Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 19:49:18 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Robert Ringler Subject: Eastern Shore Trip MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The Carroll County Bird Club enjoyed a successful trip to the = Eastern Shore last weekend, Feb. 14-16, 2004. I want to thank all who = contacted us by cell phone to make everyone's trip more successful. We = heard from Dave Powell, Marty Cribb, Hans Holbrook, Marcia Balestri, Rob = Hilton, and Don Broderick. Everyone persevered despite the cold and = windy conditions and saw most of the exciting birds that were around. We covered Bombay Hook to Ocean City on Saturday, Worcester County = on Sunday, and Ocean City to Dorchester County on Monday. Mostly = birding for water birds. Too much wind for many land birds. Highlights = were: Red-necked Grebe - 1 at Indian River Inlet on 2/14 and 1 at Ocean City = on 2/15 Great Cormorant - 3 at Indian River Inlet on 2/14, 1 at Ocean City on = 2/15, 2 at Ocean City on 2/16 White-fronted Goose - 1 immature (showing some white on the face) at = Berlin sewage ponds on 2/15 Richardson's Goose - 3 at Boxiron on 2/15 and 1 at Hurlock on 2/16 Eurasian Wigeon - 1 male at Eagle's Landing GC on 2/15 King Eider - 1 female behind the south jetty at Ocean City on 2/16 = giving some 2-second glimpses at best Common Eider - 1 immature male in the inlet at Ocean City on 2/14, also = seen behind the jetty on 2/16 Great Egret - 1 at the West Ocean City pond on 2/15 Black-crowned Night-Heron - at least 6 at the Knights of Columbus in = Ocean City on 2/15 Peregrine - 1 harassing gulls and shorebirds at Ocean City inlet on 2/15 = and 2/16 Wild Turkey - 8 at Harmon Landing on 2/15 Lesser Yellowlegs - 8 on Elliott Island Road on 2/16 Bonaparte's Gull - 10 at Ocean City inlet on 2/16 Dovekie - on 2/16 between 8 and 9 AM Marcia Balestri spotted a small = black and white object drifting toward the Ocean City inlet and many of = us took a look at it speculating on whether it was a Dovekie. We = watched it quite a while before it disappeared behind the south jetty. = Shortly after that, while looking for eiders behind the jetty a small = alcid flew through my field of view. Tmmy Schwaab and I followed it in = our scopes for about 15 seconds as it flew out to sea. It was a Dovekie = based on size and flight profile. Razorbill - 1 at Indian River Inlet on 2/14, 1 at Ocean City on 2/14, at = least 2 on 2/15, 1 on 2/16, never very close but giving satisfying views = for many. I guess you had to be there at the right time to see one up = close. Chipping Sparrow - at least 2 on Basketswitch Road on 2/15 White-crowned Sparrow - 5 immatures at the Bombay Hook Visitor Center = feeders on 2/14 Meadowlark - at least 37 in one flock on Boxiron Road on 2/15 Thanks again to everyone that helped make this a successful weekend. Bob Ringler Eldersburg, Md ringler@qis.net =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=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 =========================================================================