Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 14:17:32 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Walter Ellison Subject: Kent County Big Day 18 May MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi All, Sorry for the belated report on our adventures in the overcast, cool, = occasional spitting rain that was Sunday's canvas for birding. Nancy, = Ian and I rousted up 128 species from the unpromising and uncompromising = conditions. The songbird chorous was, shall we say, defined by its long = silences amid occasional song. On the other hand conditions were good = for some decent shorebird (10 species) and larid (9 species) fallout. Our highlights were:=20 Shorebirds - 196 Black-bellied Plovers scattered across a number of wet, = muddy fields; 25 Ruddy Turnstones on MD-313 east and west of US-301; 9 = Short-billed Dowitchers on MD-313; and 2 White-rumped Sandpipers in a = drained pond on Eastern Neck not far north of Eastern Neck NWR (where = the road bends sharply). Gulls & Terns: 60+ Bonaparte's Gulls in a BIG evening flight of gulls = over Chesapeake Landing (near Worton Marina); a "portlandica" (one-year = old) Common Tern on MD-20 near Fairlee (the adults were still hanging = around Eastern Neck Narrows); and the two Black Terns I found at = Chesapeake [formerly Remington] Farms on Saturday were still hanging out = with the swallows on the big pond near MD-20 on the auto tour. Lingering waterbirds: A Pied-billed Grebe, 2 Greater Scaup and a Ruddy = Duck on the main viewing pond at Chesapeake Farms; and a Lesser Scaup at = Worton Landing. Songbirds: A "Traill's" (likely Willow, but voiceless) Flycatcher on Big = Stone Rd; Gray-cheeked Thrush calling and singing at Big Cypress Branch = on Walnut Tree Rd; two Bay-breasted Warblers singing in Virginia Pines = in Millington WMA; a Wilson's Warbler at Old St. Paul's on Ricauds = Branch Rd; a calling and singing Summer Tanager on No. 10 School Rd in = Millington WMA; and 20 Bobolinks, mostly females, on Fairgale Farm Rd. At least we bettered last year's performance. Wait'll next year. Good Birding & Atlasing, 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. B. = White (in "Stuart Little") =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================