Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2003 16:14:39 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Denise Ryan Subject: Platform off of OC MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I recently read a report by the Minerals Management Service (dated 2002) = that mentioned the discovery of a sandy shoal 4-5 miles off of = Assateague. That shoal will be dredged (1.8 million cubic yards) to = replenish the sand on the MD side of Assateague that has eroded away = over the years. Perhaps this platform is a part of the dredging = process. Denise Ryan Washington, DC -----Original Message----- From: Maryland Birds & Birding [mailto:MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM] On = Behalf Of Norm Saunders Sent: Monday, December 22, 2003 3:16 PM To: MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM Subject: [MDOSPREY] Monday Morning in Ocean City Fran and I started off our Christmas vacation at the shore with a bang = this morning by finally ticking off probably the top bird on our Most- = Wanted-in-Maryland list-a MARBLED GODWIT at Skimmer Island (a tip of the = hat to Stan Arnold for the info!). This followed good looks at 3 COMMON EIDER, 1 KING EIDER, 2 LONG-TAILED = DUCK, about 4-6 HARLEQUIN DUCK, and good numbers of all three SCOTERS, = all seen at the inlet. Many of the waterfowl were hanging out around = the outermost tips of both jetties and along the north side of the south = jetty (i.e. yielding superb scope views). We had at least 8 COMMON LOON in the inlet but only a single flyby RED- = THROATED LOON and only one very distant NORTHERN GANNET. There were = also at least 60 PURPLE SANDPIPERS on both jetties. In addition to the godwit, Skimmer Island yielded up an adult and a = first- or second- year BALD EAGLE, 5 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 2 BLACK-BELLIED = PLOVER, many DUNLIN, SANDERLING, and peeps, a NORTHERN HARRIER, and = large flocks of RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS. We tallied our first 3 REDHEADS for this winter at West Pond, among a = huge flock of CANVASBACK. A disturbing sighting was what appeared to be an oil-drilling platform = set up in the ocean a few miles south of the jetty and maybe a mile or = so offshore, just about opposite Assateague National Seashore. A = passing bicyclist said she had seen the rig being towed south near Dewey = Beach the day before. Scoping the platform left no doubt-it was no = longer under tow but had been set up to go to work. Does anyone know = what's going on here??? More reports as the week progresses! Best, Norm Saunders =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D Norman C. Saunders Colesville & West Ocean City, MD marshhawk@att.net (but out of touch for the next few weeks) =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=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 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=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 =========================================================================