Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 21:37:49 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Adam Smith Subject: Eastern Shore Trip results 01/14/04 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Today myself and a college professor of mine headed out to the Eastern = Shore to try to get several birds: King and Common Eiders at the Inlet, = a Redhead at West Pond, the Northern Shrike at Assateague, White Pelican = in Trappe Creek, Eurasian Green-winged Teal at Chicamacomico Pond and = Short-eared Owl and Rough-legged Hawks around Shorter's Wharf. Well, I = guess 1 out of 8 isn't so good, but beggars can't be choosers. Here is the short of it: No sight of the Eiders, No Redhead at West = Pond, No Shrike at Assateague, but we did find an whale skull that was = really cool, did not have time to look for Pelicans at Trappe Creek but = got them at Blackwater NWR(see my other post), no Eurasian Green-winged = Teal at Chicamacomico Pond and finally neither Short-eared Owls nor = Rough-legged Hawks around Shorter's Wharf. =20 Several notes: 1)Lots of areas were iced up and that didn't help = anywhere. 2)Oddly there were very few birds at the OC Inlet, eventhough = there was very little boat activity. There was a NE wind, maybe the = birds were on the south side of the inlet. Also not a single Purple = Sandpiper was seen at the inlet. Both of the Brant seen here, appeared = to be injured, one's leg was badly swollen, the other had a drooping = wing. 3)Most of West Pond was frozen, so just a smattering of birds = there too. 4)The blue-morph of the Snow Goose at Blackwater was mixed in = with a flock of Canada Geese, it also may have been injured as it = allowed us to drive right by it (it was in the water), and it only swam = slowly away while the Canada's all flew a short distance away. = 5)Chicamacomico Pond - it is directly across from the sign on Route 50 = E, Mile #92. Do a U-turn and pull off and by the pond. Less than two = weeks ago a mixed flock of Green-winged Teal and Eurasian Green-winged = Teal were seen in this pond. I do not know of the status of this = property though. Below is a list of what we saw where: TR-Transit (mostly Route 50, but some back roads - includes flyovers, = power-line sitters, etc.), CK-Choptank Fishing Pier, CP-Chicamacomico = Pond Mile#92 - at pond and field area, OC-Ocean City Inlet, WP-West = Pond, AS-Assateague State Park area, BW-Blackwater, SW-Shorter's Wharf = Area=20 TR CK CP OC WP = AS BW SW Red-Throated Loon OC Common Loon CK OC = AS =20 Red-necked Grebe = AS American White Pelican = BW Double-crested Cormorant OC Great Blue Heron TR CP WP = AS BW =20 Black-crowned Night Heron WP Turkey Vulture TR CK = BW =20 Snow Goose TR = BW Canada Goose TR CK CP WP AS = BW SW Brant OC = AS Tundra Swan TR = AS BW =20 Gadwall CP = WP =20 American Widgeon WP American Black Duck TR CP WP AS = BW Mallard CP = WP AS BW Northern Shoveler CP WP = BW Canvasback = WP Greater Scaup OC Surf Scoter CK OC White-winged Scoter OC Black Scoter CK OC = Oldsquaw CK = AS Bufflehead Common Goldeneye CK Hooded Merganser CP WP = BW Red-breasted Merganser OC AS = BW =20 Ruddy Duck = WP Bald Eagle CP OC = BW Northern Harrier = BW SW Sharp-shinned Hawk TR Cooper's Hawk TR Red-tailed Hawk TR = BW American Kestrel TR = AS American Coot WP American Oystercatcher OC Ruddy Turnstone OC Sanderling OC = AS Bonaparte's Gull OC =20 Ring-billed Gull TR CK OC WP = AS BW =20 Herring Gull TR CK OC = AS BW Great Black-backed Gull TR CK OC AS Rock Dove TR OC Mourning Dove TR = BW Great Horned Owl = SW Northern Flicker = BW Downy Woodpecker(heard) = BW American Crow TR Fish Crow TR = =20 Horned Lark CP Brown-headed Nuthatch(heard) = BW Golden-crowned Kinglet(heard) = BW Eastern Bluebird TR = AS BW American Robin European Starling TR Yellow-rumped Warbler = AS Savannah Sparrow CP Song Sparrow CP = AS BW White-throated Sparrow CP Northern Cardinal = AS Red-winged Blackbird = SW Eastern Meadowlark = SW =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=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 =========================================================================