Delmarva Trip 3/4 to3/6/98
Dendroica (Dendroica@aol.com)
Sun, 8 Mar 1998 09:27:44 EST
Besides the Thick-Billed Murre which I reported in an earlier message, my
three day trip to the Delmarva was without a doubt. the most satisfactory trip
I've taken there in the past 25 years. The skies were clear and the weather
cool enough that heat waves were not a problem, so the myriad of seabirds
could be seen well.
On March 4, at Blackwater NWR, we were unsuccessful in finding the recently
reported Golden Eagles, but did count at least 4 Bald Eagles, and three early
Ospreys, one of which was perched on a nesting platform, and another near by
on snag in the water, both in pristine condition. The third Osprey was on a
sandbar and looked quite bedraggled.
At the Cheasapeake Bay-Tunnel on March 5th, there were hundreds of Surf and
Common Scoters, but only a few White-Winged, many Old Squaws, as well as
Common Eiders, Gannets and Great Coromorants, close up. At Kiptopeke, besides
the Murre, Loons, particularly Red-Throated, were fairly numerous.
At Ocean City Inlet on March 6, there were at least six Harlequin Ducks
(probably more (a birder there said they had counted twelve earlier), at
least 100 Purple Sandpipers on the north side of the inlet, a small raft of
Common Eiders and 2 Bonaparte Gulls. At Indian River Inlet, there were an
additional 100 or so Purple Sandpipers sitting on top of the jetty because of
high tide.
We had also birded Chincoteaque NWR on the 4th and 5th., where Yellow-Rumped
Warblers abounded. Besides the usual ducks, geese, swans and Great Blue
Herons and Great Egrets, we found one Snowy Egret and Tri-Colored Heron.
Ralph Wall
Great Falls, Va.