Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2003 17:16:48 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Walter Ellison Subject: Skimmers at Eastern Neck MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi Everybody, We went down to Eastern Neck Island today in lieu of the National = Wilidlife Refuge's thoroughly weather-cursed Big B butterfly event. = Quite a contrast to the last two windy days, still and a bit muggy. Not = alot around, it's evident that much of the island was flooded for a time = in yesterday's tidal surge up the Bay. The best find of our outing was an adult and juvenile BLACK SKIMMER = coursing around and skimming Eastern Neck Narrows a number of times from = 1:00 to 1:30 PM. At the end of the sighting the birds crossed to the = Chester River side of the Narrows and appeared to be headed in the = general direction of Queenstown. Other birds at the Refuge included 9 = Bald Eagles, a migrating young Northern Harrier, a male Merlin (also = heading south), a Royal Tern, 4 Caspian Terns, and two Snowy Egrets. We = had 113 other Caspian Terns around the county today including 76 at the = John Hanson Rd aeration pond. Also at John Hanson Rd were 4 Ruddy Ducks, = 4 Green-winged Teal, and 150 shovelers. The eclipse drake Lesser Scaup = remains on Great Oak Pond. Things should be interesting for tomorrow's = Fall Count. Good Birding, Walter Ellison 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 =========================================================================