Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 18:18:29 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Fred Pierce Subject: Re: Assateague - Little Sit - my version (please forgive verbosity but wanted to share my impressions). MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable From: Fred Pierce [mailto:fpierce@avialantic.com] Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2003 6:10 PM To: Maryland Birds & Birding Subject: RE: [MDOSPREY] Assateague - Little Sit - my version (please forgive verbosity but wanted to share my impressions). I could be frustrated and annoyed from the many times that I've been off = for a few days camping and birding, and upon my return reading someone's = list who had been at the same place and nearly the same time and seen = lots more than did I. But I'm not - especially since I had a couple of = quality encounters, which are my preference, especially since they = require little work on my part, e.g. inadvertantly walk into the bird, = have them come visit while eating breakfast etc. I set up camp oceanside at Assateague on Monday afternoon, and was = immediately greeted by the Catbird camp captain, as usual. My equipment = seemed to be adequate and I was allowed to stay. The bayberry bushes = were full of yellow-rumps of course, and take them for granted if you = will, they are a delight to watch up close. Many times they've been the = "only" bird active in horrendous weather and I'm always glad to see = them. The featured camp bird this time though was a Redstart who was flitting = about the three days I was there. At one point, the bird lit on a branch = directly in front of me, about 3 feet away, spread its tail and did what = I could only anthropomorphize as a little bow on my behalf. Tuesday evening I had a little cardiac test. Just about dark on the = forest trail I was intently listening to the GHO's calling, hoping to = get a glimpse, when the four ponies of the Apocolypse came clattering = out of the darkness, their hooves on the boardwalk making a horrendous = din. My not immediately knowing what was coming added to the excitment = but fortunately we were able to come to an accomodation in their passing = that did not require me jumping off the bordwalk into the marsh. The = rain was starting so I gave up on the owls in favor of checking my tent = moorings one more time. It was an interesting night but Wednesday morning was worth it. The surf = plumes with the west wind and the sunrise on them reminded me of films = I'd seen - Australia in "the Endless Summer" comes to mind. I pulled out = my guitar and figured out the chords to "Here Come the Sun." Catbird, = Redstart, Y-rumps and I had breakfast and I wandered about the rest of = the day, leading to the second quality encounter. A Perigrine sighting is always noteworthy - at Bombay Hook on Tuesday I = observed two apparently haggling over who would get to eat the Avocets, = while the Avocets conducted heated discussions over the "In case of = Perigrine" instructions." This all would have been quite satisfactory, = but on Wednesday afternoon, on the marsh trail, I spotted another = Perigrine in the distance. It was headed west and I didn't figure I'd = get much of a look. As I was thinking that, the bird turned in my = direction and to my great pleasure, performed a magnificent airshow pass = - low speed, sun full on him, at no more than 100 feet. I was able to = study the bird as I've never seen a Perigrine before, markings, weapons = system, yellow undercarriage (retracted but plainly visible). Wish I'd = had my camera, glad I didn't. I'd have been fumbling instead of looking = and as it is the image is burned in my brain with a few other treasures = that will last till those cells and synapses complete their = deterioration, well along though it may be. What was I saying? Oh - birds. I have to mention the 60-80 Black Skimmers that did a = beautiful fly-by even though it was on the Virginia end, and the warbler = who shall remain nameless who stepped out from the crowd of y-rumps. I = started to reach for my optics and realized they wouldn't be necessary = as the bird kept coming toward me, into the full afternoon sun. I = couldn't figure it out from my Peterson and probably won't from Sibley = either, but I'll remember the bird and the moment. It's been a great week. fdp -------------------------------------------------------------------- Fred Pierce (DNRC)- fpierce@avialantic.com Mid-Atlantic Aviation on the Web - http://www.avialantic.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------=20 > -----Original Message----- > From: Maryland Birds & Birding [mailto:MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM]On > Behalf Of Mark Hoffman > Sent: Friday, October 17, 2003 6:31 PM > To: MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM > Subject: [MDOSPREY] Assateague - Little Sit >=20 >=20 > I birded on Assateague yesterday, after the big front/low moved = through=20 > Wednesday. >=20 > 10/16/2003 Assateague Island/Bayside/Point 0635:1125 .... =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=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 =========================================================================