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Re: 9/17 Jug Bay field trip

From:

Jeff Shenot

Reply-To:

Jeff Shenot

Date:

Tue, 20 Sep 2005 12:22:41 -0400

Sorry for a late reply.  It was a great trip; THANKS to the invite via 
Osprey post from the Carroll Chapter (Sep 8)!  I had a great weekend for 
seeing migrants, including the Sep 17 target - Sora.

I also birded there on Sunday 9-18 for the Fall count (PG County).    
Although action was spotty (long periods of inactivity) and many birds 
were quiet or not very active when I found them (locating birds was 
difficult for me much of Sunday), the Jug Bay area was an exciting place 
for birdwatching this weekend.  I covered Selby's and Jackson Landings at 
Pax. River Park; the Mt Calvert area incl. Charles Branch; and my yard.  I 
was land bound and did not get out on the marsh, but still observed a 
great variety of birds.  During various times throughout the day (6.5 
hours total) I had 82 species, and counted over 2000 birds.  This number 
was bolstered by 850 red-winged blackbirds, 436 starlings, and 136 common 
grackles.  I saw 9 warbler species (BWWA, CSWA, BTNW, PIWA, WPWA, BAWW, 
AMRE, NOWA, COYE).  

Altogether for the Jug Bay area this weekend (9-17 plus 9-18 Fall count) I 
saw 91 species incl. 10 warblers (MAWA on 9-17), 9 raptors, and 8 
waterfowl.

On a curious note - an interesting miss here was a nearly total lack of 
shorebirds.  Except for Killdeer, I saw no shorebirds despite some ideal 
conditions during low tide.  There are some good mudflats here at low tide 
and also mats of hydrilla generally present that birds will use.  There 
are usually a few peeps or other sandpiper species somewhere around here 
during migration, but they have been very scarce here this Fall.

The marsh is full of Sora right now (basically wherever there is enough 
wild rice) and they are a wonderful bird!

Jeff Shenot
Croom, MD