Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 09:04:03 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Walter Ellison Subject: Eastern Neck Big Sit report MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi Everybody, The Kentish Plovers were on site at the northern end of Eastern Neck = Island from 6:00 AM to 5:20 PM yesterday (12 October). We were = represented in varying shifts by: Scott Crabtree; Walter Ellison; Peter = Mann; Nancy Martin; and Janet Shields. Our tally for the day was 60 species with good waterfowl, good raptors, = and the expected terns and gulls. Landbirds were modest at best, and no = tidal flat developed in the Narrows, it appears we were too close to a = full moon as wind conditions should not have been a problem. Highlights: 1 young Pied-billed Grebe; 1 Snowy Egret; 1 Snow Goose (with = Canadas, this species is scarce at Eastern Neck); 8 pintail; 1 American = Wigeon (with a flock of black ducks); 14 Lesser Scaup; raptors - 12 = Northern Harriers; 21 Cooper's Hawks; 21 Sharp-shinned Hawks; 1 = Red-shouldered Hawk; 2 Broad-winged Hawks; 2 Red-tailed Hawks; 6 (or = more) Osprey; 16 Bald Eagles; 4 kestrels; and, our last new bird of the = day, a Merlin; 3 Royal Terns; 2 Caspian Terns; 2 Common Terns; and 217 = Forster's Terns; a Great Horned Owl at 6:40 AM; 12 Ruby-crowned Kinglets = (all heading back north); 6 Savannah Sparrows (also heading north); and = 1 Swainson's Thrush (pre-dawn). It was a fun day in spite of a bit of wind burn and sun baking. Other = non-bird highlights were 38 monarch butterflies migrating by; a mole = cricket "sprinting" across the road; a three inch long, bright green = grasshopper; a praying mantis; and a cloudless sulfur. Good Birding, =20 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 =========================================================================