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Subject:

Warblers on Assateague and Other Shore Highlights

From:

Bill Hubick

Reply-To:

Bill Hubick

Date:

Sun, 13 Aug 2006 20:48:17 -0700

Hi Everyone,
 
Jim Brighton, Matt Hafner, and I spent an excellent day birding on the Eastern Shore on Sunday (8/13). We met in Easton at the not-so-sane hour of 4:45 a.m. and were at Assateague Bayside just after dawn. We were surprised to hit 129 species despite doing no night-birding and the expected unexpected misses. Warbler migration has definitely kicked off along the coast, and shorebird numbers and diversity weren't bad. Our highlights included MOURNING WARBLER and eight other warbler species at Assateague; WHIMBREL and BLACK SKIMMERs on and near Assateague, MARBLED GODWIT at Skimmer Island, and a surprise juvenile BONAPARTE'S GULL at Blackwater NWR. The following includes other noteworthy species and most of our migrants:
 
Assateauge Bayside 
 
Common Loon--1
Great Egret--30
Little Blue Heron--3
Tricolored Heron--3
Green Heron--1
Black-bellied Plover--2
Killdeer--2
Greater Yellowlegs--1
Willet--6
Spotted Sandpiper--1
Whimbrel--1
Caspian Tern--1
Black Skimmer--3
Yellow-billed Cuckoo--nester (FY--food for young)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird--2
Eastern Kingbird--10
Purple Martin--3
House Wren--2
White-eyed Vireo--5
Gray Catbird and Brown Thrasher--abundant
Yellow Warbler--5
Black-and-white Warbler--2
American Redstart--37
Worm-eating Warbler--1
Northern Waterthrush--1
Mourning Warbler--1
Common Yellowthroat--1
Baltimore Oriole--8
Orchard Oriole--1
 
Maintenance Yard on Assateague
 
Snowy Egret--6
Semipalmated Sandpiper--3
Pine Warbler--1
Prairie Warbler--1
(Noteworthy bugs: Broad-winged Skipper, Zabulon Skippers)
 
Assateague Causeway
 
Semipalmated Plover--2
Greater Yellowlegs--2
Lesser Yellowlegs--2
Eastern Willet--1
Western Willet--3
Least Sandpiper--2
Short-billed Dowitcher--3
 
Eagle's Nest Campground
 
American Oystercatcher--1
Semipalmated Plover--1
Greater Yellowlegs-1
Ruddy Turnstone--1
Common Tern--5
Least Tern--1
Black Skimmer--19!
 
Skimmer Island
 
Brown Pelican--5
Tricolored Heron--2
Cattle Egret--3
Marbled Godwit--1
Sanderlings and peeps
Ruby-throated Hummingbird--1
 
West Ocean City Pond
 
Wood Duck--2
Little Blue Heron--10
Black-crowned Night-heron--1 imm.
Glossy Ibis--2
Greater Yellowlegs--several
Lesser Yellowlegs--several
Solitary Sandpiper--1
Short-billed Dowitcher--2
Peep sp.--several
 
Bear Swamp Road area, Wicomico Co.
 
Eastern Wood-Pewee--large numbers all day; most vocal species
Acadian Flycatcher--2
White-eyed Vireo--1
Pine Warbler--2
Prairie Warbler--1
Northern Waterthrush--3
Blue Grosbeak--5
(Red-banded Hairstreak, Summer Azure, Swamp Darner, Great Blue Skimmer, Azure Bluet)
 
Blackwater NWR, Dorchester Co.
 
Tundra Swan--1 (presumably injured)
Green-winged Teal--25
American Kestrel--1 (off Bestpitch Rd.)
Bonaparte's Gull--1 juvenile
Barred Owl--1
Red-headed Woodpecker--1
Bank Swallow--3 (Bestpitch Rd.)
Traill's Flycatcher--3
Summer Tanager--2
(Snowberry Clearwing, 12-spotted Skimmer)
 
Horn's Point, Dorchester Co.
 
Snowy Egret--1
Solitary Sandpiper--2
Forster's Tern--1
American Redstart--1
(Calico Pennant, Spot-winged Glider)
 
Cambridge Waterfront, Dorchester Co.
 
Black-crowned Night-heron--1 imm.
Spotted Sandpiper--1
Mute Swan--0
 
We had absolutely no Mute Swans all day: not at multiple locations in Cambridge, nor at Elliott Island Road or anywhere else. Apparently the Mute Swan cull is underway.
 
Monarchs and Cloudless Sulphurs were present at most stops in all three counties.
 
Have a great week!
 
Bill
 
Bill Hubick
Elkridge, MD
bill_hubick AT yahoo.com
<http://www.billhubick.com/>