Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 12:40:34 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Walter Ellison Subject: Ocean City and beyond 3/15/03 - Kent Co. trip to the shore Comments: To: Yasuo Takahashi , Will & Kim Gale , Wayne Bell , Vern Stotts , Van Vogel , Terry Willis , Richard Vine , Reece Corey , Peter Mann , Paul Tolson , Pat Wilson , Parke John , Olga Owens , Nancy Everds , Meg Walkup , Martha Webster , Louise Smith , Lex Fry , Leslie Fisher , Les Roslund , Ken Sol , Juli Dulmage , John Lorenz , Howard McIntyre , Helga Orrick , Glenn Dulmage , Gail Regester , Floyd Parks , Elise Kreiss , David Smith , Dave Sorflaten , Darryl Calloway , Danny Poet , Clara Ann Simmons , Catherine Carroll , Carlyn Nelson , Candi / Rick Lee , Bill Mechling , Barry Kinch , Ann Hoon MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi All, I apologize for not sending outthis trip report sooner, I got a bit = confused over who was going to post the tale of our adventrues on the = coast this Saturday last. Eight souls met to take the long drive to the = Atlantic at the Chestetown Dollar Store at seven. Our itinerary included = West Ocean City Pd, OC inlet, the (positively) Fourth St. Flats, Eagles = Nest Campground, Evans Rd (no Clay-color), Assateague State Park = (swimming beach), and Indian River Inlet in that state next door named = after some river. Our highlights were many - Red-throated and Common Loons were numerous = and we saw tham at very close range at OC Inlet, one Common in alternate = plumage is still present; we had 6 Red-necked Grebes at OC Inlet (also = very close), another at 4th St, and 2 at Indian River Inlet; there were = at least a dozen gannets flying, sitting and plunge-diving off = Assateague SP; there was a single third-year Great Cormorant at Indian = River Inlet; we had 20 waterfowl species including seven sea ducks - = among these were over 100 Brant; all three scoters mostly Black and = Surf; and a flyby drake Harlequin Duck at 4th St (OC), plus the pair at = the south jetty at Indian River; a pair of Red-tailed Hawks in the act = of making more red-tails (atlas probable code -'C') on Evans Rd; seven = shorebird species featuring two dozen oystercatchers; Purple Sandpipers = (at least 50); and Black-bellied Plovers at Eagle's Nest Campground; a = single Laughing Gull was at 4th St; Forster's Terns at 4th St, Eagle's = Nest CG, and Indian R.; passerines were much less exciting but it was = nice to see several flocks of Cedar Waxwings in plantings in Ocean City. = We also saw a harbor porpoise feeding in the Indian River Inlet. Our = complete list follows: Red-throated Loon; Common Loon; Horned Grebe; Red-necked Grebe; Northern = Gannet; Double-crested Cormorant; Great Cormorant (DE); Black Vulture; = Turkey Vulture; Snow Goose (en route); Canada Goose; Brant; Tundra Swan = (en route); Gadwall; American Wigeon; American Black Duck; Mallard; = Northern Shoveler; Canvasback; Greater Scaup; Lesser Scaup; Harlequin = Duck; Surf Scoter; White-winged Scoter; Black Scoter; Long-tailed Duck; = Bufflehead; Red-breasted Merganser; Ruddy Duck; Osprey (en route); Bald = Eagle; Red-tailed Hawk; American Kestrel; American Coot; Black-bellied = Plover; Killdeer (Chestertown at start); American Oystercatcher; Ruddy = Turnstone; Sanderling; Purple Sandpiper; Dunlin; Laughing Gull; = Bonaparte's Gull; Ring-billed Gull; Herring Gull; Great Black-backed = Gull; Forster's Tern; Rock Dove; Mourning Dove; Yellow-bellied = Sapsucker; Pileated Woodpecker; Blue Jay; American Crow; Fish Crow; = Horned Lark; Carolina Chickadee; Carolina Wren; Eastern Bluebird; = American Robin; Northern Mockingbird; European Starling; Cedar Waxwing; = Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler; Field Sparrow; Song Sparrow; Swamp = Sparrow; White-throated Sparrow; Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco; = Northern Cardinal; Red-winged Blackbird; Eastern Meadowlark; Common = Grackle; Brown-headed Cowbird; House Finch; House Sparrow. Participants: Ian Ellison (who liked the porpoise - thanks to Peter); = Walter Ellison; Parke John; Peter Mann; Nancy Martin; Floyd Parks; Yasuo = Takahashi; Paul Tolson. We hope to see you on our next trip. Good Birding, =20 Walter Ellison MD-DC Atlas Coordinator - MOS 23460 Clarissa Road Chestertown, MD 21620 phone: 410-778-9568 e-mail: rossgull@crosslink.net "A person who is looking for something doesn't travel very fast" - E. 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