[MDOsprey] Two (!) Ruffs in MD and thoughts on "MDShorebirdNet" (long)

GEORGE JETT (JETT.GEORGE@epamail.epa.gov)
Mon, 19 Jul 1999 07:49:07 -0400 

Marshall
You should add Allen's Fresh, Charles Co. at low tide to your list of places people should check. 
Congrats on the big July day.  I talked to Greg last night.  Glad you got the Ruff at Easton.  And the opera
was fine.
 
George

>>> <Miliff@aol.com> 07/19/99 01:24am >>>
Hello all,

What Greg Miller did not mention about today's birding was the molting male 
Ruff that he, Todd Day, and I found at a private farm in Queen Anne's County 
today at about noon.  It was with about 30 other shorebirds (25 Least, 3 
Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Solitary, 1 Spotted) at a small farm pond but was far 
enough away that a scope was required for good views.  If anyone is extremely 
interested in this bird for county listing purposes or any other purposes I 
can reveal the location and you can likely arrange permission: I am however 
reluctant to post the location publicly given that the property is private.  
Please don't hesitate to email me if you are interested though.

Fortunately though, when I returned home I had a message from George Jett 
that ANOTHER Ruff was at Easton Sewage Plant on Saturday.  So...I turned back 
around and went off to see that one.  It is an even more striking bird, also 
a molting male (cream colored head and extensive black below), and is 
impossible to miss in the impoundment there which is drawn down and has quite 
a number of shorebirds in it.  Access to the sewage plant is easy 
Monday-Friday during working hours - just stop in at the office and ask 
permission.  The plant is east of Easton.  

Directions: Take MD 331 out of Easton.  Turn right on Chilcutt Lane (about 
your second right) and take it a mile or more to the end.  Turn right at the 
stop sign and in about .2 mi make your first left.  Follow the pavement to 
the end and you will be at the entrance to the sewage plant.  The office is 
straight ahead.  You may usually drive around the roads of the facility and 
you will easily find the shorebird pond up the grassy hill to your right.

In the course of our birding this weekend, Greg Miller mentioned to me that 
folks in Ohio have a shorebird webpage where people log in and make regular 
postings not just on shorebird sightings in the state, but on the condition 
of shorebird hotspots around the state (i.e. water levels at such-and-such 
seem good or so-and-so's pond is completely dry and is now worthless or at 
the intersection of whosiwhatsit Lane and Rte. godknowswhat there is a rain 
puddle that seems good).  Well, I think we need this in Maryland!   We 
Marylanders have a hard enough time with shorebirds given that the best spots 
are hard to access (i.e. Hart-Miller Island, Assateague Island) and that we 
have an inferiority complex being sandwiched between Bombay Hook and 
Chincoteague). I have most of my free summers in MD since I was 16 driving 
around to various shorebird spots checking the conditions.  But it is far 
easier for all us internet connected folks to share our observations so that 
we can hit the spots that are good and skip the ones that aren't.  Conditions 
often change yearly, monthly, or even weekly (depending on rain or lack 
thereof) and this kind of network would be a real boon to the MD birding 
community I think, especially those of us that like shorebirds.  Plus, Greg, 
Todd, and I wouldn't have missed Pectoral, Western and Ruff on our July Big 
Day if we had known how good Easton STP was!

Now...I didn't quite get Greg to volunteer to maintain such a site...but 
maybe if we all begged in unison.

In any event, here are my observations thus far this summer:

Easton Sewage Plant:  Water in impoundment very low with only a couple small 
pools remaining.  Many shorebirds present 7/18 (1 Ruff, 3 SB Dowitchers, 10 L 
Yellowlegs, 1 Semi Plover, 200 Least Sands, 15 Semi Sands, many Killdeer and 
some Spotteds).  Likely to get drier and worse pretty quickly

Hurlock Sewage Plant:  Few shorebirds 7/17 (SoSa, LeYe, GrYe, LeSa, SpSa, 
Kill) and all on the rocky margins...not much sludge built up yet on surface 
of pools)

West Ocean City Pond:  Water levels fairly low but tall grass makes viewing 
very tough.  LeYe, LeSa, SBDo present 7/17

Deal Island:  No good habitat anywhere as water levels are very high 
throughout, though I did NOT check the "Green Dumpster Road" which is often 
good...

Lilipons:  Pond under bridge at Lilipons Rd. has potential.  No birds there 
7/17 probably due to goose flock...

North Beach:  Looked good back on 7/11.  Not too many birds yet though.

Horsehead Wetlands Sanctuary/Wildfowl Trust:  Lake Knapp excellent 7/15 with 
SBDo (10), LeYe (35), LeSa (75), SeSa (1), and SpSa (1) all present.  Also 
LBHe and SnEg.  This spot tends to dry up fairly quickly though so further 
updates would be good.

Blackwater:  On 7/16 the tide was high and habitat non existant.  Non tidal 
pools generally dry or have far too much water to be good for shorebirds.

Ridgely Sewage Plant:  Judging from Bob Ringler's 7/17/99 post, the 
conditions are good!

Tanyard: Water levels look good here...tidal influx fills the small marsh on 
the south side of Md 331 and dry weather drains it.  The pool is now about 
half full but only GRYE and SBDo there today.

Areas I've not yet checked that can often be good and for which updates would 
be desirable:  

Piney Run Reservoir, Garrett Co.
Rouge Lagoon/PPG Ponds, Allegany Co.
Harney Rd. Pond and Bullfrog Rd. Pond, Frederick County
Tridelphia Reservoir, Howard County
Browns Bridge Rd., Howard County
Liberty Reservoir, Carroll County
Papermill Flats, Baltimore County
Beawview Ponds, Saint Mary's County
Courthouse Point, Cecil County
Bethel WMA, Cecil County
Gunther's Pond, Cecil County
Remington Farms, Kent County
Green Dumpster Rd., Deal Island, Somerset Co.
Fairmont WMA, Somerset Co.
Salisbury Turf Farms, Wicomico Co. (usually needs rain which we haven't had!) 
E. A.  Vaughn WMA, Worcester Co.

So..if anyone has any insight on conditions at any of these spots, or any 
insight on other spots they've been recently, perhaps you can post your 
observations?

In the meantime, good shorebirding and lets find a Little Stint for MD!

Best,

Marshall Iliff
miliff@aol.com

PS - Undoubtedly I've mentioned shorebird locations not familiar to 
everyone...if you want to know where some of them are I'd gladly provide info.