22:16:32 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Stan Arnold Subject: Assateague on Sat., 9/29 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Folks, I birded Assateague on Saturday with Joan DeCarli, and though we had no major finds, the selection was nevertheless good. We ran into Sam Dyke and Eric Decker at Bayside around 7 a.m., and they had seen the bird of the day, which unfortunately Joan and I missed: an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER. Sam felt pretty certain of the ID, based on it's pale yellow belly, and the dark terminal edgings of the tail feathers, of which he had a good look. I'm reporting this since he is not on Osprey. Highlights for us was an immature RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, six fly-by BRANT, first of the season (for us) SNOW GEESE, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, and an estimated 25,000 TREE SWALLOWs, in several massive swarms, apparently trapped on the island by the strong westerly winds. While we visited Bayside, the Forest Trail, and the ORV zone, we did not visit Hungerford Flats which was closed for waterfowl hunting. The tally: Brown Pelican--15, various locations DC Cormorant--250 in several large flocks flying over Turkey Vulture--2, ORV zone Great Egret--5, Bayside & Forest Trail end Little Blue heron--1, end of Forest Trail Brant--6 flyby from Bayside Snow Goose--flock overflying oceanside campground N. Harrier--1 in ORV zone N. Bobwhite--7 at Bayside Black-bellied Plover--1 at Bayside Lesser Yellowlegs--5 at Bayside Sanderling--25 in ORV zone Least Sandpiper--10 at Bayside Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull GBB Gull Royal Tern--22, Bayside and ORV zone Caspian Tern--8 " Forster's Tern--20 in ORV zone Red-headed Woodpecker--1 juv, Bayside N. Flicker--10 at Bayside Downy woodpecker--1 on Forest Trail E. Wood Pewee--1, Forest Trail Red-eyed Vireo--2, Forest Trail Tree Swallow--25,000, mostly over Ranger Station, and Bayside Carolina Chickadee--10, Bayside & Forest Trail Red-breasted Nuthatch--2, 1 each at Bayside and Forest Trail Carolina Wren--5, Bayside & Forest Trail House Wren--1, Forest Trail Golden-crowned Kinglet--2, 1 each at Bayside and Forest Trail Gray Catbird--50 Brown Thrasher--4 Eur. Starling--1 Tennessee Warbler--1, Bayside N. Parula--1, Bayside Magnolia Warbler--2, Bayside Black-throated Blue Warbler--2, male & female, Bayside Pine Warbler--1, Forest Trail Black-and-white Warbler--2, Bayside Am. Redstart--5, Bayside & Forest Trail E. Towhee--10, various places Song Sparrow-1, Bayside Rose-breasted Grosbeak--1 flyover, Bayside E. Meadowlark--3, ORV zone Boat-tailed Grackle--12, Bayside Baltimore Oriole--2, Bayside Am. Goldfinch--8 flyover, Bayside Stan Arnold Glen Burnie blackrail@earthlink.net ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =======================================================================