Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 22:37:36 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Stan Arnold Subject: : Marbled Godwit @ Ocean City, etc. MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Folks, Bill Hubic and I had a productive day on the eastern shore, enjoying the following highlights: TRICOLORED HERON, KING EIDER, COMMON EIDER, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, MARBLED GODWIT, AM. WOODCOCK, and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. Our stops included Ocean City and Eagle's Nest Campground in Worcester Co., Deale WMA in Somerset Co. and Eliot's Island Rd. in Dorchester Co. Some site-specific sightings follow: Ocean City Inlet: King Eider--one first year male swimming with the commons Common Eider--6, at end of jetty, best viewed from end of rocks where tower stands White-winged Scoter--3-4 females Purple Sandpiper--about 35 Lesser Black-backed Gull, adult, just below sea wall with other gulls Common Tern--1 or 2 Skimmer Island, viewed from Hooper's Restaurant: Am. Oysterctcher--15 Greater Yellowlegs--8 Marbled Godwit--1 Dunlin--about 100 Eagles Nest Campground: Tricolored Heron--flyby Brant--several dozen Black-bellied Plover--about 25 Forster's Tern--15 Brown-headed Nuthatch--2 or 3 being very active and vocal in pines near beach Rusty Blackbird--1 male in tree Elsewhere in Worcester Co.: Am. Woodcock--flew over US 50 near mile marker 128 just before sunrise West Ocean City Pond had a regular collection of waterfowl with many coots and more than a dozen Black-crowned Night Herons present. Deale WMA, Somerset Co.: Horned Grebe--2 Great Egret--5 viewed along Hwy 363 Tricolored Heron--1 viewed from Riley Roberts Rd. Greater Yellowlegs--17, RR Rd. Not a single duck was seen at Deale. Lots of duck hunters, however. Eliot's Island Rd., Dorchester Co.: Rough-legged Hawk--2 sightings, both light-phased birds hovering over N. end of marsh; possibly same bird E. Screech Owl--N. end of marsh in pine woods. The tally: Bill: life birds:13; state birds: 16; county birds: most of them Stan: state birds: 1 (King Eider); county birds: 1 Except for all of the ducks in hiding, it was a marvelous outing. Stan Arnold Glen Burnie dy.dx@earthlink.net ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================