This morning I had the opportunity to take my first pelagic trip of the year in Baltimore Harbor.  The objective was to pinpoint the location of and determine activity in the only Bald Eagle nest in Baltimore City.  In addition we wanted to check the heronry on Fort Carroll.  With transportation provided by the National Aquarium in Baltimore I went out with Jim Peters, Glenn Therres, and two rangers from Fort McHenry.  We left from the city fireboat dock and visited the cove at Masonville and then Fort Carroll.
    One adult eagle was sitting tightly on the nest at Masonville with another close by.  Quite a sight for the city.  In the cove were 7 Baldpate, 15 Canvasbacks, 50 Lesser Scaup, several Buffleheads, 500 Ruddy Ducks, 3 Horned Grebes, and about 25 DC Cormorants.
    During the run to Fort Carroll we passed about 10 Bonaparte's Gulls, and 1 Peregrine was on the Key Bridge.
    At Fort Carroll we discovered that the heronry had been taken over by gulls and cormorants.  Odd to see Herring Gulls perched in the bare trees looking to pounce on any morsel that should appear.  Most of the old nests in the trees were occupied by cormorants.  Most of the herons we saw were nearly out of sight inside the fort.  Landing is impossible without the proper safety equipment so we did not attempt to do so.  What little we could see inside the fort appeared to be small trees covered with honeysuckle.  Birds sighted at the fort or in nearby waters were:  Canada Goose 3 (they're everywhere), Mallard 12, Common Loon 1, Double-crested Cormorant 150, Great Egret 1, Black-crowned Night-Heron 6, Herring Gull 300, Great Black-back 40.
    Back at Fort McHenry Jim is waiting for his kingbirds to return for another mixed nesting attempt.  I scoped about 6 Ring-necked Ducks, 20 Lesser Scaup, 10 Buffleheads, 40 Red-breasted Mergansers, a Pied-billed Grebe, and a Horned Grebe.  Migrants in the park included Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Brown Creeper, both kinglets, and Junco.
    Best pelagic trip I've done in years!

Bob Ringler
Eldersburg, Md


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