Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2002 10:00:20 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Michael Bowen Subject: Delaware/Maryland sightings Comments: To: de-birds@princeton.edu, Voice of the Naturalist Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Here are the highlights of some recent sightings in Delaware and Maryland: DELAWARE On August 22 at Bombay Hook NWR, Kent County: 50+ GREAT EGRET 30+ SNOWY EGRET 2 GLOSSY IBIS 1 SNOW GOOSE (probably was around all summer) 1 NORTHERN HARRIER (eating a Canada Goose carcass) 1 PEREGRINE FALCON (dark, young bird harassing flocks of peep) hundreds of SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER smaller NUMBERS of LESSER and GREATER YELLOWLEGS few WESTERN SANDPIPER 1 PECTORAL SANDPIPER 1 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER few SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER 1 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER 1 BLACK-HEADED GULL (in basic plumage, north end of Bear Swamp) 200+ BANK SWALLOW (on wires just outside refuge gates) On August 25 at Cape Henlopen State Park, Sussex County: 3 CASPIAN TERN small numbers of COMMON TERN and ROYAL TERN 50+ FORSTER'S TERN, including many young of the year 1 BLACK SKIMMER numerous EASTERN KINGBIRD, probably already migrating same day, flying steadily north just offshore at Dewey Beach, Sussex County: 1 immature NORTHERN GANNET August 26 at Prime Hook NWR, Sussex County: 32 GREAT BLUE HERON large flocks of MALLARD, BLUE-WINGED TEAL and AM. BLACK DUCK (all in eclipse plumage); small mixed flocks of LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SEMIPALMATED, LEAST, PECTORAL and WESTERN SANDPIPER and STILT SANDPIPER. A single BOBOLINK in with a large flock of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS. The mud flats south of Broadkill Beach Rd. are now bone dry but nevertheless had SEMIPALMATED PLOVER and LEAST SANDPIPER in good numbers. We failed to relocate the (male) RUFF that had been seen there on Friday, August 23. Many shorebirds were seen at one of the few viewable wet areas left: on the south side of Prime Hook Rd. (Road 39) en route to the settlement of Prime Hook Beach. This area bears frequent checking by birders visiting southern Delaware, as it appears attractive to herons, ducks and shorebirds. MARYLAND On August 26 at Hurlock Sewage Ponds, Dorchester County: Good collection of shorebirds, notably LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, PECTORAL SANDPIPER and KILLDEER. 2 RUDDY DUCK Hurlock also had a large flock of LAUGHING GULLS of which at least 50% were juveniles. Good birding! Mike Bowen Bethesda, MD and Dewey Beach, DE D.H. Michael Bowen 8609 Ewing Drive Bethesda MD 20817 Tel.: (301) 530-5764 ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= dhmbowen@yahoo.com =========================================================================