Re: Recent bird sightings

David W. Webb (webb@netfox.net)
Tue, 11 Nov 1997 19:55:20 -0800


Les Eastman wrote:
> 
> On Monday, Nov 10, I went out at lunch time to see if there were any
> ducks on the Gunpowder River.  I found a flock of 5-600 Lesser Scaup
> bobbing in the choppy water.  I tried to scope them out but between the
> wind shaking my scope and the ducks alternately bobbing up and
> disappearing behind the waves (I almost got seasick watching them), I
> am sure I could have missed some good stuff.  What I did find were
> about half a dozen Canvasbacks and 4 Ruddy Ducks.  There were also a
> few Scaup I would classify as Greater.
>

Les, et. al.,

   I spent the first two hours after sunrise this morning (Tues, 11th)
at the Gunpowder River.  For those of you not familiar with the
location, it is at the south end of Hoadley Road on the Edgewood
Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground (ADC 29 B11).  Lots must have come
in or moved around since Les was there yesterday.  I estimated the
raft to be around 10,000 ducks.  Yes, 98% of them appear to be Lesser
Scaup.  It's the 2% that make it quite fun -- here's my summary.

   3 Oldsquaw
  10 Ruddy Duck
 ~20 Canvasback
   2 Common Goldeneye
~200 Bufflehead
   3 Ring-necked Duck
   1 Greater Scaup (could have been several more, but from that
     distance I could only be sure of one, a hen in flight)

  Also, on the river were 2 Common Loon, 3 American Black Duck, 6
American Coot, 1 Double-crested Cormorant, and ~50 Canada Goose.
A flock of 25 Tundra Swan flew overhead southward, and to top it
all off, an immature Red-headed Woodpecker worked the trees
right behind me.

   I also stopped by Tydings Marina in Havre de Grace, normally a
very good site for dabbling ducks.  For whatever reason, this has
not been a good autumn for them here.  However, there were 52
Forster's Tern on the mudflat, and a Horned Grebe just 30 yards off
the south end of the Promenade.

   Good birding to all,

                               Dave Webb
                               webb@netfox.net
                               Havre de Grace, MD