Re: Ocean CIty CBC Summary
David Gersten (gerstens@erols.com)
Tue, 30 Dec 1997 15:08:26 -0500
Hi Norm:
It was great to meet you and Fran at the tally rally yesterday.
One correction to your report - the new birds were Barn Swallow and
Turkey not Lesser Black-backed Gull. The LBB was seen yesterday but it's
been a regular for the count in recent years. I helped identify one of
the two seen from west OC in 1994.
Other interesting notes from the count included record OC counts of Wood
Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Common Eider, Harlequin Duck, Bald Eagle,
American Oystercatcher and Fish Crow. There may have been high counts of
Hooded Merganser
and Ring-billed Gull. I didn't record the numbers quickly enough.
Pipit, Meadowlark and Field Sparrow numbers were down.
Did you get your 400th?
Bye.
--
David Gersten
gerstens@erols.com
Herndon, VA
Norm Saunders wrote:
> Since Chan and Company are still counting today and tomorrow, allow
> me to post the highlights here of the OC Count.
>
> The Ocean City 50th Anniversary Count took place on Monday, December
> 29, this year. The day began with calm air and calm water and
> temperatures hovering at the 30-degree mark. The sun in the morning
> quickly disappeared, however, as a storm moved up from the south,
> raising strong northeasterly winds, heavy cloud cover, and, later in
> the afternoon, heavy blowing rain.
>
> 152 species were tallied, one fewer than last year and tied with the
> 1994 list. Two new species were added to the count history this
> year, both by expatriate Michael O'Brien--Lesser Black-backed Gull
> and Wild Turkey.
>
> Other write-ins include, in no particular order: Chipping Sparrow,
> Great Cormorant, Willet, Tree Swallow, Peregrine Falcon, Barn
> Swallow, Northern Gannet, American Oystercatcher, Red Knot, Purple
> Sandpiper, Clapper Rail, Seaside Sparrow, Evening Grosbeak, Merlin,
> Sedge Wren, Snow Bunting, American Bittern, Lesser Yellowlegs, Red
> Crossbill, Eurasian Wigeon, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, and Common
> Merganser.
>
> Count-week birds included Little Gull and Brown Pelican.
>
> Cheers!
> Norm
>
> ===============
> Norm Saunders
> Colesville, MD
> osprey@ari.net