Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 13:18:27 EST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Mark Hoffman Subject: Assateague - 10/24/03 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Visited Assateague again on Friday, modest flight on NW winds, but minimal=20 warbler diversity (2 species). Still getting finches and another siskin. N= o=20 sign of the Black-throated Gray Warbler. I tried all the juniper trees in t= he=20 Bayside area (which Sam said the bird was feeding in). I always thought the= se=20 looked good for a Townsend's Warbler =E2=80=A6 10/24/2003 Assateague Island/Bayside/Point 0645:0905 Common Loon 10; Double-crested Cormorant 260; Great Egret 3; Snow Goose 10;=20 Canada Goose 80; Brant (light-bellied=3DB. b. bernicla) 62; Wood Duck 1; Ame= rican=20 Black Duck 5; Mallard 2; Green-winged Teal (American form) 1; Surf Scoter 20= ;=20 Black Scoter 15; Osprey 1; Northern Harrier 1; Sharp-shinned Hawk 1; Killdee= r=20 1; Dunlin 2; American Woodcock 3; Laughing Gull 80; Ring-billed Gull 5;=20 Herring Gull 80; Great Black-backed Gull 2; Royal Tern 6; Northern Flicker=20 (yellow-shafted form) 4; Eastern Phoebe 1; Brown Creeper 2; Carolina Wren 1;= =20 Golden-crowned Kinglet 15; Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3; American Robin 30; Gray C= atbird 5;=20 Northern Mockingbird 1; Cedar Waxwing 2; Yellow-rumped Warbler (myrtle form)= =20 100; Palm Warbler (western form) 10; Eastern Towhee 3; Song Sparrow 2; North= ern=20 Cardinal 2; Red-winged Blackbird 3; Eastern Meadowlark 8; Boat-tailed Grackl= e=20 40; Baltimore Oriole 1; Purple Finch 2; House Finch 4. 10/24/2003 Assateague Island /Bayside/Inland 0905:1305 Common Loon 2; Pied-billed Grebe 1; Double-crested Cormorant 240; Great Egre= t=20 5; Turkey Vulture 10; Snow Goose 20; American Black Duck 3; Northern Harrier= =20 3; Sharp-shinned Hawk 1; Northern Bobwhite 10; Black-bellied Plover 2; Great= er=20 Yellowlegs 2; Dunlin 20; Laughing Gull 10; Herring Gull 30; Mourning Dove 2;= =20 Belted Kingfisher 1; Red-bellied Woodpecker 1; Northern Flicker=20 (yellow-shafted form) 4; Tree Swallow 1000; Red-breasted Nuthatch 1; Carolin= a Wren 3;=20 Golden-crowned Kinglet 5; Ruby-crowned Kinglet 8; Hermit Thrush 1; American=20= Robin=20 10; Gray Catbird 10; Northern Mockingbird 3; Brown Thrasher 2; European Star= ling=20 5; Yellow-rumped Warbler (myrtle form) 100; Palm Warbler (western form) 1;=20 Eastern Towhee 3; Chipping Sparrow 8; Field Sparrow 2; Song Sparrow 12;=20 White-throated Sparrow 8; Dark-eyed Junco (slate- colored form) 10; Norther= n Cardinal=20 6; Indigo Bunting 1; Boat-tailed Grackle 10; Baltimore Oriole 1; Purple Finc= h=20 4; House Finch 2; Pine Siskin 1. 10/24/2003 Assateague Island/State Park North 1320:1400 Double-crested Cormorant 100; Great Egret 1; Snow Goose 40; Greater=20 Yellowlegs 1; Ring-billed Gull 1; Herring Gull 5; Red-breasted Nuthatch 4;=20 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1; Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1; European Starling 1; Yello= w-rumped=20 Warbler (myrtle form) 50; Palm Warbler (yellow form) 1; Chipping Sparrow 1;=20= Song=20 Sparrow 1; White-throated Sparrow 1; Red-winged Blackbird 2. For the newer Maryland birders, I may add that this date (10/24) is of=20 considerable significance in the annuals of Worcester County birding, as it=20= is "Sage=20 Thrasher Day". On this day in 1971, Richard Rowlett found and documented=20 Maryland's first (and only) Sage Thrasher near the juncture of the State=20 Park/National Seashore boundary, north of the State Park day-use area (Rowle= tt, R. A. =20 1971. First Maryland record of the Sage Thrasher. Maryland Birdlife=20 27:171-172; see also AB 26:44; AN 27:44). I visited this area to pay ceremo= nial=20 homage to the sighting, as I have done several times in the past on this day= . =20 This is by far one of the rarest of the "western vagrants" on the East Coast= . =20 The habitat here has changed greatly, as the former bayberry thickets have b= een=20 washed-over and died. Nonetheless, it was the 32nd anniversary of this=20 monumental find, one which we Assateague birders hope will someday repeat it= self. =20 Rowlett also had a flock of 4 Western Kingbirds 2 miles SW of OC (and anothe= r=20 flock of 5 across the state line in Fenwick, DE) on this day. This remains=20 the single-day high count for this species in Worcester. Mark Hoffman Sykesville, MD Mhoff36100@aol.com =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=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 =========================================================================