Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2001 10:01:35 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Stan Arnold Subject: Eared Grebe; Eur. Wigeon; E. Shore Highlights MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Folks, Joan DeCarli and I spent a long day birding the eastern shore of MD yesterday (Sat., 10/27), and came up with nothing of particular note, but still some nice birds, mostly previously reported. Highlights were EARED GREBE still hanging on at Hurlock WWTP in Dorchester Co., two STILT SANDPIPERs at the Borrow Pit along US 50 west of Salisbury, Wicomico Co., and EURASIAN WIGEON at West Ocean City Pond, reported last weekend by Matt Haffner. Details: Hurlock WWTP, Dorchester Co., 7-8 a.m.: EARED GREBE--1 adult, still in southwest cell, where it has been all season Ring-necked Duck--one male Lesser Scaup--one female BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER--1 Horned Lark--3 in field west of the WWTP Am. Pipit--25, mostly flyovers, but some landing on dykes Borrow Pit, a mile west of Salisbury, Wicomico Co., on N. side of US 50: Killdeer--15 Lesser Yellowlegs--4 Least Sandpiper--2 Pectoral Sandpiper--1 STILT SANDPIPER--2 Am. Pipit--5 Vaughan WMA, North, Worcester Co.: Not much of note here. We ran into Jim Stasz and a Virginia birder named Kevin, and all combed the fields several times looking for the LeConte's Sparrow, but did not succeed. Perhaps the wind kept it down. A few Sharpies and a Merlin flew over Worcester Co. landfill--again, little of note; an imm. Bald Eagle flew over the excavation lagoon. Two Lesser Yellowlegs were the only shorebirds. No interesting gulls noted. West Ocean City Pond--loaded with dabblers, waders, and some shorebirds: Great Egret--1 Snowy Egret--several Little Blue Heron--4 white juveniles Black-crowned Night Heron--about 30 Gadwall--several pairs EURASIAN WIGEON--1 male, apparently annual at the pond in early fall, before flying off to join the massive wigeon raft in the Sinepuxent Bay; (State bird #325 for me) Am. Wigeon--dozens Am. Black Duck Mallard N. Shoveler N. Pintail Green-winged Teal Greater Yellowlegs-many Lesser Yellowlegs--many Pectoral Sandpiper--4 Dunlin--3 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER--1 Assateague: we spent the afternoon on the island, walking the shell road and driving the ORV zone, with a quick, unproductive visit to Fox Hills Level (crossover 10)there. We joined Jim Stasz on the beach there, and stayed till sunset, hoping to find jaegers among the feeding flocks of gulls and terns. We did not score, though Jim had had a couple of Pom. Jaegers the evening before at the OC inlet. We did see: Common Loon--one flyover--my first of season N. Gannet--one or two first year birds in the feeding flocks Canvasback--flock of about 20 flying by Surf Scoter--a few hundred flying south Merlin--two flybys N. Bobwhite--covey of about a dozen at entrance to Old Ferry Landing Rd. We've seen them here on several occasions LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL--beautiful adult with deep yellow legs, and clean dark mantle--surely the same bird as seen two weeks ago; seen in ORV zone near crossover 12 Royal Tern--only about half a dozen lingerers along beach and in feeding flocks Forster's Tern--about a dozen along beach and in feeding flocks Red-breasted Nuthatch--at state Park near entrance to shell road A good birding day. 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 ======================================================================= =========================================================================