Work commitments prevented me from chasing the nice cold front that went
through on Tuesday, which no doubt created a good migrant flight at
Assateague/Bayside Wednesday morning, but as sometimes is the case when we
get strong fronts, the winds continue out of the NW for two nights.  And in
such situations the second day's flight can be as good as the first.  Hence,
I drove down to my place at Assateague Pointe last night, enjoying the
weather's channels forecast of WNW at 10 during the night.  Perfect!!  And I
was out at Bayside around 6:15 am this morning.  I know its old-hat to say
great minds think alike, but shortly thereafter Matt Hafner rolled into the
parking lot (thank God for a younger pair of eyes!) and we simply enjoyed a
wonderful fall migrant morning. (And I see the Brodericks visited as well,
though we did not run into them.)

 

Highlights include a continuous strong flight of warblers until about 10 am.
Including the Pine Warbler from the walk around the camping loops
("Bayside/Inland") we totaled 20 species of warblers, and about 350
individual warblers.  Not bad for a morning's work!  Highlights include two
county birds for Matt - Wilson's (how embarrassing!) and Connecticut
Warblers, the latter a rather distinctive flyover for which he gets total
credit, only my third in Worcester.  Other highlights for your humble
servant include the Yellow-throated Vireo (only my 5th on Assateague), and
the good counts of Blue Grosbeak, Dickcissel, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo
Bunting, and many of the warblers.  I don't have time to check the all the
records, but the total of 18 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks is one short of the
county record count (09/13/1968, 19, Ocean City/Banding Station/Banded).
The total of 4 Dickcissels is also a second fall best.  Other highlight for
me was some good Black-throated Green Warbler photos
(http://www.pbase.com/wcbirding/image/67282503), plus some distant photos of
Blackburnian Warbler, new for my Worcester and MD photo list (watch out
George!).

 

The highlight of walking the camping loops was a Lark Sparrow, along the
main road, roughly midway between the parking area for the life of the Marsh
Trail and the point.  It was not too cooperative (at least compared to the
one two weeks ago!), but I did get some distant photos, best at
http://www.pbase.com/wcbirding/image/67282491.  Based on the Brodericks
post, there must have been at least two on the Island today.

 

Assateague Island/Bayside/Point 0616-1038 (Hoffman and Hafner)

 

Double-crested Cormorant 24; Great Blue Heron 14; Snowy Egret 1; Tricolored
Heron 3; Canada Goose 5; Northern Pintail 1; Osprey 3; Bald Eagle 2;
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1; American Kestrel 1; Semipalmated Plover 1; Lesser
Yellowlegs 2; Laughing Gull 60; Ring-billed Gull 1; Herring Gull 50; Caspian
Tern 2; Royal Tern 2; Mourning Dove 2; Belted Kingfisher 1; Red-bellied
Woodpecker 2; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3; Northern Flicker (yellow-shafted
form) 55; Eastern Wood-Pewee 3; Eastern Phoebe 1; Eastern Kingbird 1;
White-eyed Vireo 2; Yellow-throated Vireo 1; Blue-headed Vireo 1; Red-eyed
Vireo 12; Tree Swallow 300; Carolina Wren 3; House Wren 1; Ruby-crowned
Kinglet 4; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1; Veery 1; Swainson's Thrush 2; Gray
Catbird 20; Northern Mockingbird 1; Brown Thrasher 2; European Starling 10;
Cedar Waxwing 30; Northern Parula 10; Yellow Warbler 4; Chestnut-sided
Warbler 1; Magnolia Warbler 13; Cape May Warbler 17; Black-throated Blue
Warbler 17; Yellow-rumped Warbler (myrtle form) 2; Black-throated Green
Warbler 14; Blackburnian Warbler 2; Prairie Warbler 1; Palm Warbler (yellow
form) 1; Palm Warbler (western form) 18; Blackpoll Warbler 2;
Black-and-White Warbler 10; American Redstart 37; Ovenbird 1; Northern
Waterthrush 9; Connecticut Warbler 1; Common Yellowthroat 2; Wilson's
Warbler 4; warbler (sp.) 145; Scarlet Tanager 8; Eastern Towhee 2; Savannah
Sparrow 1; Rose-breasted Grosbeak 12; Blue Grosbeak 3; Indigo Bunting 14;
Dickcissel 3; Bobolink 14; Red-winged Blackbird 4; Baltimore Oriole 19;
House Finch 2.

 

09/21/2006  Assateague Island/Bayside/Inland 1045-1205 (Hoffman and Hafner

 

Great Egret 6; Little Blue Heron 1; American Black Duck 3; Osprey 2;
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1; Laughing Gull 15; Herring Gull 10; Caspian Tern 4;
Royal Tern 2; Downy Woodpecker 1; Northern Flicker (yellow-shafted form) 15;
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2; Least Flycatcher 1; Eastern Phoebe 1; White-eyed Vireo
3; Red-eyed Vireo 8; Carolina Chickadee 2; Carolina Wren 6; House Wren 4;
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2; Veery 2; Swainson's Thrush 1; American Robin 1; Gray
Catbird 20; Northern Mockingbird 1; Brown Thrasher 5; European Starling 15;
Cedar Waxwing 15; Northern Parula 3; Yellow Warbler 1; Magnolia Warbler 3;
Black-throated Blue Warbler 1; Yellow-rumped Warbler (myrtle form) 2;
Black-throated Green Warbler 1; Blackburnian Warbler 2; Pine Warbler 2;
Prairie Warbler 3; Blackpoll Warbler 1; Black-and-White Warbler 4; American
Redstart 4; Ovenbird 1; Northern Waterthrush 1; Common Yellowthroat 6;
Scarlet Tanager 1; Eastern Towhee 4; LARK SPARROW 1 (along main road,
between Life of Marsh parking lot and point); Northern Cardinal 4;
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5; Indigo Bunting 6; Dickcissel 1; Bobolink 12;
Red-winged Blackbird 5; Boat-tailed Grackle 20; Baltimore Oriole 10; House
Finch 4.

 

Assateague Island/Bayside/Maintenance Yard   1320-1350 (Hoffman)

Laughing Gull 2; Royal Tern 3; Gray Catbird 4; Brown Thrasher 1;
Black-and-White Warbler 1; American Redstart 1; Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1.

 

Mark L Hoffman

Sykesville, MD