Hi Everybody,

Ian missed the school bus this morning (25 Oct) and Nancy and I took some time on the way back home from taking him to school in Worton to check out Great Oak Pond from 8:15 to 9:00 AM - ca. 2 miles east of the intersection of MD-298 and MD-514 in Melitota, directions on request. The pond's bird highlights have been rather low key of late, but today it returned to good form. Among the highlights were about 2000 Canada and 800 Snow geese including 3 CACKLING (Richardson's) GEESE, and an adult ROSS'S GOOSE. It appears the geese had roosted on the pond overnight, they departed the pond for feeding fields during the 45 minutes we were there. Other waterfowl included 55 Ruddy Ducks, 5 pintail, a single shoveler, 6 Lesser Scaup and 12 Ring-necked Ducks.

Shorebirds were also present around the rim of the pond and in the surrounding harvested fields. These included:
19 Dunlin
45 Black-bellied Plovers
 1 Pectoral Sandpiper  
 1 Lesser Yellowlegs AND

A juvenile HUDSONIAN GODWIT flew in flashing its black-and white tail, white rump, black wing linings and white wing stripe and landed among the Canada Geese in the northwest corner of the pond.

The adult tiercel PEREGRINE FALCON we have seen twice before in the area chasing crows flashed in and singled out one of the Black-bellied Plovers chasing it at top speed for a long and thrilling chase of unknown result. Perhaps this fellow is planning on overwintering on Handy Point Rd. Other raptors included a male kestrel, and an adult female Northern Harrier. 

God Birding,

Walter Ellison

23460 Clarissa Road
Chestertown, MD 21620
phone: 410-778-9568
e-mail: 

"A person who is looking for something doesn't travel very fast" - E. B. White (in "Stuart Little")