Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2001 10:05:14 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "Lovelace, Glen" Subject: MD / DE Coastal Birding 11/3 Comments: To: DE-Birds MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Hello All, Shelly and I made our first 'Duck Run' of the season on Saturday. We started at Concord Pond near Seaford which had a few puddle ducks (inc. a half dozen Woodies) and fishermen. We birded our Seaford CBC territory (east from Concord toward Hardscrabble north of Rt 20) for landbirds. The pressure of development is taking its toll along our traditional route as several good spots are now occupied by houses. A couple hours effort yielded 8-10 species less than it has at its best. Nevertheless, we still pulled out some good birds. The highlight was a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher in Waterview Acres on Concord Pond. We also found Pine Warbler, Winter Wren, but no good sparrows or finches. Millsboro Ponds - Betts had a few puddle ducks (Gadwall, Wigeon, Woodie). Millsboro Pond had the same plus 5 Ruddies and 4 Buffies. Ocean City Inlet - way too many fishermen, but there were still birds. Started with a flyby imm. Great Cormorant. Eventually I found the scoter flock hiding behind the rockpile ( seen looking from the breakwater to get the angle). There were ~25 Surfs and 2 female Blacks. While scanning out to sea, I picked up 3 ducks flying directly in from the SE. They turned into 3 female Common Eider that banked over the far breakwater and settled in with the scoter flock. Also Royal Tern. Skimmer Island - the tide was on its way out just enough to begin exposing the flats. 3 Black-Bellied Plover and 3 Dunlin soon arrived. A nice flock of Forster's Tern landed on the flat nearest Hooper's. Among them were 2 imm. Black Skimmers. Also 62 Brant here. West Ocean City Pond - all the dabblers, a dozen Hoodies, and 4 Swans. Shorebirds included Gr Yellows, 1 Lesser, 1 Long-Billed Dowitcher and 6 Dunlin. South Ocean Pines Pond had 9 Ring-Necks. Indian River Inlet - a long line of Surf Scoter flew by, 4 Royal Terns and 12-15 Gannets decently close. 6 Common Loon from the South Marina. More shorebirds in the gut just before the marina inc. one Western Sand. Nothing at Burton's Island. Silver Lake had a few Ruddies. I should have checked Spring Lake! And we ended the day on the dike trail at Prime Hook with 3-4 Virginia Rail and a Sora. In all, 93 species. Good Birding, Glen Lovelace III Seaford, DE ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================