Peter Frechtel, Gerco Hoogeweg, and I headed east for a winter birding 
weekend.  We had no outstanding results, but a very nice time despite the 
now authentically-wintery conditions and a sometimes hair-raising drive home 
yesterday evening before the plows were out.

Major Maryland stops were Blackwater NWR on Saturday afternoon and Ocean 
City at the end of the day Sunday.

At Blackwater, we found the AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS all huddled together 
near the Wildlife Drive.  Though they're hard to count like that, the number 
has grown since previous reports; we counted no less than 25 and probably 
29 birds.  Other nice birds included an EASTERN PHOEBE, a nice group of 
BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES, a lone DUNLIN, both YELLOWLEGS, and 
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS.

Before Blackwater a brief stop at the Choptank River bridge yielded some nice 
ducks: LONG-TAILED, SURF and BLACK SCOTERS, and COMMON GOLDENEYE.  
After Blackwater we finished the day on Hooper's Island and found no 
Goldeneye of any kind there, though we did have a HORNED GREBE.

At Ocean City yesterday, the inlet was not especially great.  But we did get 
nice close looks at many PURPLE SANDPIPERS and RUDDY TURNSTONES.  
There were a few LONG-TAILED DUCKS, a small flock of BRANT, very distant 
NORTHERN GANNETS, BONAPARTE'S GULLS, and FORSTER'S TERNS.

Moving to extralimital sightings, Indian River inlet was better, with all of the 
above species mostly in greater numbers and better-seen, plus one BLACK 
SCOTER.  The wetland held 2 TRICOLORED HERONS and an AMERICAN 
BITTERN.  Other good Delaware sightings were a well-seen "IPSWICH" 
SAVANNAH SPARROW on the point at Cape Henlopen, and plenty o' SNOW 
GEESE.  We dipped on the Northern Shrike at Prime Hook despite several 
passes.

Jason Waanders
NW DC
jwaandersATstarpower.net