Hi Everyone,

Hope you all enjoyed the weekend. I'm just back from a great couple days
of birding, and have compiled the following list of highlights. Jim
Brighton, John Hubbell, and I birded Talbot, Wicomico, and a bit of
Worcester Counties yesterday (12/3). Today, Jim and Matt Hafner and I
spent the day in Harford and Cecil Counties. For any questions on the
Harford or Cecil locations, please contact our expert Harford guide, Matt
Hafner! 

Sat 12/3 - Talbot and Wicomico Counties
(Brighton, Hubbell, Hubick, with Les Roslund at Pickering and Wade's
Point)

First bird of the day: Screech-owl whinnying near Easton

Pickering Creek (Talbot Co.), where we met up with Les Roslund:
Richardson's Goose--1
Am. Black Ducks--20
N. Shovelers--4
Bufflehead--10
Ruddy Ducks--3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker--1
Red-breasted Nuthatch--1
Brown Creeper--1
Field Sparrows--3
Swamp Sparrows--2
Dark-eyed Juncos--100s
Purple Finches--3
Delmarva Fox Squirrel--1

Unionville Road (Talbot Co.):
Osprey--1

Wade's Point Inn (Talbot Co.):
Wood Ducks--pair
Long-tailed Ducks--several
Northern Bobwhite--5
Bonaparte's Gull--1
Eastern Phoebe--1

Worcester County:
No luck with Gary's YHBL. Thanks for vectoring us in, though, Gary!

Salisbury Landfill (Wicomico Co.):
Nice gull numbers
Lesser Black-backed Gull--1
Chicken!--1 (excellent rarity spotted by Jim; well-documented)

Easton Sewage Ponds (Talbot Co.):
N. Shovelers--6
Redhead--1
Ruddy Ducks--30
Wilson's Snipe--~10
Am. Pipit--1

Sun 12/4 - Harford and Cecil Counties
(Brighton, Hafner, Hubick)

Perryman Road (Harford Co.):
N. Bobwhite--1 heard
Am. Pipits--4
White-crowned Sparrow--~20

Clubhouse Road Pond (Harford Co.):
Gadwall--18
Hooded Mergansers--2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker--1
Hermit Thrushes--5
Swamp Sparrows--2
Suspect Chickadees--2 (will post photos tomorrow or Tuesday)

Bush River (Harford Co.):
Bufflehead--8
Red-breasted Mergansers--5
PB Grebe--1
Horned Grebes--19

Swan Harbor (Harford Co.):
Blue-winged Teal--1 (a nice surprise; photos)
Green-winged Teal--100+
Lesser Scaup--1
Pileated Woodpecker--1
Fox Sparrow--1 singing
Savannah Sparrows--200+
Eastern Meadowlarks--2

Oakington Road (Harford Co.):
PB Grebe--1
Horned Grebe--5
Winter Wrens--2
Brown Creeper--1
Hermit Thrushes--6
Gray Catbirds--2
Cedar Waxwings--10
Field Sparrows--5
Purple Finches--8

Webster-Lapidum Road (Harford Co.):
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker--1
Eastern Bluebirds--1
Gray Catbird--1
Possible Black-capped Chickadee - 1 (distant and silent)

Lapidum (Harford/Cecil Cos.):
Lesser Scaup--6
Common Goldeneye--1
Long-tailed Ducks--3
Hooded Mergansers--51
Common Mergansers--10+
Horned Grebes--9
Lesser Black-backed Gull--1

Shuresville Road (Harford Co.):
Blue-phase Snow Goose--1
Canada Geese--100+
Canada x Graylag(?) Hybrid--1
Richardson's Geese--2

Conowingo Dam (water level high, spillways very open):
Not too many gulls or eagles
Lesser Black-backed Gull--1

Upriver from Conowingo (Harford/Cecil Cos.):
Tundra Swans--flock heard flying by
Am. Black Ducks--8
Ruddy Ducks--5

Bald Friar Road (Cecil Co.):
Bufflehead--several
Ruddy Ducks--8
Horned Grebes--19
Black-capped Chickadee--1
GC Kinglets--6
(no RCs all day)
Dark-eyed Juncos--20+

** Day's total of Horned Grebes in Harford: 52

Pilot Town Road (Cecil Co.):
Black-capped Chickadees--7 (cooperative and vocal; many photos)
Red-breasted Nuthatches--2 (ditto)
Brown Creeper--1

Perryville Community Park (Cecil Co.):
VERY LARGE FLOCK OF DIVERS and DABBLERS (5,000+ birds)
Listed below in rough descending order of magnitude; very rough numbers
Scaup--2,000++
Ring-necked Ducks--100s
Canvasbacks--100+
Bufflehead--100+
Ruddy Ducks--100+
Gadwall--10s
Northern Shovelers--10s
American Wigeon--10s
Redheads--5
Also,
Am. Coots--150+ (near shoreline)
Tundra Swans (flock heard)

** We found it interesting that so many dabblers were hanging out with the
divers far from the shore. Had they recently flushed from somewhere and
landed there? Were they getting ready to roost there for the night? Was
there some food source available that far out? Any thoughts on the subject
are welcome on- or off-line.

Have a great week!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Elkridge, MD

<http://www.billhubick.com/>