If you are not familiar with migration at Bayside (and I would encourage a
real life try!), lone individuals, loose groups or flocks of migrants (e.g.,
warblers, vireos, orioles, finches, blackbirds, robins, etc. depending upon
season) flyover or circle the point, sometimes heading out across Sinepuxent
Bay to South Point, sometimes changing their mind, circling a time or two,
and dividing back into the vegetation.  Many (if not most) of the warbler
ids are done with birds flying over head giving their flight note (that's
the reason for the large number of warbler[sp.]).  This is a "redirected"
migration, were the birds are headed north along the bayside just after dawn
(though on good days the flight will continue until 10 or so).  It is truly
a unique experience, at least in MD, to my knowledge, comparable on a much
smaller scale to Higbee Beach in NJ or Sunset Beach in VA.  Bayside juts out
into Sinepuxent Bay and acts as a concentration point for these migrants as
they head north along the bay shore, as they can clearly see the mainland.
I discovered this phenomenon here in 1990.

The Downy was flying relatively high in the sky (for a Downy) and circling a
small area of the point, like the normal migrant warblers.  That's what I
mean by "migrant style".  It did not, however, attempt to cross the bay.

Mark Hoffman
Sykesville, MD

-----Original Message-----
From: Maryland Birds & Birding [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Rick Sussman
Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2006 7:02 AM
To: 
Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Assateague-Bayside-Lark Sparrow

 
In a message dated 9/8/2006 10:22:17 PM Eastern Daylight Time,  
 writes:

Of  interest was a single Downy Woodpecker,
flying "migrant style" for a brief  period over the point area.  I once saw
a
Brown-headed Nuthatch (which  is rare here) do the same thing.


Mark,
 Could you explain flying "migrant style" please? Is this a  "local" thing?
 
Rick Sussman
Ashton,MD
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