Hi Everybody,

When we arose early on Sunday (1 May) to the rain coming down it looked like deja vu all over again, a rained-out or unpleasant trip seemed in the offing. Somehow we got out the door and down the road to meet our brave crew of observers at the Dollar General store lot in Chestertown - John Hubbell, Eilleen McClellan, and Noriko Narita. We waited in the lot for awhile, hoping for the rain to slack and watching a few birds. Most of the vultures across the street were Black Vultures. Did the Turkey Vultures depart in all that rain? Or did they have the sense to roost out of the wet? We also caught a glimpse of a couple of LEAST TERNS headed for Rose's (presumably). 

As we drove north from Millington on MD-313 we stopped at the mill pond north of town next to the Quail Run Nurseries to view a small flock of  six summering SNOW GEESE, two of whom have badly healed wings. At the railroad crossing on Walnut Tree Road at the north end of the Quail Run complex we stopped to look for grassland birds and were rewarded with good looks at Savannah Sparrows and three "skunkbirds" aka BOBOLINKS flew by (two males and a female). Further along in the fields around the Red Bird Egg Farm we had about 20 more Savannah Sparrows, about a half dozen singing and scooting Horned Larks including a fully fledged juvenile (I'd guess that egg was laid in early March), and a Grasshopper Sparrow briefly buzzing until the last of the rain silenced him. At the edge of the woods we had Song Sparrows, many White-throated Sparrows, a very brief encounter with an Indigo Bunting, and a decent look at a singing Orchard Oriole. 

Once in the woods along Walnut Tree Rd. we were surrounded by Wood Thrushes and Ovenbirds. Walter hooted-up a pair of Barred Owls and set off a few woodpeckers. At the bridge over the Cypress Branch there was an (unfortunately unseen) singing PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, a phoebe, a pair of bluebirds, two unseen LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSHES, gnatcatchers (including a nest not yet being sat upon), and a displaying male hummer over a female (my first female of the year). Closer to Big Stone Rd. we had a decent look at a White-eyed Vireo and four Double-crested Cormorants passed overhead. Cormorants are rarely seen away from water in eastern Kent County but even more remarkble were the grunting sounds emanating from the black long-necked birds. I can't recall ever hearing cormorants calling.

Along No. 10 School Rd. we had several more migrants and newly arrived summer nesters including at least four WORM-EATING WARBLERS (unseen as usual), a BLUE-HEADED VIREO, Black-and-white Warblers, and several Red-eyed Vireos. We heard a Common Loon calling as it flew over, and later saw three more in flight as the cold front began to clear. Along Big Stone Road we had more open country birds and saw a Caspian Tern flying over, along with several guffawing Laughing Gulls. At Waecker Road we had a Great Egret, a nest-building pair of Chipping Sparrows and John Hubbell pointed out a Blue Grosbeak to the folks in the second car. We had a small flock of both yellowlegs along MD-330. After Walter moved a Spotted Turtle out of harm's way on 330 we noticed a singing Yellow-throated Vireo. We finished up on Black Bottom Rd getting a very satisfying look at a Scarlet Tanager, three Solitary Sandpipers, another Great Egret, another unseen Yellow-throated Vireo, and Eileen heard a Prairie Warbler. Many of these birds were around the impoundment just beyond the second major WMA parking lot on Black Bottom Rd.

We capped the day with the Chimney Swifts at the Dollar General, finally up and about after the sun came out. In toto we tallied 82 species, pretty nice for a half-day's birding, especially given the wet start. Now, on to the Atlas Birdathon on Saturday.

Happy 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")

"Are there *ever* enough birds?" - Connie Hagar as quoted by Edwin Way Teale in "Wandering through Winter"