The female RUFF (Reeve if you prefer) was present and available for viewing
today, after having eluded several local birders yesterday.  Professor Shep
Krech, III, grew up close to the Pickering Creek site, and apparently was
visiting the region during the past weekend.  Krech provided the initial
report of this bird.  He found it on Saturday.
 
Today the bird was present in the new ponds beside Presquile Road at noon,
and again around 5:00 in the late afternoon.  It is a 'scope-bird', but a
very nice 'scope-bird'.  This female is in full breeding plumage, with the
dark breast lines/splotches sharply setting her off from the large number of
Yellowlegs (Greater and Lesser) that were also present.  She is clearly much
larger than even the largest of the Greater Yellowlegs.  The white region at
the base of her bill also helps draw one's eye to her.  She was a bit bossy,
chasing several of the little peeps around.  Sometimes she loitered in the
presence of a couple of the yellowlegs, but at other times she was just as
likely to be resting beside some of the ducks.  She likes being in the
grass, so can readily disappear if she chooses.  Perhaps that is what she
had done yesterday.
 
The "new-pond" project includes several new ponds on land west of the ponds
that were dug at Pickering Creek a few years ago.  Today the Ruff was
favoring the shallow pond that is the farthest to the west along Presquile
Road.  A berm blocks viewing from Presquile Road, but there is a place south
of the pond where one can pull a  car into a field entrance point, and then
walk (stealthily) up to the berm for the viewing.
 
Besides the birds mentioned above, that site also held several Pectoral
Sandpipers, several Least Sandpipers, a couple of Semipalmated Plovers, a
couple of pair of Blue-winged Teal and many Green-winged Teal.  
 
Elsewhere on the Pickering Creek grounds today there were two beautiful male
Baltimore Orioles, a Palm Warbler, and several Common Yellowthroats.
 
Les Roslund

Talbot County
Easton MD 21601