Hi Everyone,
As Jim and George posted earlier, Jim Brighton, Hans Holbrook and I photographed a GREAT WHITE HERON today at the Tubby Cove observation platform at Eastern Neck NWR in Kent Co. We became interested in the crouched-down bird when we noted the lack of yellow in its bill, but only halfheartedly watched to see if perhaps it would have light-colored legs when it moved. To our great surprise, it did! We spent the next hour or more studying and photographing the bird. We noted the large dull-colored bill with darker upper mandible and its light pinkish-colored legs and feet. Jim hiked out in the marsh for a closer look and described its size as "massive" - easily larger than a Great Egret. He wins the team spirit award for testing the depths of various marsh potholes on behalf of our mission. Three times while we were present the bird flew a short distance and called: the call was exactly the guttural "quawk" we all know from Great Blues. An exciting and challenging bird!
Here are some photos: <http://www.billhubick.com/new_set.html>
And here are other noteworthy birds for the day, the highlights of which were BAIRD'S SANDPIPER and BLACK TERN in Kent Co.
John Brown Rd., Queen Anne's Co.
Bank Swallow--30
Horned Lark--50
Millington WMA and vicinity, Kent Co.
Great Egret--2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo--3
Barred Owl--3
Purple Martin--1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow--4
Blue Grosbeak--5
No warblers
Backroads near Chestertown, Kent Co.
Tree Swallow--10
Bank Swallow--20
Grasshopper Sparrow--5
Great Oak Pond, Kent Co.
Canvasback--1 drake
Scaup sp.--1 pair (distant, prob. Lesser)
Ruddy Duck--1 drake in breeding plumage
Solitary Sandpiper--1
Bonaparte's Gull--5
Eastern Neck NWR, Kent Co.
Mute Swan--4
GREAT WHITE HERON--1
Green Heron--1
Caspian Tern--3
Royal Tern--1
Forster's Tern--30
Eastern Kingbird--5
Marsh Wren--1
Chestertown Sewage Ponds (John Hanson Rd.) and vicinity, Kent Co.
Wood Duck--2
Mallard--100
Cattle Egret--3 (about 2 miles away from the ponds)
Greater Yellowlegs--5
Lesser Yellowlegs--3
Spotted Sandpiper--1
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER--1
peep sp.--20
Laughing Gull--40
Ring-billed Gull--10
Caspian Tern--15
BLACK TERN--1
Bugs were also good today. The butterfly garden at Eastern Neck is excellent.
Have a great week!
Bill
Bill Hubick
Elkridge, MD
bill_hubick AT yahoo.com
<http://www.billhubick.com>
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