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Subject:

Blackwater and Ocean City

From:

sean mccandless

Reply-To:

sean mccandless

Date:

Sun, 19 Mar 2006 12:35:58 -0500

Hello all. We (the Cecil Bird Club), had a Great trip yesterday to Blackwater and Ocean City. Blackwater was very slow with the water fowl, but that is to be expected this time of year. If I was a water fowl of some sort I wouldn't want to be anywhere near that place with amount of Eagles that are around the area. I don't think there was a time when one wasn't in view during the time we were there. Spring migrants and early Spring arrivals were a nice treat. 
Highlights and Year birds for me were as follows.
1 first Winter Glaucous Gull in Cambridge at the Marina.
Greater Yellow-legs at Blackwater
Ospreys are back fishing all over.
Foresters Terns at Blackwater
Brown headed Nuthatches on the walking trail.
Many Pine Warblers singing at Blackwater.

At the inlet in Ocean City,
Gannets everywhere.
Bonaparte's Gull
3 Great Cormorants back on the pillars behind the Ocean View Hotel
Purple Sandpipers
American Oystercatchers
Long-tailed Ducks
Black and Surf Scoters
Atlantic Brant

Hooper's Restaurant
Iceland Gull
2nd Winter Glaucous Gull
1 Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull on Skimmer Island
1 2nd Winter Lesser Lack-backed Gull in the Hooper's Parking lot.
Red-breasted Mergansers
Boat-tailed Grackles

Eagles Nest Golf Course Pond
Blue-winged Teal
American Widgeon

West Ocean City Pond
Wood Ducks
Great Egrets 
Black-crowned Night Herons

Kevin will send in a more detailed list of what he wrote down, I am just mentioning the Birds of interest to me.
It did end up being a 8 Gull day. Despite the wind and cold temperatures, we had birds all over with the exception of the Blackwater marshes, which I am sure will fill up again in the next few days or so.
I got a few nice shots of the 1st Winter Glaucous Gull if anyone is interested in seeing them.
Sean McCandless
Elkton, MD