Outstanding write-up, Tom!
In addition to Bill's pictures from the trip
(http://www.billhubick.com/new_set.html), I got several Sunday, including
the fledgling Screech-owl http://flickr.com/photos/mattyfioner/
Steve got a couple of excellent macro shots of bronze coppers in Caroline Co.,
http://flickr.com/photos/odephoto/
Cheers!
Matty
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Subject: 5/27-28 Eastern Shore - 'west'
From: Tom Feild <>
Reply-To: Tom Feild <>
Date: Thu, 31 May 2007 10:09:45 -0400
Content-Type: text/plain
I spent Sunday and Monday 5/27-28 birding on the Eastern Shore with Jim
Brighton, Bill Hubick, Zach Baer, Steve Collins, and Matt Tillett. We were
working hard to save the Junin Grebe - see Jim’s web site
<http://www.delmarvabigyear.blogspot.com/>www.delmarvabigyear.blogspot.com.
We started at 6:00 at Terrapin Park on Kent Island. There were few
migrants but we were treated to incredible eye-level views of a fledgling
Screech Owl. Other birds included:
Wood Ducks – many
Spotted Sandpipers – 2
Cedar Waxwings
American Redstart
Blue Grosbeak
We saw several large Snapping Turtles and a Painted Turtle climbing out to
lay eggs plus several Black Rat Snakes and a Garter Snake.
Wye Island Wildlife Wildlife Management Area: On the drive in there were
fields filled with Grasshopper Sparrows and woods hosting some of the
common woodland breaders such as Wood Thrush and Pewees. We saw a pair of
Wild Turkeys at one woodland edge. There is a fantastic marsh where we
found Dunn and Dusky Skippers and a Bronze Copper.
The 309 ponds held only 1 Greater Yellowlegs
Talbot County:
Pickering Creek had some nice marsh birds. Some seen were:
Common Moorhen – 1
American Coot – 3
PBGrebe – 2
BWTeal – 2
RuDuck – 1
Lots of Odonates including 12-Spotted Skimmers and Citrine
Forktails. Butterflies included a Swarthy Skipper.
Also some scrub birds such as Chats and Thrashers. The forest was fairly
quiet with only a few of the regular breeders present.
Caroline County:
Several woodland stops yielded only a few of the breeders such as Ovenbirds
and Acadian Flycatchers.
We made several stops at Idylewild including visits to several stream
crossings and at Old Philadelphia.
YTVireo
Yellow-throated Warbler (Old Philadelphia)
LaWaterthrush
Odonates included:
Sparkling Jewelwing – about 10, mostly females but several males.
Turquoise Bluet, Orange Bluet, Cerano Darner (sp?), Common Baskettail,
Stream Cruiser
Matt spotted a large Long-nosed Gar (~2’ long) in one of the streams and we
saw another at Little Philadelphia.
My knowledge of, and hence notes on, the Odonates and Butterflies is very
limited. We did find several county records. If you want more info on
what we saw you can contact Jim Brighton or Steve Collins. Both post
regularly but I can provide their e-mail addresses. Steve can also discuss
some of the Robber Flies we encountered. Unlike Steve, I had to leave them
all as Robber Fly spp in my list.
We then drove up to Kent to start our Goatsucker Roundup. My understanding
as of Friday was that we would start in Kent and work our way toward Jim
Brighton’s house near Easton, searching for Nighjars along the way. I
missed several e-mails on Saturday that resulted in this plan being
expanded to include Dorchester, Wicomico and Somerset Counties. But it was
too late to back out now…
We started in Kent County at Walnut Hill (?) Road where we had Pileated
Woodpecker plus an assortment of more common forest birds. Then a thunder
storm rolled in and it rained off and on (mostly on) for the next several
hours. The rain thwarted our attempts at nightjars in Kent and Queen Anne
Counties, but there were lots of frogs out including several Eastern
Spadefoot Toads plus Fowler’s Toads, Leopard Frogs and Spring
Peepers. Cope’s Gray Tree Frogs were calling.
Caroline County: The rain slowed as we entered Caroline County and we
turned down the road towards the Christian Camp off route 313. We heard at
least 2 Chuck-wills-Widows calling.
Smithville Road rewarded us with Whip-poor-wills and a calling fledgling
Great Horned Owl.
Talbot County: We heard several CWWI at White Marsh Road
Dorchester County: We heard several CWWI near Henry’s Crossroad but
couldn’t find any WPWIs. We also struck out on Carpenter Frogs down Elliot
Island Road. This is one of the few places in the state where Carpenter
Frogs can be found.
Wicomico County: Old Bradley Road – CWWIs
We ended the day at Gravelly Point in Somerset County where we listened
unsuccessfully for Black Rails. Perhaps it was a little too windy. We
walked up and back the entire length of the marsh and heard none. We did
hear or see:
VaRail – many (~30?)
ClRail - ~15
Sora – 2
LeBittern – 1
Barn Owl – 1
Marsh Wren – many
Sea Side Sparrows – many
Around 5:00 AM we witnessed an impressive natural spectacle as the Salt
Marsh Mosquitos came to life. The droning coming from the marsh was
unbelievable and wherever I pointed my flashlight it cut through a thick
cloud. Fortunately for us the wind kept them tolerable.
Towards the end of our walk I was literally falling asleep on my feet so I
was receptive when Jim Brighton suggested we sleep for an hour or so before
we went back to Easton. Jim, Bill and I slept from 5 until 6:15 at the end
of the road while Steve walked the marsh for dawn. He was rewarded for his
effort with views of Saltmarsh Sparrows. I was amazed that at the end of
the road we were able to sleep with the windows down. The wind was off the
water but Steve said that there were also far fewer mosquitoes in the marsh.
At 6:15 we drove out through the marsh and returned to Easton. On the way
out we saw:
GrEgret, SnEgret
Glossy Ibis
Sanderlings, Dunlin, and many peeps
Willet
NoHarriers – 2
It was very difficult to leave such a great spot at such a perfect time of
day, but some people had to get back. On the way out we saw huge numbers
of Seaside Dragonlets.
After we arrived at Easton Steve and Jim returned home. The traffic on 50
was heavy so Bill and I started working our way home over the top of the
bay through Cecil County.
We visited the lake at Tuckahoe where the swamps on both the eastern and
western sides of the lake are impressive. At the eastern edge we watched a
family of Bobwhite dash across the road and then watched a new family of
Phoebes. Other birds included Prairie Warblers and Green Herons.
We crossed into Caroline County and worked north. Stops at forests and
scrub patches along the way yielded PraWarblers, WEVireos, YBChats, and
other woodland and scrub birds.
In Kent County we found at least 2 Vesper Sparrows along 313 south of
Walnut Tree Lane. We also had a Bald Eagle, RTHawk and Horned Larks as we
were listening to the VeSparrows sing. 1 occasionally perched on a power line.
We ended the day in Cecil County at Stemmer’run. Phragmites had filled in
most of the wetland but we did find a pair of Wood Ducks plus Yellow
Warbler, a YBChat, and an assortment of woodland birds.
After dropping Bill off in Severna Park I stopped briefly by Severn Run and
checked out the Climbing Fern that grows there.
I slept well that night!
*********************************
Tom Feild
Code 599
NASA/GSFC
Greenbelt, MD 20771
301-286-6686
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