Hi All,
Nancy and I had bookshop duty this afternoon at Eastern Neck NWR. High
tide covered the road with five inches of water at 1:00 PM at Bogle's
Wharf Rd. and a downed tree blocked the way down to Bogle's. By late
afternoon the water was off the road, but the tree was still there. Not
only were there some good waterbirds around, we also noted a nice array
of migrant songbirds on the refuge. Our species total at Eastern Neck
came to 70 for about three and a half hours of birding.
Our best bird was an adult light morph PARASITIC JAEGER seen from the
platform on the Bay on the Bayview-Butterfly Trail. The bird cruised
north from the direction of Queenstown and passed by the fish pound
offshore taking a couple of perfunctory shots at Forster's Terns and
Laughing Gulls as it passed by flapping with occasional shearing over
the waves. After the jaeger passed I saw a distant flock of 20
PHALAROPES heading south, based on their darkness and slender
proportions they were probably Red-neckeds. There were 14 Royal Terns on
the fish pound stakes.
We had 12 BLACK TERNS at Eastern Neck; 8 were over the salt pan off the
new boardwalk/blind behind the Lodge (The Marsh Overlook Trail), and 4
were at Calfpasture Cove south of the Tubby Cove platform. Also in
Calfpasture Cove were 2 Pied-billed Grebes, and a GREATER SCAUP. Joining
the Black Terns at the Marsh Overlook Trail were a Royal Tern and two
late LEAST TERNS.
Highlights among the landbirds were seven warbler species including a
TENNESSEE; two LEAST FLYCATCHERS; 9 Bobolinks; and 16 Eastern Kingbirds
(a good count for September).
A brief visit to Great Oak Pd. on our way home produced the drake
Canvasback; hen Redhead; drake Lesser Scaup; a juvenile Hooded
Merganser; three Green-winged Teal; both yellowlegs; 2 Pectoral
Sandpipers; and 5 BLACK TERNS.
Good Birding,
Walter Ellison
23460 Clarissa Rd
Chestertown, MD 21620
phone: 410-778-9568
e-mail: rossgull(AT)baybroadband.net
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