WAHOO!!! 702!!!

GREGORY.B.MILLER@bge.com
Thu, 17 Sep 1998 11:51:03 -0400 

Howdy all!

     What a surprise this morning!  A year bird (Philadelphia
Vireo), a state bird (Wood Stork), and 47 species in 2 hrs.  I
arrived at Pt Lookout at 6:45am.  Skies were mostly cloudy and a
light breeze was blowing from the West.

     I drove past the pond on the point and noted that the
immature WOOD STORK is still present.  As I got out of my truck,
I could see small birds in the trees behind the restrooms at the
point.  I walked over and started birding.  Two birds flew by and
lit.  American Redstarts.  A bird popped out at eye-level, just
15 ft away.  You can imagine my surprise and amazement as a
PHILADELPHIA VIREO (#702) was staring at me!  HOLY GUACAMOLE!
They don't always come *that* easy!

     Small birds were flying out of the air and landing in the
trees.  As a lister I had what I came for.  As a birder, I could
not resist the urge to witness the fall spectacle of birds
dropping out of the sky.  After an hour on the point, I walked up
the beach to the picnic area.  I kicked up a couple of Palm
Warblers off the beach.  A female Merlin flew West out the trees
near the picnic area.  This was already a most satisfying morning
excursion!

     The trees on the South end of the picnic area were dripping
with birds.  A flock of 10 flickers was on the ground near the
playground.  I put my bins on the first bird-laden tree.  5
Red-eyed Vireos in one view!  Birds were in every tree.  But as
quickly as they dropped in, they moved out.  By 8:45am it was
much warmer and virtually everything was gone.  The waves of
small birds seemed to be heading NORTH out of the picnic area
(Higbee Beach effect?).  Go figure.  Following is my delightful
morning out :-)

Double-crested Cormorant 6
Cattle Egret   1
Green Heron    1
Wood Stork     1
Turkey Vulture 1
Merlin    1 (female)
Laughing Gull  20
Ring-billed Gull    1
Herring Gull   6
Great Black-backed Gull  18
Royal Tern     2
Forster's Tern 40
Mourning Dove  6
Chimney Swift  4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker   2
Downy Woodpecker    2
Hairy Woodpecker    1
Northern Flicker    18
"Trail's" Flycatcher   1
White-eyed Vireo    1
Philadelphia Vireo  1
Red-eyed Vireo 22
Blue Jay  6
American Crow  12
Fish Crow 30
Carolina Chickadee  7
Tufted Titmouse     2
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Carolina Wren  13
House Wren     2
American Robin 1
European Starling   28
Northern Mockingbird     2
Brown Thrasher 2
Nashville Warbler   1
Northern Parula     2
Magnolia Warbler    6
Black-throated Blue Warbler   1
Pine Warbler   1
Palm Warbler   8
Black-and-white Warbler  4
American Redstart   12
Common Yellowthroat 14
Scarlet Tanager     3
Song Sparrow   1
Northern Cardinal   12
Rose-breasted Grosbeak   1
American Goldfinch  2

-Greg Miller
Lusby, MD