Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 20:09:07 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Adam Smith Subject: Blackwater/Choptank Trip Results 11/10/03 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable My trip-mates cancelled last minute and no one showed up at McDonald's = so went all by myself and saw some good birds. Below are the results, numbers included when I had a chance to count = them. Choptank Pier Birds(includes walking paths, flyovers and surrounding = area --- Common Loon 2 Double Crested Cormorant 3 Great Blue Heron 1 Canada Goose 15 Mute Swan 2 Surf Scoter 6 Oldsquaw or Long-tailed Duck 27 Bufflehead 100 Ruddy Duck 5 Bald Eagle 1 Laughing Gull 1 Herring Gull 4 Great Black-backed Gull 6 Rock Dove Mourning Dove Swallow* 1 Carolina Wren American Robin Northern Mockingbird 1 European Starling 30 Butter-butt or Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 Song Sparrow 8 Northern Cardinal 1 House Sparrow Regarding the swallow. I saw it with my eyes, but when I put my = binoculars up, it had dropped below the tree line and I lost it. I did = not reacquire the target until it was past me and I only saw a back end = shot. All I can say for sure is that I was able to see white from the = view that I had. Also, unfortunately I was unable to see any color off = of the back. I never did see the bely so I cannot say for sure if it = was a Northern Rough-winged or a Tree. I am more inclined to go with = Tree Swallow. The swallow did not hang around. I first saw it flying = along the edge of the Choptank heading southerly and then it banked at = Route 50 and paralleled a field then I lost sight of the bird. Also saw 1 6-point buck, chowing down on soy beans in a field. = Small-sized rack. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge ------ The Visitor's Center is under construction and is closed. They have = opened up another building near the entrance of Wildlife Drive. It is = clearly marked. Btw, entrance fee is only $3. I got it confused with = Bombay Hook NWR. I do not know if it is free for MOS people. Sightings include Egypt Road. Pied-billed Grebe 3 (2 were fighting over a rather large bull frog) Double-crested Cormorant 15 Great Blue Heron Great Egret Snowy Egret Black-crowned Night Heron 5 (all immatures in a group) Turkey Vulture Canada Goose Tundra Swan American Widgeon 2 Mallard Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Lesser Scaup 2 (fly-by) Common Merganser 6 (fly over) Bald Eagle (not as many as usual) Northern Harrier (all females and immatures) Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Black-bellied Plover (1 lone adult in field beside of road to Visitor = Center that is under const.) Killdeer 50+ Greater Yellowlegs 3 Dunlin 25 Unknown peep* 1 Ring-billed Gull 1 Mourning Dove Belted Kingfisher Red-headed Woodpecker 2-3 (storing nuts on a tree between tour stops 4 & = 5) Excellent Look Red-bellied Woodpecker=20 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker=20 Hairy Woodpecker=20 Northern Flicker Eastern Pheobe 2 Blue Jay American Crow Horned Lark 20 Carolina Chickadee Titmouse Brown-headed Nuthatch (Lots) Brown Creeper 2 Carolina Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet (tons) Ruby-crowned Kinglet (tons) Eastern Bluebird American Robin Northern Mockingbird Yellow-rumped Warbler Eastern Towhee Savannah Sparrow 7 Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark American Goldfinch * The unknown peep had bright orange legs and was larger than the = Dunlins. It was scratching its head at the time and the legs really = stuck out. It was in with the flock of Dunlins. It was seen on the = muddy flat, at the waters edge of it, just past Wildlife Drive on the = left side of the road. I only had a quick moment to look at it and two = vehicles came by one in the opposite direction and one behind me. So I = HAD to move and by the time I got back into place it was gone. I even = checked the whole area out with my scope but I couldn't find it. I = shudder at the thought of what it might have been. 1 Delmarva Fox Squirrel 11 Painted Turtles 1 Painted Lady Overall it was a good trip, 69 species of birds(if I counted right), not = including unknowns. =20 Adam Smith Arbutus MD cyanbluecobalt@msn.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 =========================================================================