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Subject:

Oak Grove area 4/8-4/10

From:

"Lovelace Glen (DelDOT)"

Reply-To:

Lovelace Glen (DelDOT)

Date:

Mon, 11 Apr 2005 09:59:48 -0400

Hello All,
	On Friday evening (4/8), I made my usual check of local puddles.  Mainly yellowlegs and a few Pecs on Oak Grove Rd.  I decided to check the big puddle on MD 577.  It was empty, but across the road on the Dorchester side was a nice mixed flock of gulls.  It was roughly 60% Laughers, 20% Herring and 20% Ringers and 1 adult Lesser Black-back.  Perhaps 125 birds total.
	On Saturday (4/9), I made 3 puddle checks during the day.  At 10 AM, I found 1 Jim Stasz who had just found 11 Bonaparte's Gulls in with the Laughers on Oak Grove Rd.  Just the bird I was looking for amongst the gulls.  During the day, the gull numbers dwindled, but Pec Sand numbers grew to 10 by evening.  Also 6 Wilson's Snipe on North Oak Grove RD (DE).
	On Sunday (4/11), I did more extensive birding of the area and tallied 56 species.  New for the year were Red-Shouldered Hawk and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher bringing the year total to 85.  The past week has been extremely productive.  It was a good day for raptors in general with 1 adult Bald Eagle, 1 Osprey (3 weeks in a row - unusual inland), 1 Red Tail, 4-6 Red-Shoulders, 1 Cooper's Hawk, 1 Kestrel plus 1 BV and TV.  
	The evaporation of the puddles is noticeable between visits and a couple are already dry.  Consequently, places that were thriving with birds a couple days ago were now barren.  Zero shorebirds along Oak Grove Rd, only 1 snipe remaining.  I did find a few yellowlegs and 1 Solitary at the back of the farm (MD).  
	The only new migrant songbird this week was the BG Gnat.  2 singing Pine Warblers at the back of the farm.  Should have many new arrivals by next weekend.  Also, I flushed a single hen Wild Turkey.

Good Birding,
Glen Lovelace III
Seaford, DE