The thing about Hart-Miller Island is that it constantly surprises you. 
When one goes to the Island, one should believe that anything is possible.

It was near the end of the day today (Saturday, August 6, 2005) and Don 
Burggraf and I were counting birds in the South Cell.  I was counting 
Pied-billed Grebes (51) when Don said he saw an American Coot.  He then said 
that he had a second American Coot.  It was shortly thereafter that Don said 
"There are four smaller birds that are associating with the two adult birds 
and they are pecking at one adult's bill."  That immediately caught my 
attention and I put my scope on the birds.  Since we don't live in Somerset 
County and spend time with Harry Armistead at Deal Island, neither of us had 
ever seen young coots before.

The four young birds were no longer downy nestlings.  They were about 1/3 
the volume of an adult coot and had very short, thin necks.  They were 
considerably smaller than the "close proximity" Pied-billed Grebes that were 
in the same scope field and at the same viewing distance.  The four birds 
had white faces, throats, and chests and had gray backs, napes and crown. 
They also had pale bills.  We observed the birds for about 25 minutes and 
Don attempted some digiscoping.

A pair of American Coots were last seen in the South Cell on June 4, 2005. 
I had hoped that these were potential breeders, but after not seeing them 
for two months, I had abandoned hope.  It appears that they were here all 
the while nesting unseen in the phragmites.  (According to the Atlas, 
incubation takes 21 to 22 days and the young are incapable of flight until 
about 75 days after hatching.)

The American Coots are the highlight of Hart-Miller's atlas survey (in 
addition to Pied-billed Grebe, Least Bittern, and Coastal Plain Swamp 
Sparrow).

It has often been said that an average day of birding at Hart-Miller is an 
incredible day of  birding anywhere else.

Gene

Gene Scarpulla
Millers Island, Maryland