Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2003 21:28:49 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "George M. Jett" Subject: Leach's Storm-Petrel in Charles Comments: To: SMAS Comments: cc: Phil Davis , Miliff@aol.com, Robert Ringler , Jim Stasz MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Folks Gwen and I went to the Marshall Hall boat ramp (Charles Co., on the = Potomac at the end of Marshall Hall Rd.) this afternoon, still looking = for more storm blown Isabel birds. (See earlier post.) =20 About 3 PM Gwen noticed a small dark bird flying low on the water in an = unusual way north of the boat ramp . Gwen picked the bird up in our new = 65 mm Swarovski HD scope at about 20 power. The bird was over 1/2 mile = from the boat ramp, the wind was blowing, and there was a little chop on = the Potomac, but the flight behavior and size was what caught Gwen's = attention. The weather was partly cloudy but there was plenty of light. = =20 I locked the bird in briefly on the scope, and tracked it for a several = turns on the water before it sat down on the river. The bird was flying = like a nighthawk, was small, about the size of a Purple Martin, but with = longer, wider wings. The bird flew low to the water, back and forth, in = a straightish line, but would give a jerking motion similar to = nighthawks. What I could see on my first observation was that the bird = was dark above and below, with longish, substantial wings. The bird = went out of sight, then=20 Gwen found the bird flying low above the water through binoculars. I = got the scope on it and followed the bird, which was closer now by = several hundred feet, for several more turns back and forth, and on = three occasions the bird banked away from me. I could see that the rump = was white and the tail was slightly forked. I could see no white on = the sides or flanks. I could not see any projection of feet beyond the = tail. The bird was still at a distance but the feet extension beyond = the tail is usually viewable on Wilson's Storm-Petrel. I tracked the = bird in the scope from 20 - 35 power and was lucky to see the rump and = tail pattern clearly on those three occasions.=20 I tried to get Gwen on the bird but in the chop and wind the bird sat = down again. Perhaps it was exhausted after the storm it had just lived = through. She saw it briefly on the water in the scope and noted the = peculiar shape of the small head, and the long wings. However, we soon = lost sight of the bird in the still choppy water. Much debris was = floating south on the river, and the little storm-petrel may have = floated by us. =20 We searched for about 45 minutes until a small squall kicked up and = drove us to the car. In 20 minutes we returned to the river and = searched again. At about 4:30 we headed south on the river hoping to = find the bird again. Unfortunately, we never relocated it. The bird = was too far out to get any photos or see many more details. The water = was calm when we got out of the car and the light was better but no = bird. I have seen Leach's Storm-Petrel at sea in Maryland, North Carolina and = I think in Virginia. I have never seen it inland before. I have also = seen Wilson's Storm-Petrel on many occasions and studied its unique = pattering flight pattern. =20 A very interesting birding day. Enjoy your birds. George =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 =========================================================================