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

Coskren (coskren@erols.com)
Sun, 05 Dec 1999 15:18:32 -0500


Jane and Dennis Coskren went down to the LeConte's Sparrow location (easily--the
directions were excellent and the life preserver was still there); but we struck
out.  No LeConte's, between about 10:15 and 12:30.  A couple of Marsh Wrens and a
skulking Sharp-tail (sp.) were the best we could muster.  Maybe if we'd been
there earlier?  (like a day?)  (Would've been a lifer for Jane!)  But it was a
lovely day anyway, and we enjoyed the trip.

TDC

Miliff@aol.com 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
> =============