Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 14:11:14 EST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Marshall Iliff Subject: Eastern Shore gulls (and other birds) 24-25 Jan MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit MDOsprey, I have taken a couple full days to bird the Eastern Shore recently, perhaps to make up for the fact that I missed the CBCs this year. One 24 Jan, 2002, Matt Hafner and I left Annapolis at 0530 and birded Wicomico and Worcester Counties. Highlights included: Parsonsburg, Wicomico County (0715-0900) - Flock of some 200,000+ blackbirds, including 85 % Common Grackles, 15 % Red-winged Blackbirds, and <1% cowbirds and starlings. Also a group of 3 and a flock of 40+ CHIPPING SPARROWS, a decent flock for Maryland in January. Highlight was an apparent BLACK-BACKED ROBIN (Turdus migratorius nigrideus) among 40 robins feeding on a field egde. This bird was a male with a very rich reddish-orange breast, extansive dark hood extending to the upper back, a dark gray back with scattered blackish feathers, and essentially no white on the throat. This form is illustrated in the new Sibley Guide, but there has been debate (see ID Frontiers posts) about its status as a valid subspecies. After several years of looking, this is the first such inddividual I have seen. This subspecies is described as breeding in Atlantic Canada (primarily Newfoundland, but also eastern Quebec and Nova Scotia) and should occur in Maryland only in winter. Willards, Wicomico County: one male PINE WARBLER Whaleysville, Worcester County: One Red-breasted and one White-breasted Nuthatch, 4 PINE SISKINS, and 10 White-crowned Sparrows (_leucophrys_). Ocean City, 42nd St.: One PEREGRINE FALCON Ocean City Inlet: We were totally fogged in and could not even see the south jetty at certain points. Only bird of note was FORSTER'S TERN, five of which flew in the inlet from offshore. Skimmer Island: Typical gulls, shorebirds West Ocean City Pond: Excellent Mallard numbers (400), and typical waterfowl in lower numbers. No Redheads. Assategaue Island causeway: Only highlight was one juvenile _tundrius_ PEREGRINE FALCON which flew straight down the Bay and over our heads while we were standing on the bridge over the Bay. This is certainly the first _tundrius_ Peregrine I have noted in Maryland in January - has anyone else seen them at this season? This is the subpsecies that flies as far as Argentina to winter. Some of the hacked birds are reportedly _tundrius_-like, but this bird looked perfect. Salisbury Landfill: One 1st-w ICELAND GULL (same as previous weekend), one 1st-w LESSER BLACK BACKED x HERRING (same as previous weekend), and at least 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (3 1st-w, 2 2nd-2, 4 ad). Pine grove off US-50: One Red-shouldered Hawk was flushed forman area where a nest appeared to be under construction. Seems early, but could this be the first Atlas confirmation? Vienna marshes, Wicomico County: A dusk vigil produced one AMERICAN BITTERN flying over the marsh JANUARY 25 I did a solo venture today, leaving Matt in Harford County despite his desire to add Glaucous Gull to his almost respectable state list. Checked for the Western Grebes, again with no luck. I encourage others to look - I can't imagine these birds have gone far. US-50 just east of MD-404: One roadkill NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL, no bands. Kibler Road farm, Caroline County: 2000 European Starlings, 10 Brown-headed Cowbirds, 2 Red-winged Blackbirds (0 Brewer's), and 2000 Ring-billed Gulls. Beulah Landfill: 1 1st-w GLAUCOUS GULL (photos; a framed enlargement will be sent to Matt H.), 1 3rd-w ICELAND GULL, and 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (6 1st-w, 12nd-w, 1 3rd-w, 2 ad),an excellent count for a MD landfill in winter, with especially noteworthynumbers of 1st-w birds. Also present was one mystery gull, which I photographed at length. It was identical to a Herring (perhaps a small Herring) in size and shape, had a black bill with some pink at the base and in an intrusion along the center of the bill, was exceedingly pale in body plumage like an Iceland Gull and with lightly dappled tertials like an Iceland, and had medium brown primaries with broad whitish fringes somewhat like a pale Thayer's Gull. Was this a) an enormous Iceland with exceedingly dark primaries and an unusually pink bill b) a large Thayer's with Iceland-like Tertials and a huge bill c) a weird, leucistic Herring or d) some hybrid combination thereof. Yuck. Easton W.T.P., Talbot County: one male PINE WARBLER, one Northern Harrier Best, Marshall Iliff miliff@aol.com Annapolis, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================