Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2003 20:59:12 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Marcia Watson-Whitmyre Subject: Long-billed Curlew, Cecil County At about 7 pm this evening (Sunday Aug 31), I was walking through a field near a pond along the MD-DE line in Cecil County, when I flushed what I believe to be a Long-Billed Curlew. The bird flushed from the tall vegetation ahead of me, about 100 feet away, flew a short distance close to the ground, and then dropped down into the vegetation again. I was unable to relocate the bird - it might have dropped into the nearby manmade pond, which has steep sides and much of it is not visible, because of the topography and the vegetation. The bird could have simply walked away without being seen. The bird was large, with pointed wings and a lond-decurved bill. I viewed the bird as it flew away from me and toward the right, so my view was of the back and right side. I could not see the underside/breast of the bird. The overall impression was dark, no white markings visible, and big and chunky. The most noticeable marking was the two-tone character of the long pointed wings - the leading edge of the wing was dark, the trailing edge was a rusty orangey-brown color. The tail was broad and striped, with orangey-brown at the base of the tail. The bird was mostly dangling its feet (it was close to the ground), but brought them up at one point, and the feet extended a short distance beyond the tail. The face of the bird had a light band over the eye, and the top of the head was dark, but that's the only impression I had of the head, other than the long, down-curved bill. I initially thought the bird was a Whimbrel, but was shocked when I returned home and consulted field guides (Sibley, National Geo, and Shorebirds by Hayman et al) to find that the wing pattern indicated LBCU and not WHIM. The bill, although long, I thought to be within Whimbrel size-range. The whole bird did seem large for a Whimbrel, and the top of the head didn't seem stripey enough. But it was the wing pattern that really clinched it for me. I considered other possible birds. Marbled Godwit was eliminated by the down-curved bill on the bird seen. It was way too big for Snipe or Woodcock; also the wing-shape was wrong for Woodcock and the wing pattern was wrong for Snipe; also there were no stripes on the back like a Snipe has. I have seen Glossy Ibis at this pond, but the bird was not as dark as an Ibis, the wing pattern was wrong (with the very noticeable two-tone brown and orange), and it was not as streamlined as an Ibis in flight - much chunkier. However, the size was about right for an Ibis. Dowitchers have a noticeable white rump, and this bird did not; also the bird was much bigger than a Dowitcher. The bird was viewed with B&L Elite binos (10x42) at a distance of approx. 100 ft, flying away from me, from west to east, at about 7 pm. Light was good and conditions were clear. Sun was behind me. Habitat: fallow field at edge of man-made stormwater retention pond. Vegetation: mix of grasses, clovers, scattered soybeans, thistles, and crown vetch. The field is currently dotted with puddles, some large. The other side of the pond is a cornfield. The immediate area has some remnant natural wetlands (freshwater cattail marshes) scattered along a power line cut that runs along the state line, and there are numerous small manmade stormwater ponds in the neighboring developments. The area is a mix of suburban developments, agricultural fields, woodlands, and brushy, grassy areas. Geographically, the area is interesting because it is a basin that lies at the junction of the Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. The pond and field are in a housing development that is under construction north of Rt 40 at the DE line. The pond is right next door to my new house. Other birds in the field and pond area this evening: Canada Geese (~60), Mallards (4), Great Blue Herons (2), Green Herons (3), Cattle Egrets (3), Solitary Sandpiper (3), Killdeer (1), Least Sandpiper (1), Blue Grosbeak (4), Song Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, American Goldfinch, Common Yellowthroat, Mourning Dove, Northern Bobwhite, American Kestrel, Cooper's Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Grey Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Common Grackle, European Starling. I've seen Long-billed Curlews previously, in the southwest (Nevada, Texas), but not recently. And I'm including all this detail so that Phil Davis can use this as a report for the Records Committee. I'll be out at first light looking for the bird and will report back. Marcia Watson-Whitmyre Cecil County ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================