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Eastern Shore Weekend

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Bob Ringler

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Tue, 20 Feb 2007 15:46:31 +0000

   The Carroll County Bird Club enjoyed another fun weekend at the shore. Bill Ellis, Barbara and George Gafney, Dave and Maureen Harvey, and myself were joined by Kevin Graff and Debbie Terry from the Baltimore Bird Club for most of the three days.
  On Saturday (2/17) we started in Queen Anne's and Caroline counties looking for field birds. A flock of about 6,000 Snow Geese was along US301 at Centreville but we could not find anything else. In Queen Anne's County we met a mixed flock of about 30,000 Red-wings and Common Grackles on Willow Branch Road but could find nothing else. In both counties we saw or heard singles and pairs of Horned Larks but found no flocks in which to look for longspurs. We pressed on to Prime Hook NWR but did not see the Northern Shrike as we were directed to the wrong field by the volunteer at the visitors center. It was seen later that day by Chris Starling. We went to Cape Henlopen where our most notable birds were a Red-breasted Nuthatch at the feeder at the Visitors Center seen by a vigilant few, about six Great Cormorants sitting on the breakwater, and a fly-by male Redhead, our only one of the weekend. We ended the day at Indian River Inlet where an immature Brown Pelican was seen flying nort
h by some of us. Another Great Cormorant was here.
   On Sunday (2/18) we started the day birding Isle of Wight Bay behind the convention center, Swordfish Basin, the Flats, and the Inlet in Ocean City. Brant seemed to be everywhere. The only shorebirds at the flats were one Sanderling and 28 Oystercatchers. Offshore just north of the inlet was flock of about 2,000 Surf Scoters. Dave spotted an immature male Harlequin Duck which worked along the south jetty. Two or three people saw two eiders but they disappeared quickly behind the jetty. About 75 Purple Sandpipers, 40 Ruddy Turnstones, a Great Cormorant, and 10 fly-by Bonaparte's Gulls were also noted. Kevin saw the only gannets. They were too far away for the rest of us.
   At the West Ocean City Pond was an excellent variety of birds including two adult Black-crowned Night-Herons. Near Berlin at the previously reported site at the intersection of Beathards and Patey Woods roads we saw about 15 Snipe in the wet field west of the intersection. The pond at Eagles Landing GC had few birds and no Eurasian Wigeon. We scanned the flats off Eagles Nest Campground from behind the fence and saw many Black-bellied Plovers, 2 Sanderlings, and hundreds of Dunlin. A Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult or near-adult) was sitting with the other gulls on the sand bar. We birded south along Chincoteague Bay. Bill identified a Greater Yellowlegs in one of the creeks.
   We continued through Snow Hill to the Nassawango Creek and Pocomoke State Forest areas. In a mixed species flock along Sand Road were a Phoebe and two male Pine Warblers. A Woodcock was in the roadside ditch near the intersection of Old Furnace Road and Millville Road. Later another was flushed from the roadside. We saw or heard about 20 Hermit Thrushes along the way. We ended the day at Deal Island Wildlife Management Area. Along the dumpster road we saw 5 Blue-winged Teal and an American Bittern. From the end of Riley Roberts Road at dusk we saw another bittern and 11 Black-crowned Night-Herons.
   On Monday (Feb. 19) we started at the jetty trying for eiders again and were rewarded with a flock of 9 Common Eiders, one second-year male, four first-year males, and four females. Incidental note - an adult Red-shouldered Hawk just landed on the roof of a house across the street as I write this. As we headed west along US50 we started passing flocks of Snow Geese also headed west. We eventually caught up with the leaders going into a field at Willards, Wicomico County south of the highway. I estimated at least 40,000 birds (Bill estimated 28 acres). Once again there were no other species but we could adequately study only less than 1% of the flock.
   We spent some time on Elliott Island Road where much of the marsh and most of Fishing Bay were frozen. Debbie and I saw a Catbird along the way. A Pied-billed Grebe looked out-of-place in a small opening at the Pokata Creek Bridge. There were 7 Black-crowned Night-Herons roosting along Island Creek where it nears the road. A small flock of Dunlin was at the Elliott boat ramp. Returning north a Woodcock was in the middle of the road doing a Moonwalk which provided some interesting video. A mixed flock of Red-wings and Common Grackles was along Griffith Neck Road; a least 50,000 birds but no other species were seen. At Blackwater NWR we could not pick out any pelicans in the hundreds of big white lumps on the ice which were mostly swans. Two more Woodcock were in the roadside ditch on Key Wallace Road.
   Everyone had their favorite birds of the trip and all contributed sightings too numerous to mention. I have probably left out some other highlights but if anyone wants a complete list from the trip contact Kevin Graff who has detailed lists from all sites. Thanks to Bill who was our host in Ocean City. We'll do it again next year.
--
Bob Ringler 
Eldersburg MD