Hi Folks,

Elaine and I spent several days on the Eastern Shore, mostly doing atlas
work in Talbot Co., with a few stops in other counties in search of some
list-fillers.  Our biggest event was visiting the DICKCISSEL location on
Landing Neck Rd., between Easton and Trappe in Talbot Co. (directions
previously posted).  It was the middle of the afternoon on Thursday, 30 June
when we drove by once without a sighting, and then on the return pass, heard
the male Dickcissel singing.  After a fassion, we spied him on the row of
bushes next to the pull-off indentation mentioned in Wayne Bell's initial
email on this bird.  We pulled off the road, got out of the car, and soon
caught sight of a female, carrying a green larva in her mouth.  We watched
both birds tarry around from weed to weed for five or ten minutes, but
realized that the female wasn't about to reveal her nest location to us, so
we got back in the car to view the birds less obtrusively.  In a couple
minutes, the female finally dove into the weeds, then re-emerged 2-3 minutes
later, without the insect.  We watched the Dickcissels for a few more
minutes, while listening to a BOBWHITE calling in the distance, then drove
on.

On our way to Talbot Co. early Thursday morning, 6/30, we stopped at the
Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC, aka Horsehead, etc., etc.) in
Queen Anne's Co.  Though it doesn't open till 9 a.m., a staff member let us
come in early for some birding.  We stopped along the entry way to view the
open marsh to the south.  Here we were treated to the short flight of a
LEAST BITTERN, and heard two SEASIDE SPARROWs, one of them quite close to
the road for some good views.  While hiking the Marshy Creek Trail, we heard
and saw YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERs, but did not find the Brown-headed
Nuthatches noted earlier by Danny Poet.

While atlasing in Talbot Co., we found N. BOBWHITE in many locations while
covering three newly-assigned blocks between St. Michaels and Tilghman
Island.  They were calling on Jane Lowe Rd. on 6/30, along Hwy 579 and also
on Wade's Point Rd. on 7/1, and along Langdon Farm Rd. on 7/2.  While making
a Sat. morning trip to Assateague on 7/2, we also saw two Bobwhites along
Ferry Landing Rd. on Assateague, and also heard them along Evans Rd., near
Berlin; on Kelly Rd. in Wicomico Co.; and along Wesley Rd. in Dorchester Co.

WILD TURKEYs were picked up at three locations in Talbot Co.-- a few along
Hwy 662 where it re-emerges with US 50 south of the Wye Oak on 6/30; several
calling early in the morning on 7/1 near the end of May Port Rd. (off of Hwy
579); and three seen at the Jean Ellen Dupont Shehan Audubon Sanctuary the
evening of 7/1.  We also saw one in Queen Anne's Co. on 6/30, in a field
beyond the end of the road into Wye Island Natural Resources Management
Area.

Five or six CATTLE EGRETs were seen early on 7/1 in their usual summering
spot in Talbot Co., along Hwy 579 just south of Bozman, on the east side of
the highway, directly across from River Ridge Rd.  These egrets often are
not visible from the road when the cows move to the back of the pasture.  In
Worcester Co., a group of 15 to 20 Cattle Egrets was also seen on the south
side of US 50 about two miles west of Ocean City on 7/2.

CORMORANTS, LAUGHING GULLS, HERRING GULLS, and COMMON TERNS were all evident
from bay vantage points such as Black Walnut Point on Tilghman Island and
the town of Claiborne from 6/30 to 7/3.  All of these birds were also viewed
during a three-hour kayaking trip into Leadenham Creek, north of the Audubon
Sanctuary, late in the day on 7/1.  Two SNOWY EGRETs were seen at the end of
Lowe's Wharf Rd. on 7/2.

Doing some late evening work, we were able to pick up E. SCREECH-OWL in all
three of the new Talbot atlas blocks.  We also found CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOWs in
two of the blocks, with several singing at one location on New Rd. (off of
Hwy 33) on 6/30 and one being very vocal near the end of May Port Rd. (off
of Hwy 579) on 7/2.

BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH, I would think, would be more common in this area, but
to date I've found them in only one of our five assigned blocks in the St
Michaels/Tilghman area.  We had several being very active and vocal near the
water along River Ridge Rd. (off of Hwy 579) on 6/30.

MARSH WRENs were very vocal at the Kings Creek Preserve in E. Talbot Co.
during the heat of the afternoon on 7/2.  A few LEAST TERNs could be seen at
a distance over the Choptank River between Caroline and Talbot counties.

A drive along Gregory Rd. near Tunis Mills early this morning (7/3) produced
singing FIELD SPARROW, CHAT, and PRAIRIE WARBLER mentioned by Les Roslund in
a recent post.

From an atlasing persepective, we were able to pick up several confirmations
of common birds, to include Pine Warbler and E. Kingbird, during this visit,
but hope to find many more fledglings in evidence when we return to this
area in about three weeks.

Good birding and atlasing to all.

Stan Arnold
Glen Burnie