Birding: Saturday April 10
Jlstasz@aol.com
Sat, 10 Apr 1999 21:36:44 EDT
Hi Folks!
It has been a long day, so just the highlights. I arrived at Sugarloaf
Mountain Rd. .6 miles south of Thurston Rd [Delorme 55 C6] at about 5 AM.
Wilbur Hershberger suggested that dawn, rather than dusk was better for
Woodcock here. Perhaps it was the weather, but only 3 birds were "peenting"
and there were no full display flights. I have been seeking woodcock all
year and this was County #22 for the year..only Talbot remains to make it an
Annual Closeout. An added bonus was a singing Whip-poor-will.
Pine Warblers have returned to Stronghold at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain.
A cruise through western Montgomery County yielded a singing Vesper Sparrow
along Mouth of Monocacy Rd. between Rt. 28 and Mt.Ephraim Rd. [Delorme 55 C5]
Greenfield Rd. along the west side of the Monocacy River had a few spring
birds: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Blue-headed Vireo (solitarius), Northern
Parula, and Louisiana Waterthrush.
Another Pine Warbler at Noland's Ferry on the Potomac was certainly a migrant.
A single Vesper Sparrow was heard along Oland Rd.
Lilypons had 4 Blue-winged Teal and 8 Greater Yellowlegs.
The pond by Laytonsville Landfill [Delorme 56 D3] had Canada Geese, but the
woods next to the dam held 30 Rusty Blackbirds, 8 Yellow Palms, and 1 Western
Palm.
Zion Rd. pond had a single Pied-billed Grebe and a single Bufflehead.
At Triadelphia Res. at Green Landing Rd. [Delorme 57 D4] there was a single
Common Loon in breeding plumage, a winter plumage Bonaparte's Gull, and a
Pine Warbler on territory.
Piney Run Park in Carroll Co. [Delorme 57 A4] had more boats than waterfowl.
A total of 5 coots, 3 Ruddy Ducks, 2 Bufflehead, and a pair of Black Ducks.
No loons, grebes, or gulls :-(
I decided to try for the Vesper Sparrows at the U.Maryland Central Farm in
Howard, arriving about 3 PM. After a bit of a search I found one among the
many Savannah Sparrows. A few snipe, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, and 1 Lesser
Yellowlegs added variety. Then the first magic moment of the day
happened....as I watched the yellowlegs I heard behind me a familiar
"beeyup-beeyup" and turned to watch an UPLAND SANDPIPER cruise in from the
east, then circle higher and higher before drifting with the wind to the
south.
Tired, I headed home...but made a stop at River Hill Nursery and got a few
plants for the garden. Upon arriving home I spent an hour or two gardening,
then decided to take a peek at the Bay [it had been boring recently].
I found out why there were no loons or grebes at Piney Run. Due to the
passage of the front, there was amazing clarity. I could count the masts of
sailboats in the harbor on Tilghman's I., 11 miles away. From my deck I
counted 150+ Common Loons, 6 Red-throated Loons, 400+ Horned Grebes, 20+
Northern Gannets, 800+ Bufflehead, 70+ Oldsquaw, 10 Surf Scoters, and a
single Lesser Scaup. Two groups of Greater Yellowlegs, totaling about 30
birds passed by low over the water heading north. Offshore there was a
trickle of Bonaparte's Gulls, and after a hundred or so 1 adult
winter-plumaged LITTLE GULL [I had made 2 fruitless trips to Back River to
get one for my Year List]. At 7 PM the Bonaparte's Gulls stopped heading
north and pockets were resting on the Bay. At 7:30 I called it quits.
What will tomorrow be like?
Good Birding!
Jim
Jim Stasz
North Beach MD
jlstasz@aol.com