Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 16:26:24 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Norman Saunders Subject: Down the Ocean MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Fran and I had some business we had to take care of in Ocean City this morning so we headed out Sunday for the Eastern Shore. Nothing really out of the ordinary or terribly exciting on the way down but we did see 10 Bald Eagles of various ages along Egypt Road in Dorchester County, including four who were pigging out on road kill with a Turkey Vulture...strange scene. In Mystic Harbor, at the same place we saw a Glaucous Gull in December, we found a Merlin. Since Mystic Harbor is, according to the U.S. Post Orifice, in Berlin, then I suppose one could say we had a MERLIN in BERLIN. At the jetty we had all three scoters and, much to my surprise, a gorgeous male HARLEQUIN DUCK--they've been in short supply this season. Lots of Purple Sandpipers there as well and a largish flock of Bonaparte's Gulls out in the waves at the mouth of the inlet. Unfortunately they were sitting still, not flying so we were unable to make out any Little Gulls. This morning, Monday February 11, we wandered through Rum Point Golf Course in South Point. We saw a good two dozen Eastern Meadowlarks there, singing like crazy! Spring is here as far as they're concerned! Leaving South Point we drove across to Assateague Island and into the day-use parking lot of the State Park. We couldn't stay long and the wind was blowing in huge gusts so we did a quick circuit of the lot then started to head out when Fran let out a shriek and started jumping up and down (I thought she was gonna go through the roof!). Yeah, you guessed it, she had located a SNOWY OWL sitting on a snow fence (how appropriate) just north of the parking lot. I was able to get a few photographs of the bird before it was essentially blown off the fence by the gusting wind. Not wanting to disturb it any further, we left immediately, but I imagine this may be the same bird that was located back in December by Paul O'Brien during the Ocean City Christmas Count. It was a young bird with a moderate amount of brown markings, all in all quite a handsome fellow! This was our second Worcester County Snowy and the third one we've seen in Maryland--and they're always a thrill! We managed to pick out a lone REDHEAD from the flock of Canvasback at West Pond but there were almost no waterfowl to speak of in Ocean Pines. Other than meetings and driving home to let y'all know about the Snowy, that was our day. Best, Norm ================================= Norman C. Saunders Colesville, Montgomery County, Maryland marshhawk@att.net ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================