Sat. Trip
Joseph j Halpin (halpinj@Juno.com)
Sun, 16 Aug 1998 11:37:09 -0400
I spent the day with Stan Arnold and Bobby Hughes at the Patuxent North
Tract and the DE bay area. Lake Allen has been drained and is attracting
lots of shore birds. We saw a Tri-colored Heron, Spotted and Solitary
SPs among other species.
At the bay areas--we finally got 2 separate looks at the Upland SPs in
the potato fields at the junction of Rt. 9 and the entrance road to BH
NWR. There were 3 that we saw and they tended to be found between the
fields on the east and west sides of the road. We did not find any
Uplands in the Dover AFB area.
There were Buff-breasted SPs reported in the Rt. 9/entrance road area at
9 AM, but in 4 attempts over this area, we did not see these SPs.
Bobby and Stan got good looks at Barn Swallows on the wires just outside
the NWR.
No reports of the Long-toed Stint; mostly disbelief.
Black-bellied, Wilson's and American-Golden Plovers were in the plowed
field, on the far side of the loop around Bear Swamp. They were close to
the road and to each other, so the comparison views were good.
There were reports of a Black Tern and Yellow-crowned Night Heron at the
Bear Swamp, but we did not see it.
In our first pass through BH NWR about noon, the tide was low and the
birds were scarce. When we returned about 5 PM, the birds were
plentiful. Hugh numbers of Avocet and Greater Yellow-legs.
We visited the Pickering Beach Reserve and took the right hand road at
the brick house to the wooden platform/observation area (a short walk
from where the road ends). Other birders were there and noted that in
85, when the Whiskered Tern, was seen at Cape May, they later saw it from
this spot! Otherwise, this excursion was not worth it; not very many
birds.
Joe Halpin
Silver Spring, MD
email: halpinj @juno.com