Hi Folks,

As usual, with a scheduled pelagic trip, Bill Hubick and I spent the weekend
birding the Eastern Shore, both delighted to have the day free on Friday,
allowing for an extra day of birding.  Highlights for the weekend were SNOW
BUNTING and PINE WARBLER in Queen Anne's Co., PEREGRINE FALCON and WOOD DUCK
in Caroline Co.; excellent sea birds on the Saturday pelagic trip, already
posted by Paul Guris; KING EIDER, COMMON EIDER, EURASIAN WIGEON, ICELAND
GULL and TREE SWALLOW at/near Ocean City; and WILD TURKEY and EURASIAN
WIGEON in Dorchester Co.  We did not find the American Avocets at Blackwater
NWR nor did we see the Northern Shrike in Talbot Co. despite nearly two
hours of searching.  Details:

On Friday morning (2/25) in the large group of hundreds of Horned Larks near
the intersection of Rolling Bridge Rd. and Rt 304, southeast of Centreville
, QA Co. were two SNOW BUNTINGs.  We searched the flock for nearly 30
minutes hoping for a longspur, but none was seen.  About half way between
Centreville and Chestertown, near the end of Lands End Rd. on Wilmer's Neck,
QA Co., was a nice pine stand that had the first PINE WARBLER of the season
for both Bill and me.  Trying to get some woodpeckers and nuthatches to put
in an appearance, both Bill and I made a number of Barred Owl calls.  To our
utter surprise, we were answered by a BARRED OWL , that proceeded to hoot
for five or ten minutes.  This bird seemed totally out-of-habitat in this
pine stand; I don't recall ever finding Pine Warbler and Barred Owl in the
same stand of trees.  I don't know who has this atlas block, but it might be
of atlas interest to someone.

Bill and I drove many country roads in Caroline Co. on Friday hoping for
buntings and longspurs but had no luck in our search.  Nevertheless, a
PEREGRINE FALCON flying fairly low across Clarks Rd. was a real treat.  A
late afternoon stop at Martinak State Park produced our first WOOD DUCKs of
the season--about eight of them that came streaming out of the marsh having
been spooked by a Bald Eagle.  The sewerage ponds behind Rose's Dept. store
on Rte 404 at the edge of Denton had only a couple dozen RING-NECKED DUCKs.

Ocean City Inlet was productive at daybreak this morning (Sunday 2/27); we
were able to scope two KING EIDERs (one imm male and one female) and a dozen
COMMON EIDERs, of which two were adult males, all on the far side of the
rock jetty.  Also seen were the usual scoters, loons , and Purple
Sandpipers.  As we drove into the parking lot at the inlet, a juvenile
ICELAND GULL stood in a small group of Ring-billed Gulls right next to the
road.  Bill was able to take a lot of photos at point blank range.

The best find at West Ocean City Pond was a lone male REDHEAD among the
usual assortment of waterfowl.  The EURASIAN WIGEON drake was still present
at the Eagle's Nest Golf Course pond near Ocean City, among several American
Wigeon, Shovelers, and Gadwall.  The ORV zone of Assateague Island was
pretty dead, the best find there being about 35 TREE SWALLOWs.

In Dorchester Co., a drive along Griffith Neck Rd. yeilded an even dozen
WILD TURKEYs.  Bill and I hooked up with Jim Brighton at Blackwater NWR in
the afternoon where we were unable to find the reported American Avocets.
Jim then led us to Great Marsh Park off of Somerset St. in Cambrige where we
saw the EURASIAN WIGEON seen by many other birders this weekend.

The three of us then headed to Pickering Creek Audubon Center in Talbot Co.
where we met Gary Smyle and searched for over an hour for the Northern
Shrike.  Then Hans Holbrook, Matt Haffner, and Tom Feild joined in the
search, but still no shrike as darkness fell on us.  Apparently Zach Baer
had seen the bird earlier today in the vacinity of the main house.  The
consolation for Bill and me as we drove away was a couple peents from an AM.
WOODCOCK as we drove along Sharp Rd. just west of US 50.

All in all a productive trip as Bill and I tallied 117 species in six
counties of the eastern shore (and adjoining seas), including many county
firsts for both of us.

Stan Arnold
Glen Burnie