Last Sunday Matt Hafner, Bill Hubick, Mike Parr, and myself did an August 
Big Day trying to break the record of 159 birds set by Stasz, Boyd, Hafner, 
and Baer.  At 12:15 Sunday morning after an hours sleep (we were all on the 
Lewes pelagic Saturday and didn't get back to Oxford until 10:30pm) we found 
ourselves in the middle of the Easton sewage meadows listening for rails 
which did not make themselves heard.  Next stop was Tanyard where we heard 
Moorhen and King Rail.  We then made our way all the way down through 
Elliot's Island.  Rails again were our main target.  We almost came up empty 
once again but on our last stop out of the marsh we were able to get one 
Virginia Rail to call.  I have never heard the marsh so silent.  The 
Virginia rail was the only bird we heard in almost an hour and a half of 
birding other than a few quack ducks.
By 3:45am we were at the old Rt. 50 causeway across the Nanticoke from 
Vienna where we had a little more luck with Sora, Laughing Gull, Horned Owl, 
and Barn Owl heard.  We then bombed down into the Nassawango area of 
Wicomico County for Screech Owl and Barred Owl.  We were succsessful with 
both birds (four Screech Owls were calling by the time we left).  But the 
best bird we had here was a Black-billed Cuckoo which called and we were 
lucky that everyone heard it.  We left the Nassawango area by 4:30am with 
only 12 birds.
Assateauge at Bayside was our next stop.  This is the place for migration 
and we had very high hopes which never really materialized.  It was the 
slowest morning I have ever experienced on Assateague.  We had no morning 
flight and very few migrants with Redstarts being the most common warblers.  
Black-throated Blue, Prairie, Yellow, Yellowthroat were also seen along with 
both Orioles.  We left the island around 9:15 and decided to try a few spots 
on South Point for migrants and were rewarded with a Chestnut-sided Warbler 
and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  We pulled into Eagles Nest campground with 88 
species.  The tide was incredibly high with no flats showing.  Matt got us 
all on a fly-by Sandwich Tern and I spotted a real early Brant sitting out 
on an island in the bay.  The Brant is the earliest seen in the state 
although it may have summered and has just not been seen.
Skimmer Island was the next stop with three Marbled Godwits.  West OC Ponds 
held a lot of shorebirds  including a White-rumped Sandpiper and Western 
Sandpiper.  We then headed over to Ocean Pines and picked up Snow Goose.
It was now time to head back towards Nassawango where we would try to pick 
up all our forest breeders.  We were extremely lucky in the swamps around 
the Pocomoke where many of the breeding Warblers were seen or heard 
(Yellow-throated, Wormie, Protho, Ovenbird, and Pine).  Both White-eyed and 
Yellow-throated Vireos were seen along with both Tanagers, White-breasted 
Nuthatch, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Deal Island was the next stop where we dipped on the Peregrine Falcon but 
picked up an unexpected pair of Black-necked Stilts.  This is also where I 
started hallucinating.  I won't mention what I thought I saw flying out of 
the marsh towards us on Riley Roberts Rd.  It's too embarrassing.  This was 
also our last chance for Clapper Rail and we would end up dipping on this 
seemingly common bird. Salt-marsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow was our last bird of 
the marsh.  We were leaving the marshes by 4:15 pm with 144 species.  Only 
16 more species to break the record.  It was now a race against daylight.  
We had to be up at Great Oak Pond in Kent County before it was completely 
dark so we could get the Canvasback and Scaup that had been hanging out.
Our next stops were the turf farms in eastern Dorchester County and the 
Hurlock Sewage Ponds.  American Golden Plover, an early Merlin, Horned 
Larks, and a Kestrel were seen in the fields of Dorchester.  At Hurlock, 
Shoveler, Ruddy Duck and Bank Swallow were added.  Tanyard gave us our only 
Mute Swan.  Pemberton Manor Pond on Rt. 309 in Queen Anne's County held our 
only Stilt Sandpipers (A really good bird in this county).
We now were getting really close.  It was 7:15 and getting dark.  We had 154 
species.  Chestertown sewage ponds still held Black Terns (155).  By the 
time we got to Great Oak Pond it was 8:15pm and we were able to make out the 
Canvasback (156) and the Scaup (157).  The scaup was our last bird although 
we tried for Nighthawk at various places in Chestertown and Centerville and 
rails once again at the Easton Sewage meadows with no luck.
It was depressing to miss beating the record by three birds.  On the way 
home we discussed where we could have gotten those three missed birds.  Why 
wouldn't the Clapper Rails call?  Where were the Grasshopper Sparrows?  
Where were the Parulas? Why couldn't have there been a morning flight? I 
have a new appreciation for August birding.  It's damn tough.  We worked 
hard for each bird.  On a big day you can 5% birds not seen by everyone in 
the group.  5% of your total species seen can be seen by only a portion of 
the team (150 species = seven 5% birds).  Our 5% birds were King Rail, 
Common Loon, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Brown-headed Cowbird, Flicker, Indigo 
Bunting, and Black Tern.  I never saw an Indigo Bunting, Cowbird, or Flicker 
the entire day.  You take some birds for granted, I learned that's a big 
mistake on an August Big Day.

Jim Brighton
Oxford, MD