Fw: Chesapeake Beach Dredge Ponds
Jack C. Leighty/Susan J. Noble (jleighty@chesapeake.net)
Sun, 12 Apr 1998 09:43:56 -0400 (EDT)
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>From: jleighty@chesapeake.net
>Date: 4/12/98 9:35:20AM
>To: "Southern MD Audubon Society List"
<MD-SMAS-GENERAL@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG>
>Subject: Chesapeake Beach Dredge Ponds
>
>Greetings:
>Yesterday, Susan And I paid a short visit to the Dredge Ponds that
>Jim describes. The birds that he saw were there, except the
>harrier and the snipe (at least, not seen). In addition, we saw a
>pair of kingfishers; a pair of ospreys; numerous killdeer; barn and
>tree swallows; a song sparrow and a female ruddy duck.
>
>We then zipped over to the North Beach board walk. A great place to
>set up a scope - lots of gulls and loons out on the water. Horned
>grebes in breeding plummage were patrolling a few feet off the board
>walk. I don't like bird photos taken much above eye level, but
>these little guys were so colorful that I put on a 400 lens and shot
>an entire roll of slide film.
>
>Jack Leighty
>Huntingtown
>jleighty@chesapeake.net
>
>The Chesapeake Beach Dredge Ponds had 8 Greater Yellowlegs, 8
>Pectoral Sandpipers, and 2 Least Sandpipers. The adjacent marsh was
>being cruised by a Northern Harrier...which flushed 14 Common Snipe.
>To reach theseponds, headsouth on 261 from the traffic light at
>Rt.260
>, go less than .5 mile
>and turn right just before the Water Park. Follow the paved road
>and park near the Red Caboose. The dredge ponds are behind the
>Caboose, marina andballfields. In 1992 when these ponds were created
>they hosted over the year: American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt,
>Wilson's Phalarope, Long-billed Dowitcher,,,and all ofthe more
>common shorebirds. The marsh edge regularly produces Nelson's
>Sharp-tailed Sparrows in Spring and Fall. The marsh has nesting
>Clapper and Virginia Rails,Seaside Sparrows and Coastal Swamp
>Sparrow (subspecies nigrescens).
>
>Jim Stasz
>North Beach MD
>jlstasz@aol.com
>