[MDOsprey] August Big Day - try #2
Greg Miller (hawk-owl@yahoo.com)
Tue, 31 Aug 1999 10:49:08 -0700 (PDT)
Howdy All!
Our SECOND August Big Day attempt...and another pathetic showing. BTW,
for all of you who may wonder, my references to Skimmer Island all mean
th 4th St Flats in Ocean City. Sorry for the confusion, old habits are
hard to break (I don't know where or when I picked up this name...).
Saturday, August 28, 1999.
Weather: 70s, cool, spotty fog in a.m. 90, hot,
humid, sunny in afternoon.
Observers: George Jett, Greg Miller.
Hours: 0430 - 2030 (16 hours).
Mileage: 538 miles.
Total species: 123
Route: Kent Narrows [by moonlight], Assateague,
Pocomoke [including road crossing along Nassawango Creek and Mt Olive
Church Rd], Salisbury Airport, Elliott Island, Blackwater NWR
[including roads from Elliott to Blackwater proper], Egypt Rd, Hurlock,
4th St Flats (Skimmer Island), West Ocean City Pond, Deal Island,
Eliott Island again after dark, and Kent Narrows [by moonlight again].
Near misses included Black Vulture (only 1 at 4:30pm) and Common
Grackle (only 1 fly over in Salisbury). The many misses included Cattle
Egret, Mute Swan, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Peregrine
Falcon, Wild Turkey, Piping Plover, Black-necked Stilt, Solitary
Sandpiper, Upland Sandpiper, Red Knot, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least
Tern, Black Skimmer, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Common
Nighthawk, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe,
Great-crested Flycatcher, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Brown-headed
Nuthatch, Northern Parula, Kentucky Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Scarlet
Tanager, Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, and Indigo
Bunting.
On this attempt, we spent far too much time at too few places early in
the day. Lack of scouting again killed us as we burned precious time
at Elliott Island and Blackwater (water was too high--this was our
biggest bust) during the day. Logistically, we were unable to include
planned stops at Easton WWTP, Ridgely, Tanyard, and John Brown Rd. In
an effort to salvage the day, we hastily did Hurlock and flew to Ocean
City with time only to do 4th St Flats (missed doing Eagle's Nest
Campground for Piping Plover) and W Ocean City Pond. We forced
ourselves to leave quickly to race against the remaining daylight and
reaching Deal Island. After dark we drove up to Elliot Island at
night. With a near full moon and a quiet night, we hoped for Least
Bittern, Barn Owl, and Black Rail. With the rains of last week,
however, mosquitoes were in full force. We couldn't hear anything
through the din of fierce biting insects attacking our heads. After a
difficult hour we had no new birds. To top off the day we passed by
Kent Narrows by moonlight again, and for a second time, missed the
ghostly
white forms of any Mute Swans. Once again, we left
plenty of room for improvement.
Species list:
Common Loon Assateague
Brown Pelican Assateague; Skimmer Island
Double-crested Cormorant Assateague; Skimmer Island
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Green Heron Deal Island
Black-crowned Night-Heron W Ocean City Pond; Deal
Island
Glossy Ibis W Ocean City Pond;
Black Vulture Caroline County (1)
Turkey Vulture
Tundra Swan Hurlock
Snow Goose Hurlock
Canada Goose
American Black Duck W Ocean City Pond; Deal Island
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal Assateague; Blackwater; Deal Island
Northern Shoveler Ridgely
Ruddy Duck Hurlock
Osprey Elliott Island; Blackwater; Deal Island
Red-tailed Hawk Blackwater
Bald Eagle Elliott Island
Northern Harrier Assateague; Deal Island
Sharp-shinned Hawk Blackwater
American Kestrel Blackwater
Northern Bobwhite Blackwater
Clapper Rail Deal Island
Virginia Rail Deal Island
Common Moorhen Elliott Island; Deal Island
Black-bellied Plover Skimmer Island
Semipalmated Plover Assateague; Skimmer Island
Killdeer
American Oystercatcher Skimmer Island
Greater Yellowlegs Elliott Island
Lesser Yellowlegs
Willet Skimmer Island
Spotted Sandpiper
Ruddy Turnstone Skimmer Island
Sanderling Assateague; Skimmer Island
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper Elliott Island
Stilt Sandpiper Elliott Island
Short-billed Dowitcher Elliott Island; Skimmer Island
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern Assateague
Royal Tern Assateague; Skimmer Island
Common Tern Assateague; Skimmer Island
Forster's Tern Assateague; Blackwater; Hurlock; Skimmer Island
Black Tern Hurlock
Rock Dove Blackwater
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Nassawango Creek
Eastern Screech-Owl Nassawango Creek; Blackwater
Chimney Swift Salisbury (George only)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Assateague; Nassawango Creek
Belted Kingfisher Assateague
Red-headed Woodpecker Wicomico Co
Red-bellied Woodpecker Assateague; Nassawango Creek; Blackwater
Downy Woodpecker Nassawango Creek
Pileated Woodpecker Blackwater
Eastern Wood-Pewee Assateague; Nassawango Creek
Acadian Flycatcher Assateague
Eastern Kingbird Assateague; Nassawango Creek
White-eyed Vireo Assateague
Yellow-throated Vireo Nassawango Creek
Warbling Vireo Assateague
Red-eyed Vireo Assateague; Nassawango Creek
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow Assateague
Horned Lark Egypt Rd
Purple Martin Blackwater
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow Blackwater
Barn Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch Nassawango Creek
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Marsh Wren Deal Island
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Nassawango Creek (George only)
Eastern Bluebird Elliot Island; Blackwater
American Robin
Gray Catbird Assateague
Northern Mockingbird Hurlock
Brown Thrasher Assateague
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing Assateague
Chestnut-sided Warbler Assateague
Magnolia Warbler Assateague
Pine Warbler Blackwater
Prairie Warbler Assateague; Mt Olive Church Rd
Black-and-white Warbler Assateague
American Redstart Assateague; Nassawango Creek
Prothonotary Warbler Nassawango Creek
Worm-eating Warbler Assateague
Common Yellowthroat Assateague; Blackwater
Yellow-breasted Chat Assateague (Greg only)
Summer Tanager Nassawango Creek
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow Mt Olive Church Rd
Field Sparrow Assateague
Grasshopper Sparrow Salisbury Airport
Seaside Sparrow Elliott Island; Deal Island
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Blue Grosbeak Wicomico Co
Bobolink Assateague; Blackwater
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark Blackwater
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle Assateague; Skimmer Island
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole Assateague; Nassawango Creek
House Finch Assateague
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow Hurlock
-Greg Miller
Hollywood, MD
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