Re: Ocean City/Deal Island Sightings
MHoff36100@aol.com
Sat, 27 Jun 1998 13:54:50 EDT
In a message dated 98-06-26 10:41:29 EDT, Marcia Watson-Whitmyre wrote:
>
> Yesterday afternoon (6/25) I had to drive my son to Ocean City MD, so I
> squeezed in some quick birding at the 4th St. mudflats, Old Bridge Rd,
> and then my first ever visit to Deal Island WMA. I was hoping for
> Black-necked Stilts at Deal, but no luck. Has anyone seen them there&
> nbsp;
> (or elsewhere in MD) this year? Also, what's the scoop on Sandwich
> Terns at Ocean City? The Yellow Book lists them as regular breeders
> in Worcester County and Claudia Wilds' book mentions them at 4th St., but
> I have never seen them there.
>
Marcia --
I can not give you any information specific to this year, but I can certainly
give you some pointers on seeing a Sandwich Tern in Maryland. Over the past 10
years, Sandwich Terns have bred on Skimmer Island at least twice. (Note that
the "4th St. Flats" are now a permanent island and have been legally renamed
"Skimmer Island".) Thus, they are not yet regular breeders. I do not know if
any are nesting there this year. If the Sandwich Terns are not nesting, they
can be difficult to find from late-May through early-July. And even if they
are nesting, sorting through the hundreds of Royals can take a long time, as
most of the birds are not visible in the thick vegetation. We really won't
find out till the young are banded.
However, once breeding is over for the terns to our south, a number of
Sandwich Tern family groups will move northward. Thus mid-July through early-
September is the best time to look for them, with August the peak. These birds
are presumably coming from the VA coastal islands. I have seen upwards of a
dozen on Skimmer Island at this time. They are also frequent on the Assateague
bayside to the south, but these areas are not very accessible. Typically, one
or two adults are accompanied by one or two dependent young. As the yound sit
around on the exposed flat of Skimmer waiting for their next meal, it makes
finding them a lot easier.
Viewing position is very important as well. The traditional spot to view the
Island (from 3rd-5th St. in OC) now provides a very limited perspective due to
the sand build-up on the east side of the island. A far better location is
from the west end of the Rt. 50 bridge. Park in Hooper's parking lot, and walk
east along the north side of the causeway (as if you were going to fish from
the bridge, you can also park on the north side of Rt. 50 is you are headed
out of OC). From the causeway you get an excellent elevated view of the
Island. Early morning or late pm are best for light.
Hope that helps -- I still remember the first Sandwich Terns I saw in Maryland
on 8/12/1976 on Assateague (my birthday!) -- it was quite treat, and with two
Hudsonian Godwits, a "two state-bird day".
Good birding,
Mark Hoffman
Sykesville, MD
Mhoff36100@aol.com