Re: [MDOsprey] Le Conte's Sparrow at Irish Grove, and some

Paul Bystrak (pbystrak@pcpartner.net)
Sun, 05 Dec 1999 12:52:42 -0600 

Looks like Marshall has set a pretty high bar for those of us covering the
Rumbley Point Road area on the Crisfield Christmas Count!  

Although there have been sightings of LeConte's at Irish Grove in the past
(usually right about where Marshall found his), it would be a new bird for
the count. 

Paul Bystrak
(one of those covering it)


At 10:16 PM 12/4/99 EST, you wrote:
>MDOsprey,
>
>In another fit of craziness, Greg Miller, George Jett, and I embarked on a 
>December Big Day run at 0300 this morning (Saturday, 4 Dec 1999).  We 
>continued only a little past dark, and George and Greg are returning to the 
>Western Shore now as I live it phat here at Irish Grove still on MD's Lower 
>Eastern Shore.  As unscouted Big Days go, we did quite well, and had we 
>pooled all our possessions and resources we could not have special ordered 
>nicer weather.  A highlight for me was closing at dusk at Deal Island (on of 
>my favorites) surrounded by the sounds of the marsh settling down on this 
>windless eve: Clapper and Virginia rails, a barking Short-ear, growling 
>Hooded Mergansers (always a thrill!), Gadwall, thousands of wigeon, passing 
>night-herons...  Scoping up Jupiter and Saturn in George's Nikon N70 was 
>icing on the cake, and provided the best views I've had of those planets.
>
>A fuller report will follow, perhaps Monday, in case anyone is interested.  
>But, in the meantime, a couple highlights are:
>
>A gorgeous LE CONTE'S SPARROW that responded to pishing by chiping and 
>sitting in plain view for 5+ minutes until we tired of it (well, not 
>quite...).  I have never had one so cooperative.  George and I both
attempted 
>photos, though speed was 1/8 second and the results sure to be poor, if 
>identifiable.  This bird was essentially a loner but may e quite easily 
>relocated as it was loyal to a small shrub (Iva/Baccharus = Salt Marsh
Elder) 
>patch that is essentially an island.  
>         To look for this bird, find Rumbly Point Rd. on your trusty DeLorme 
>atlas (mp 25 c6).  At the end is a boat ramp saying Rumbly Point.  After 
>traversing a squiggle of back roads to get to Rumbly Point Rd. you will find 
>yourself passing through pine woods and fields for most of the way.  
>Eventually on your right you will pass the M.O.S. Sanctuary Irish Grove with 
>a sign and a gate on your right.  Only a little further the road opens up 
>into an enormous expanse of saltmarsh.  From where the road first enters
this 
>marsh, clock about 0.4 mi and stop (on the road!  the shoulders are soft and 
>you are SURE to get stuck).  The bird was in the shrub patch on the left 
>about 20 ft from the road.  I placed an orange life preserver on the right 
>side of the road, in a bush, directly opposite where the bird was seen.  We 
>saw at about 7:15-7:30.  Also in the area were 5+ SALTMASH SHARP-TAILED 
>SPARROWS, 1 NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW, 1+ SEDGE WREN, 1 MARSH WREN, 1 
>SEASIDE SPARROW, 1 SHORT-EARED OWL.  At the boat ramp at the end of Rumbly 
>Point Rd., a Great Cormorant was sitting on the fish weirs.  The shorebird 
>flock held 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Western and 15 Least Sandpipers, among 15 
>Greater Yellowlegs and 3000 Dunlin.  
>
>Another highlight was a white morph adult Ross's Goose among the Snows at
the 
>"traditional location" (i.e., Rte. 12 & 354 intersection just NW of Snow 
>Hill, Worcester County, MD - Delorme 34 D3).
>
>Ocean City was surprisingly dull - no eiders, harlequins, knots, good gulls, 
>alcids, etc...  Lots of Forster's Terns though (c. 300).  One Great
Cormorant 
>was on the jetty.  60+ Snow Buntings were seen in a flock on Assateague
(seen 
>from the mainland).
>
>A juv light morph Rough-legged Hawk was at Deal Island, 0.2. mi after 
>entering the marsh.  Riley Roberts Rd. had 2000+ American Wigeon, but
scoping 
>them and listening to them in the last 5 minutes of civil twilight produced 
>no Eurasian.
>
>OTHER STUFF:
>
>An interesting duck was observed on West Ocean City Pond, which I am 
>reluctant to identify.  In all respects it looked like a male Lesser Scaup, 
>perhaps just coming out of eclipse, except that the head shape was more like 
>Tufted Duck.  It did not have the long trailing tuft of a classic adult male 
>Tufted Duck, but rather a high, peaked, shaggy group of feathers that stood 
>up high and gave a flat topped appearance.  To me, it looked like the crest 
>of a male Tufted Duck without the long trailing portion at the rear or 
>perhaps was reminiscent of Western Grebe's shaggy, flat topped head.  The 
>peak, if anywhere, was at the forecrown (not mid crown as in typical Lesser 
>Scaup).  In no respect did it otherwise conform with Tufted Duck: the back 
>was grayish, the flanks dusky, the bill with a black nail and no white
ring.  
>I don't know what this bird was.  Simply a "weird" Lesser Scaup?  Or one
with 
>some foreign genes?  I hope others will look for this distinctive bird and 
>offer opinions (and get photos if possible).  
>
>At Evans Rd., the famous sparrow spot from last year (hosted Clay-colored
for 
>much of winter), I heard a strange chip that may have been a Wilson's 
>Warbler.   Something to think about for those of you who pass by that 
>location [located .1 mi north of the Evans Rd./Cedar Lane intersection south 
>of Berlin, Worcester County].  Also there were 10 White-crowned Sparrows and 
>1 House Wren, among others.      
>
>Best,
>
>Marshall Iliff
>miliff@aol.com
>
>============
>Marshall J. Iliff     
>Annapolis, MD    
>miliff@aol.com     
>=============                      
>
>