South Point Marsh, Accomack County, Virginia (c. 1.5 mi. S. of Smith
Island, MD, in central Chesapeake Bay).  Main objective is to band young
Brown Pelicans in the huge colony here (at least 700+ nests).  8 of us were
in John's boat or on the marsh 8 A.M. - 4 P.M.

A gem of a day.  Fair.  Temps in the 70s, winds NE under 15 m.p.h. and
diminishing as the day progressed.  Tide very low to start then flooding to
nice and full.  Very comfortable for banding work.  

Dramatis personae:  Master banders Dave Brinker and John Weske.  Charlie
Vaughn (NASA, retired; atlas coordinator for adjacent Somerset County, MD).
 George Jett (EPA, retired; photographer extraordinaire; George has
photographed > 200 species of birds in Maryland this year; more than I have
SEEN and/or HEARD).  Tammy Fuehrer (National Aquarium).  Liz Clark (Norfolk
Zoo).  Jordan West (Piping Plover researcher for Assateague National
Seashore).  Myself (Free Library of Philadelphia; birder at large).    

At South Point Marsh we banded 543 young Brown Pelicans and also 1 adult
was captured.  Interesting dichotomy in the pelican colony:  most nests
either held bandable-sized, largeish young (called bruisers if they are
nearly as big as adults) or else eggs.  There were scores of pelican nests
with just eggs.  Only a few nests had very young nestlings (naked chicks,
so to speak).  Young in between are quite whitish, called downies, weren't
many today.  

There are also several hundred Double-crested Cormorant nests here.  These
also seemed to have either large young (several big, compact creches were
formed) or else eggs, not much in between, similar to the configuration of
the pelican nests just described.  It seems to me there are fewer Baccharis
halimifolia bushes here than in previous years but the pelicans often have
rather high platform nests (often a foot or more above the substrate), many
composed mostly of Spartina alterniflora, and some of Juncus roemerianus,
with various sticks and twigs thrown in also.  

Also present are scores of Herring and Great Black-backed gull nests,
especially in the higher sandy strip, quite a few with eggs.  Present in
numbers were downy gull chicks, some of which swam offshore either by
themselves or with parents in attendance.  

Not much time for birding with all the  messy, muddy work of banding going
on, but I did see a few each of Little Blue, Tricolored, and Yellow-crowned
Night herons, 4 Seaside Sparrows, 30 Mute Swans, 4 oystercatchers, a few
Boat-tailed Grackles, several Glossy Ibis, 2 Fish Crows, and some Barn
Swallows coursing over the marsh grasses.  

Also: a couple of Diamondback Terrapin including a half-grown individual
clambering through the Spartina alterniflora.    

Dave said the nearby Royal Tern colony to the east at Little Fox Island
(also in VA in Accomack County) had been washed out and that earlier he had
found over 100 eggs washed back into the marsh grass.  Some of these birds
apparently have relocated along the narrow dune strip south of the South
Marsh Point pelican/cormorant colony.  All of these places will be
revisited by banders later in the breeding season.  

Ewell, Smith Island, MD.  We had our usual celebratory crabcake sandwich
lunch at Ruke's apres banding.  Birds seen either in Ewell or nearby in
MD.:  1 Green Heron, 3 Yellow-crowned Night Herons (seem to have declined
here),  Great Blue Herons on their nests across the channel from the town,
3 Black-bellied Plovers at Swan Island (part of the Glenn L. Martin
N.W.R.), a few oystercatchers at Swan I., 1 harrier, a few Rock Pigeons, 2
catbirds, some Barn Swallows, numerous House Sparrows & 2 Laughing Gulls. 
1 Osprey nest on a navigation marker had 3 young of differing sizes. 
Little Blue Herons like to hunt in the shallows east of Swan Island.    

At Ewell we chatted with P. J. Klavon, who is assisting with Diamondback
Terrapin studies in the Martin N.W.R. area, living in the Martin refuge
house.  I discovered he had worked previously on San Clemente Island,
California, helping to rid the island of feral mammals.  While there he
knew Brian Sullivan who was on San Clemente studying the endangered race of
the Loggerhead Shrike.  Sully's now at Cornell working to promote and
develop Ebird.  At very close range in the Ewell harbor was a Cow-nosed Ray
lolling about on the surface.  Excellent view.

Headin' home.  An Osprey bringing smoke on an adult Bald Eagle right over
Route 1 just south of the New Castle/Kent counties line in Delaware.  There
are not THAT many of either in the upper Delaware Bay/River drainages.  5
Woodchucks (round ground) at various places along the way.  Always a
pleasure to see these almost spherical marmots.

Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA
19119-1225.  215-248-4120.  Please, any off-list replies to: 
harryarmistead at hotmail dot com