Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2003 03:56:17 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Norm Saunders Subject: Ocean City CBC -- Unofficial Results The Ocean City Christmas Count was held yesterday and what a day it was. The tally as of last evening stood at 159 species for the day, with some of the good birds seen including Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, "Richardson's" Goose, Ross's Goose, Blue-winged Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Baltimore Oriole, and Lincoln's Sparrow. The most astonishing birds of the day though had to be the almost 200 COMMON REDPOLLS (smashing forever the old record of 4 COREs seen MANY years ago), most of these seen on Assateague Island's north section, but a number reported from several other sections of the count as well, including 3 at our feeder in the later afternoon! Along with them were a reported three HOARY REDPOLLS, all seen on Assateague Island. Two independent sections of the count reported a dozen WHITE PELICANS each and indeed there may have been as many as 24 birds present yesterday. Reportedly up to 24 of these birds have been seen roosting together in Belmont Bay over the past few months. Jay Sheppard, compiler of the Ocean City Count, will be providing the official results but this may have been the third-best count recorded and certainly the highest tally in the past ten years! Best, Norm ========================================= Norm Saunders Colesville & West Ocean City, MD ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================